Happy 2024 everyone! Hope you enjoyed this short trip to Nagano :) Next up, we would be travelling to the city of Matsumoto, nestled among the Japanese Alps, before going to Kusatsu Onsen for a traditional ryokan experience. Lots of exciting locations to feature, thank you so much for watching!
@@Crystals13579 Thank you! Yes, we were fortunate that it snowed! I remember checking the forecast a few days before we landed and was expecting it to be clear without any snow at all.
You should consider driving in Japan. For Hiroshima, yes, Shinkansen is more appropriate. However, to see the smaller towns, countryside, and rustic ryokans in villages driving in the central Japan alps is wonderful. There’s many places near Nagano. Hope you give it a try in the future.
Yes, there are many places in the countryside and Japan alps I would like to visit in Japan, so I would definitely try this out some day. Thank you for watching 😊
Thanks so much for watching :) Only in the winter, buses don’t stop at Okusha shrine, so the best option is to take a 40 minute long walk (about 3km) from the nearest bus stop, Togakushi Chusha. We recommend taking a cab (from Chusha) if you’re travelling with older folks! As for where we stayed, it was Sotetsu Fresa Inn at Nagano Station.
such a lovely video - i absolutely love the cinematic shots and the colour grading! i'm heading to nagano this december, was wondering if you would recommend driving in nagano? or was public transport convenient enough?
Really gorgeous editing. I like hearing the places under the gentle music. The snow monkeys were beautiful. I’m curious; what were your immediate actions during the earthquake and tsunami warnings?
Thank you 😊 We were on a bus travelling back from the Snow Monkey park when the earthquake hit - emergency warnings started blaring on everyone's phones so the driver stopped in the middle of the road. We were surrounded by open fields at the time so no immediate threat of collapsing structures. When the quake started, we could feel the bus shaking quite strongly and see powerlines swaying. Everyone just remained in their seat and even the bus driver was quite calm too. We had no idea how bad it was (and the subsequent tsunami warnings) until we checked the stats on the official website when we returned to Nagano city.
@@AdelokeLH we would definitely recommended snow boots as the route can be slippery! this year, winter seems to have been a little delayed in Japan so there may not be much snow accumulation there in mid-December. But it’s worth bringing them just in case :)
Hi! Love the shots 😍 so beautiful. I have a question, is it possible to do a day trip from Tokyo to Nagano if we are to go to Snow Monkey Park and Togakushi Shrine? Thank you
Thank you so much for the kind comment 😊 It is definitely possible to take a day trip to both, but the buses from Nagano Station to both these locations don’t run very frequently so I would not recommend it since these locations take a long while to get to using both public transportation and on foot (Snow Monkey Park involves some hiking). Perhaps you could stay a night in Nagano and take day trips to each of these places separately!
Hi, if you were to choose between togakushi shrine and monkey park, which one will you visit again? I can only visit one so appreciate your help please. Would love to see picturesque snowy view. Thank you!
@@HL00403 I would say both offer very unique experiences, but in my opinion seeing the snow monkeys in the hot springs was much more magical. Something about it is very mesmerising 😆 Togakushi Shrine is really beautiful but there are plenty of other shrines that look just as amazing too especially in the winter (and it is much harder to get to the cedar tree walkway) For the best chance of snow, I think you have to come around mid-January.
Oh man i was also at Nagano during Jan 1st. I was in between the Nio Guardians at Zenkoji Temple when the earthquake hit and was gawking up at them rocking before my husband and guide dragged me away from them. But the worst part was the uncertainty of reaching Tokyo since we were due to depart Japan on 3rd. Our granclass Kagayaki got canceled but luckily I could understand Japanese so I ran into Nagano stn to catch the non reserved Asama cars to Tokyo. We then spent 4 hours plus slow inching to Tokyo and check in at 12am at Tokyo Hotel. Then jan 2nd at Akiba was just endless sirens which we later found out about the plane collisions.
Wow that sounded really scary! We were on a bus back when the quake struck and we remember feeling both shocked and somewhat helpless. We also walked past the station later that night and there were crowds of people due to the shinkansen cancellations. Glad you managed to make it back to Tokyo!
@@littlewanderlings Yea, the scary part was it was mere seconds before the 5 pointer hit Nagano and everyone phone blared earthquake warning. Imagine thousands of phone alerting to brace for impact. Also, at night, all channels were just showing Tsunami warning and panning to some stations where people were getting ready to sleep overnight since their trains were canceled and there were no remaining trains available. It was overall a very scary experience and i'm glad you were able to vlog a little about the experience!
