Obuse
Obuse, A Small Town In Northern Nagano Known For Chestnuts, Sweets And The Hokusai Museum, With A Lane Of Old Merchant Houses, A Sake Brewery And A Chestnut Lane Of Wooden Paving. An Easy Half Day Trip From Nagano. · Obuse, Nagano
Obuse is a small town in northern Nagano, known for chestnuts, sweets and sake, and for the Hokusai connection. The painter Katsushika Hokusai came here in his last years, and the Hokusai-kan museum holds his work, including ceiling paintings from a local temple - the Ganshoin ceiling is the best known; confirm. Chestnuts are grown in the hills and end up in cakes, ice cream, sweet bean paste and rice dishes, and the old merchant streets are paved in chestnut wood in the Kuri no Komichi lane - confirm. Old brick buildings, a sake brewery and private gardens that are open to visitors, part of the Open Garden scheme, make the town easy to enjoy on foot. A private museum and small galleries add variety. It suits a half day from Nagano by the Nagaden line, about 40 minutes. It is worth the detour for the sweets, the gardens and the quiet, but it is small, and on a rainy Monday many places are closed.
Obuse, Kamitakai District, Nagano, a short walk from Obuse Station on the Nagano Electric Railway from Nagano, Obuse, Nagano, Japan
Most museums, shops and cafes open from about 9:00 or 10:00 to 17:00, with last entry earlier and a closing day in the week, often Wednesday or Thursday for shops, so check before you go - confirm. The Hokusai-kan commonly closes late in the afternoon and may close in winter holidays. Open Garden doors are open only on posted days and times, so ask at the visitor centre. From Nagano take the Nagaden line, about 40 minutes, and walk from Obuse Station; trains run less often in the evening. Bring cash for small shops and cafes.