landmark
Bessho Onsen
A thousand-year-old spa at the foot of the Nagano hills, ringed by ancient temples including a rare octagonal three-storey pagoda. Three small public baths still serve the village for a few coins.
21 km · about 25 min drive
AsiaJapanNagano
Chikuma
Nagano, Japan · Asia
About Chikuma
Chikuma is worth a stop: 15 minutes from Omi, 40km from Jigokudani Monkey Park.
Chikuma is in Nagano, Japan, with about 59,000 people. You drive on the left here. The nearest town is Omi, about 9 km away.
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Frequently Asked Questions
What is there to see near Chikuma?
Within an hour or so of Chikuma: Bessho Onsen (21 km), Matsumoto Castle (34 km), Shibu Onsen (38 km), Jigokudani Monkey Park (40 km).
Are there any good drives near Chikuma?
The nearest famous roads are Shibu Pass, Venus Line and Usui Pass.
Where is Chikuma?
Chikuma is in Nagano, Japan, about 9 km from Omi.
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Quick Information
- Population
- 59,381
- Continent
- Asia
- Country
- Japan
- Region
- Nagano
- Timezone
- Asia/Tokyo
- Coordinates
- 36.5271, 138.0894
Emergency & Services
Essential numbers in Japan
Japan Helpline (24h English assistance): 0570-000-911. An International Driving Permit (1949 convention) is required to drive.
Full driving guide for JapanTags
Worth the detour from Chikuma
8 notable places within an hour's drive.
castle
Matsumoto Castle
One of Japan's premier historic castles, known as the Crow Castle for its striking black exterior, dating to the 16th century.
34 km · about 40 min drive
landmark
Shibu Onsen
A cobbled onsen village of wooden inns where guests in yukata and geta make a circuit of nine small public bathhouses. It is the road-end village below the snow monkey valley.
38 km · about 45 min drive
natural wonder
Jigokudani Monkey Park
A unique hot spring area where wild Japanese macaques famously bathe in steaming thermal pools surrounded by snow.
40 km · about 45 min drive
mountain pass
Shibu Pass
At 2,172 m this is the highest point on any Japanese national highway, on Route 292 between Nagano and Gunma. In spring the road is cut through snow walls several metres high.
43 km · about 50 min drive
photogenic
Kusatsu Yubatake
The steaming timber sluice at the centre of Kusatsu, where 4,000 litres a minute of highly acidic spring water is cooled across wooden channels before reaching the baths. Floodlit and clouded in steam after dark.
47 km · about 55 min drive
famous road
Venus Line
A 76 km free touring road across Nagano's Kirigamine and Utsukushigahara highlands, rolling over open alpine meadows at up to 1,959 m. One of Japan's best-loved drives for bikers and grand tourers.
49 km · about 55 min drive
national park
Kamikōchi
A high alpine valley beneath the Hotaka range, with the Azusa River running clear beneath Kappa Bridge. Private vehicles are banned; drivers leave cars at Sawando or Hirayu and take the bus in.
51 km · about 60 min drive
Driving roads near Chikuma
- 43 kmShibu PassAt 2,172 m this is the highest point on any Japanese national highway, on Route 292 between Nagano and Gunma. In spring the road is cut through snow walls several metres high.
- 49 kmVenus LineA 76 km free touring road across Nagano's Kirigamine and Utsukushigahara highlands, rolling over open alpine meadows at up to 1,959 m. One of Japan's best-loved drives for bikers and grand tourers.
- 54 kmUsui PassHistoric pass on the old Nakasendo route between Gunma and Karuizawa, packed with 180-plus corners and the brick Megane-bashi viaduct. Another Initial D battleground beloved by drivers and rail historians alike.
- 58 kmTateyama Kurobe Alpine RouteA spectacular mountain traversal through the Japanese Alps using cable cars, buses, and ropeways past towering snow walls and dams.
- 65 kmNorikura SkylineA toll mountain road climbing to 2,702 m at Tatamidaira, the highest paved road in Japan. Private cars are barred, so drivers park at Hirayu and transfer to the shuttle bus for the final ascent.
- 69 kmMount Haruna TougeThe winding climb to Lake Haruna in Gunma, immortalised as 'Mount Akina' in Initial D. Gentle hairpins, a crater lake at the top, and constant pilgrimages by fans of Japan's street-racing manga.
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