As I only went for 4 days to kiso, We tried to do as much things as possible!
These are the few things that I recommend to visit or try out.
Kiso is a really lovely place to visit if you are time as it is quite out of the way and is way easier to move around if you are driving. One thing to note if you are driving is that the roads are way more dangerous and most road are one lane and really narrow.
Narai 奈良井
One of the old street town in Kiso, this place is well know for the pictorial view of olden houses. The nick name that was given for the place was "Narai of a Thousand Houses" and once you are there, you can see why.
In the area that use to be a former residence street now has souvenir shops, cafes and restaurants.
One thing to look out for is the handicraft that they used to do in the past which is still preserve today.
Do note that the roads are also used for vehicles so do be careful.
Kiso Ohashi
Near by Narai is the popular kiso Ohashi which is the bridge that crosses over the Narai river.
From sources, it was said to be one of the longest wooden bridges in Japan and was made in the 1990s which is pretty recent.
At the bridge, you are able to see the beautiful mountain which surrounds Kiso. Near the bridge is also a park which features a koi pond and wooden huts.
Magome
Same as Narai, Magome is one of the post towns in Kiso valley. This particular town is well known to be a tourist spot as it previously aim to serve travelers that was travelling between tokyo and kyoto in the olden days.
The town really had an ancient feel even thought it had been restored. It had many shops and restaurants around that mainly features the old-fashion Japanese life. With old school toys and wooden tools. There is also a couple of museum that feature about the olden days in Japan and arts
One of the cuisine that Nagano is famous for is buckwheat noodles aka Soba! When I was in Kiso, I went to many different places to eat soba as is one of my favorite food.
You are able to find restaurants around the area that sells soba. The photo dish below is called oyakosoba which is basically chicken and soba.
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| Hot soba with chicken and leek |
Mount Kiso Ontake
Well know for being the second highest volcano in Japan which is just after Mount Fuji.
So from the news sources, Ontake had erupt before in 2014 so I guess it is still active.
To get to the peak, you will need to hike however, there is a cable car that will take you to 3/4 of the mountain. At the stop, there is a cable car station and a restaurant for resting. There is also viewing platform and hiking trials.
Some photos was taken by Rebecca! Thank you once again! I lost quite a number of photos somehow.