Just stumbled upon your channel! Nagano is my dream destination on Winter and Autumn but I'll be visiting this spring. I can't wait! I was pretty surprised that there's snow there by the end of December. That's so lucky given that Japan was hotter than usual last year. Btw, I love the quality of the video! Was majority of the videos taken from Sony?
Glad you enjoyed the video! ☺️ I’m sure Nagano would be beautiful in the springtime too! We were not expecting snow at all too so it was such a pleasant surprise. I’d say about 90% of the shots here were from the iPhone, and some scenes of the snow monkeys and Togakushi were from the Sony
@@FT-od4xv We visited in early January, specifically on New Year’s day for Nagano. We able to see snow there due to some heavy snow a few days before - but there is a chance that it might not be cold enough for the snow to stick around. If you would like to visit when it snows, you can consider visiting late January to February :) (and check the climate information online, including any snow forecasts)
@@FT-od4xv likewise! Couldnt travel in Jan/Feb too because of uni 🤣 Hokkaido would definitely be your best bet to see snow since it’s much colder up north :)
Hey there👋 so JR pass prices are now higher compared to previous years, but if your trip routes allow for it, you may be able to get some regional passes such as the Hokuriku Arch pass or Nagano-Niigata Area Pass. You can see if the main JR pass is worth it for your trips using this site www.japan-guide.com/railpass/!
Happy 2024 everyone! Hope you enjoyed this short trip to Nagano :) Next up, we would be travelling to the city of Matsumoto, nestled among the Japanese Alps, before going to Kusatsu Onsen for a traditional ryokan experience. Lots of exciting locations to feature, thank you so much for watching!
Beautiful clips! Very blessed weather
@@Crystals13579 Thank you! Yes, we were fortunate that it snowed! I remember checking the forecast a few days before we landed and was expecting it to be clear without any snow at all.
Beautiful!!!!!
glad you liked it!! :)
You should consider driving in Japan. For Hiroshima, yes, Shinkansen is more appropriate. However, to see the smaller towns, countryside, and rustic ryokans in villages driving in the central Japan alps is wonderful.
There’s many places near Nagano. Hope you give it a try in the future.
Yes, there are many places in the countryside and Japan alps I would like to visit in Japan, so I would definitely try this out some day. Thank you for watching 😊
Really amazing
Nice video Nicholas!
Thank you so much Amy!
Hi! Lovely video editing. Just wondering how long the walk was from the bus stop to Okusha shrine? Also, where did you stay in Nagano? Thanks!
Thanks so much for watching :) Only in the winter, buses don’t stop at Okusha shrine, so the best option is to take a 40 minute long walk (about 3km) from the nearest bus stop, Togakushi Chusha. We recommend taking a cab (from Chusha) if you’re travelling with older folks! As for where we stayed, it was Sotetsu Fresa Inn at Nagano Station.
great clip
Thank you for watching 😊
Beautiful Video!
great video~~ thank you for the tips, love from indonesian viewer!
Thank you so much!! Glad you found it helpful :)
Wow! I also travelled to Togakushi Shrine in winter, love the shots you got :)
@@cherie.diaries this place is even more stunning during the winter months - especially when it snows! thanks for watching 😊
such a lovely video - i absolutely love the cinematic shots and the colour grading! i'm heading to nagano this december, was wondering if you would recommend driving in nagano? or was public transport convenient enough?
Thank you! 😄😄 We would recommend driving if you are confident, since public transport there can take a long time due to longer intervals
Really gorgeous editing. I like hearing the places under the gentle music. The snow monkeys were beautiful. I’m curious; what were your immediate actions during the earthquake and tsunami warnings?
Thank you 😊 We were on a bus travelling back from the Snow Monkey park when the earthquake hit - emergency warnings started blaring on everyone's phones so the driver stopped in the middle of the road. We were surrounded by open fields at the time so no immediate threat of collapsing structures. When the quake started, we could feel the bus shaking quite strongly and see powerlines swaying. Everyone just remained in their seat and even the bus driver was quite calm too. We had no idea how bad it was (and the subsequent tsunami warnings) until we checked the stats on the official website when we returned to Nagano city.
we stayed at the same Hotel last year, it was great
Yep it was pretty convenient and affordable for Tokyo!
Hi I'm planning to visit next month (mid December) - did you guys wear snow boots for the hike up Togakushi?
@@AdelokeLH we would definitely recommended snow boots as the route can be slippery! this year, winter seems to have been a little delayed in Japan so there may not be much snow accumulation there in mid-December. But it’s worth bringing them just in case :)
@@littlewanderlings I see! Thanks. Do you think it's necessary to bring crampons?
it’s good to have crampons if you are planning to hike all the way to the main shrine, instead of taking the bus there!
