Stopover Between Nagano and Tokyo

Hello everyone,

Wefre planning a trip from Nagano to Tokyo and would like to break up the journey with an overnight stop somewhere interesting along the way (via train). If anyone has suggestions for a nice place to stay or explore, wefd really appreciate it!

Additionally, if you have recommendations for day trips from Nagano or Nagoya, Ifd love to hear them! Wefre already planning to visit Ise, and wefve previously been to Takayama, so something different would be fantastic.

Thanks so much in advance for any ideas!

For a day trip from Nagoya consider Meiji Mura, which is an outdoor museum with a collection of buildings from all over Japan, set in parklands. We went during cherry blossom season in 2023, and had a terrific day.

Inuyama Castle is also a lovely day out from Nagoya, the Castle is high on a hill and the area is very picturesque.

For a stopover between Nagano and Tokyo, try Karuizawa. I've not been but it seems like a very popular resort area for a night or two.

Have a wonderful time in Japan!

Other stop overs could be Bessho Onsen. Or , a bit more complicated, Chichibu.
I am also in agreement with Karuizawa.

If you want to travel slowly you could also see Unnojuku and the castle in Komoro

If you want a short day trip from Nagano, Obuse is nice. For a full day trip in nature with hiking, Togakushi is great, but not in the winter or early spring (too much snow; buses donft run). The Jigokudani wild monkey park is popular. (It also involves some hiking.) Nozawa Onsen could work.

I might consider taking a detour to Kusatsu between Nagano and Tokyo. (You canft get there entirely by train, though; you have to take a bus part of the way.) Bessho is nice but Kusatsu is more famous and in a sense more classic. It takes more time to get there but could be memorable. Bessho is more low-key. I like both.

Thank you very much everyone for the suggestions!

Ifm curious about Karuizawa, but Ifm not too familiar with what there is to see and do there. I will be there early december but I don't want to ski. Could anyone share more details on the main attractions or activities?

I also came across Takasaki on other forums, whatfs your opinion on it as a stopover? Would it be worth visiting?

Thanks again for the help!

You can stop Takasaki, nice city in gunma pre fecture and maebashi city also beautiful.you can consider JR gunma 1 day pass=2500 yen
Or kanetsu bus 1 day pass = 1000 yen

Am I missing something or has Matsumoto not been mentioned? Or is it just too obvious?
It is literally exactly on the route from Nagano to Tokyo and well worth a visit IMO.
We did the trip some years ago just in reversed order and ended in Yudanaka-Onsen.

Yudanaka has some good bathing.
O use is charming, and has the Hokusai connection

Thanks for your feedback.

Indeed i have already included Matsumoto for 2 nights, including probably Narai-Juku due to its proximity

Karuizawa can be a great place to see. A few great sights to see there are Shiraito Falls. as well as Onioshidashi Park. Some nice shopping and hiking there as well.
https://goo.gl/jshPWy

Another good option is Shodankyo Gorge in Yamanashi for a nice half day hike.
For Nagoya, one of the best places in the region is in Inuyama, but not the quaint castle. It's Meiji Mura, the country's best open air museum.
https://youtu.be/ZgYDE7ujk8A