Travel guides and hidden gems in the Chubu region of Japan
Central Japan · Alpine Spine
Yamanashi, Nagano, Gifu, Shizuoka — the prefectures with the highest concentration of HJG fieldwork.
Chubu is the geographical and emotional center of HJG. It contains Mt. Fuji, the Japan Alps, the Kiso Valley post towns, Kamikochi, and the Yamanashi lakes. Many of the most-read articles on this site live in Chubu prefectures.
April for cherry blossom along Mt. Fuji. July to early September for the climbing season (Mt. Fuji, Northern Alps). October for autumn at Kamikochi and Naraijuku. December for Mt. Fuji visibility at its annual peak.
JR Tokaido Shinkansen passes through Shizuoka/Nagoya; Hokuriku Shinkansen reaches Nagano, Kanazawa and on to Tsuruga. Mt. Fuji area: Kawaguchiko via Otsuki, then Fujikyuko Line. Kiso Valley: JR Chuo Main Line — Narai has its own station; Magome and Tsumago need a short bus link.
Plan a trip to Chubu
All Chubu articles
Hakuba Ōide Park holds the most-photographed view in the village: a wooden suspension bridge over the Himekawa river framed by the snow-capped Hakuba Sanzan peaks. Free entry, 4-layer composition, late April sakura and mid-October maple peaks. Cherry-weekend access restricted; use overflow parking.
Hakuba Ohashi is a 100-meter bridge over the Matsugawa river selected as one of Japans Top 100 Roads in 1987, offering a free, year-round view of the Hakuba Sanzan peaks and the glacial-melt river. No admission, no opening hours, no parking lot — the only Hakuba viewpoint with zero restrictions.
Hakuba is the only place in Japan where you can ski an Olympic course in February, swim in a glacial alpine pond in August, photograph cherry against snow peaks in April, and watch foliage burn against green forest in October. A year-round guide with all four seasons.
Hakuba Station is a single-platform JR Oito Line stop 2h 50m from Tokyo. Four routes compared (Hokuriku Shinkansen, Azusa, highway bus, drive), 10 destinations, station amenities, JR Pass math, and the difference between Hakuba Station and Hakuba Happo Bus Terminal.
Yamanashi · Lake Yamanaka · Diamond Fuji Lake Yamanaka Diamond Fuji 2026: All 9 Spots, Date by Date The most concentrated Diamond Fuji viewing region in Japan — 9 official lakeshore spots that each light up on slightly different dates…
Mt. Fuji · Diamond Fuji · 2026–2027 Diamond Fuji 2026–2027: The Complete Calendar Guide to Where and When to See It On any given month somewhere in Japan, the sun touches the summit of Mt. Fuji at sunset or sunrise.…
Shizuoka · Yaizu · Craft Yamaju Masuda Shoten 2026: Inside a 130-Year-Old Katsuobushi Workshop in Yaizu A small family workshop in Yaizu still smoking bonito over open fire. The umami in your dashi most likely starts in a workshop like…
Nagano · Naraijuku · Shrine Shizume Shrine: The Quiet Forest at the South End of Naraijuku A 12th-century shrine that ended an epidemic in 1618 — and still sits at the edge of the post town, mostly empty. The torii…
Nagano · Naraijuku · Off-Season Naraijuku in Winter: A Quiet Post Town Without the Tourist Buses December at the wooden inns of the Kiso valley — what the off-season actually looks like, and what you give up to get it.…
Nagano · Itineraries · Kiso Valley One Day in the Kiso Valley: Naraijuku to Tsumago by Train and on Foot Two preserved Edo-period post towns, one valley, one train line, one full day. The route I keep coming back to.…
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