@@littlewanderlings Thank you! It's good to know
Please share complete winter itinerary 😊
Feel free to check out the videos in this playlist of what we did on our winter trip :)
ua-cam.com/video/zfp-gRxf7ck/v-deo.html
Hi! Love the shots 😍 so beautiful. I have a question, is it possible to do a day trip from Tokyo to Nagano if we are to go to Snow Monkey Park and Togakushi Shrine? Thank you
Thank you so much for the kind comment 😊 It is definitely possible to take a day trip to both, but the buses from Nagano Station to both these locations don’t run very frequently so I would not recommend it since these locations take a long while to get to using both public transportation and on foot (Snow Monkey Park involves some hiking). Perhaps you could stay a night in Nagano and take day trips to each of these places separately!
@@littlewanderlings Thank you for answering my query. Looking forward to more of your videos!
Hi, if you were to choose between togakushi shrine and monkey park, which one will you visit again? I can only visit one so appreciate your help please. Would love to see picturesque snowy view. Thank you!
@@HL00403 I would say both offer very unique experiences, but in my opinion seeing the snow monkeys in the hot springs was much more magical. Something about it is very mesmerising 😆 Togakushi Shrine is really beautiful but there are plenty of other shrines that look just as amazing too especially in the winter (and it is much harder to get to the cedar tree walkway) For the best chance of snow, I think you have to come around mid-January.
@@littlewanderlings Thank you so much!!! Really appreciate your response!
Oh man i was also at Nagano during Jan 1st. I was in between the Nio Guardians at Zenkoji Temple when the earthquake hit and was gawking up at them rocking before my husband and guide dragged me away from them.
But the worst part was the uncertainty of reaching Tokyo since we were due to depart Japan on 3rd. Our granclass Kagayaki got canceled but luckily I could understand Japanese so I ran into Nagano stn to catch the non reserved Asama cars to Tokyo. We then spent 4 hours plus slow inching to Tokyo and check in at 12am at Tokyo Hotel.
Then jan 2nd at Akiba was just endless sirens which we later found out about the plane collisions.
Wow that sounded really scary! We were on a bus back when the quake struck and we remember feeling both shocked and somewhat helpless. We also walked past the station later that night and there were crowds of people due to the shinkansen cancellations. Glad you managed to make it back to Tokyo!
@@littlewanderlings Yea, the scary part was it was mere seconds before the 5 pointer hit Nagano and everyone phone blared earthquake warning. Imagine thousands of phone alerting to brace for impact. Also, at night, all channels were just showing Tsunami warning and panning to some stations where people were getting ready to sleep overnight since their trains were canceled and there were no remaining trains available.
It was overall a very scary experience and i'm glad you were able to vlog a little about the experience!
Just stumbled upon your channel! Nagano is my dream destination on Winter and Autumn but I'll be visiting this spring. I can't wait! I was pretty surprised that there's snow there by the end of December. That's so lucky given that Japan was hotter than usual last year. Btw, I love the quality of the video! Was majority of the videos taken from Sony?
Glad you enjoyed the video! ☺️ I’m sure Nagano would be beautiful in the springtime too! We were not expecting snow at all too so it was such a pleasant surprise. I’d say about 90% of the shots here were from the iPhone, and some scenes of the snow monkeys and Togakushi were from the Sony
@@littlewanderlings Good to know! Thank you!
Did you film this on your phone?
Yes, almost all these clips were shot on the iphone, with a small handful on the sony a7iii
Hi may i know which period did you visit? Looking to visit Nagano in first 2 week of Dec and wonder if there will be snow
@@FT-od4xv We visited in early January, specifically on New Year’s day for Nagano. We able to see snow there due to some heavy snow a few days before - but there is a chance that it might not be cold enough for the snow to stick around. If you would like to visit when it snows, you can consider visiting late January to February :) (and check the climate information online, including any snow forecasts)
@@littlewanderlings thanks for your reply, we are bounded by school term hence Jan n Feb is out :( will probably go Hokkaido then.
@@FT-od4xv likewise! Couldnt travel in Jan/Feb too because of uni 🤣 Hokkaido would definitely be your best bet to see snow since it’s much colder up north :)
sir should i buy jr pass
Hey there👋 so JR pass prices are now higher compared to previous years, but if your trip routes allow for it, you may be able to get some regional passes such as the Hokuriku Arch pass or Nagano-Niigata Area Pass. You can see if the main JR pass is worth it for your trips using this site www.japan-guide.com/railpass/!