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.
11 km · about 20 min drive
AsiaJapanNagano
Nagawa
Nagano, Japan · Asia
About Nagawa
Nagawa works well as a base: 10 minutes from Kamimaruko, 21km from Venus Line.
Nagawa is in Nagano, Japan, with about 6,100 people. You drive on the left here. The nearest town is Kamimaruko, about 5 km away.
Where to Stay in Nagawa
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Frequently Asked Questions
What is there to see near Nagawa?
Within an hour or so of Nagawa: Bessho Onsen (11 km), Venus Line (21 km), Matsumoto Castle (26 km), Mishaka Pond (28 km).
Are there any good drives near Nagawa?
The nearest famous roads are Venus Line, Usui Pass and Shibu Pass.
Where is Nagawa?
Nagawa is in Nagano, Japan, about 5 km from Kamimaruko.
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Quick Information
- Population
- 6,088
- Continent
- Asia
- Country
- Japan
- Region
- Nagano
- Timezone
- Asia/Tokyo
- Coordinates
- 36.2836, 138.2478
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 Nagawa
8 notable places within an hour's 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.
21 km · about 25 min 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.
26 km · about 30 min drive
photogenic
Mishaka Pond
A small irrigation reservoir whose acidic, iron-rich water holds a still green surface mirroring the birch and larch on its bank. It became famous as the subject of a Higashiyama Kaii painting.
28 km · about 30 min drive
mountain pass
Usui Pass
Historic 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.
37 km · about 40 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.
49 km · about 55 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.
50 km · about 55 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.
53 km · about 60 min drive
Driving roads near Nagawa
- 21 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.
- 37 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.
- 50 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.
- 59 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.
- 64 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.
- 79 kmTateyama Kurobe Alpine RouteA spectacular mountain traversal through the Japanese Alps using cable cars, buses, and ropeways past towering snow walls and dams.
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