Meet the mysterious masks and humanity in a secluded village.
The Northern Japan Alps were great, and the pickled Nozawana was so delicious!
*With a reliable guide!

"TAIKEN！Nagano(Experience! Nagano) " presents,as a special contents, video clips and reports of atractive activities in the Nagano area . VIdeo clips and reports are teken and written by themselves who experienced the activites.
Information on the facilities experienced and visited can be found at the bottom of this page.

translation based on by DeepL
(including report)

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by Nakazawa

Nice to meet you, I am Nakazawa, a resident of Nagano Prefecture.

This time, a group of three people of different nationalities and ages, but all of whom love Nagano and nature, went on a winter cycling experience.

Located in Oooka, Nagano city.

In early December, with snow from the previous day still on the ground, I honestly thought it would be tough cycling up, down and over the mountain paths, but the bikes available for rent are e-bikes (electric bicycles).
I was given a detailed lecture on how to ride the bike, so even though it was my first time using an electric bike, I felt comfortable.
Just by pedalling the bike lightly, the electric power makes the bike go forward, which makes me feel excited just by riding on the training course.

After being taught how to ride, the guide will lead you on a quick cycling start.

The journey takes about 3 hours. In total, we visited about 7.8 places. (They can also be set up as you wish.)
Every spot we stopped at was a cherished place related to the village, where we could learn about the culture and history known only to the villagers.

Of particular interest in the spots we visited were the village's power struggle over water (recognised as one of the 100 best waters) and the story of the mysterious mask’s s story.
The rest of this story is a spoiler, so please watch the video. (Please watch!)
What also surprised me was the special content where we visited a 'private house' and had pickles and local cuisine!
It was an experience unique to this trip that made us feel nostalgic as if we were visiting our grandfather's house for the first time in a long time. (The guide has made arrangements in advance, so don't visit without permission (*^-^*)).
After a lot of driving, the homemade bread we had at Café Terrace Momo was also delicious~♪

If you are not confident about your physical strength, don't worry!
You can manage with the help of electricity.
All equipment, including bicycles, can be rented, so come empty-handed.

It was a very satisfying cycling experience.




【Information】 For up-to-date information, please contact the institutions directly.

■Cycle Up! Oooka
Access：【by car】Approximately 20 min from Omi Interchange on the Nagano Expressway.
Price：half day(2~3h）￥4,000 （bike-rent,guide,snack)
　　　 one day（4~5h）￥7,000（bike-rent,guide,lunch)
　　　≪Opening Special price（~2024/3/31≫
　　　　half day　￥2,000
　　　　one day　￥4,000
Tel：080-5145-1017
HP：https://cyclingoooka.com/

■Cafe terrace MOMO
Location ：In Alps Observation Park,7552,Oooka ko,Nagano City
Access：【by car】Approximately 30 min from Omi Interchange on the Nagano Expressway.
Opening ：morning～sunset
Closed：wed
tel：026-266-3701
HP：https://cafemomopan.com/


■Spring water in Kohijiri (Kohijiri no wakimizu)
Location ：96 Oooka,Nagano city
Access：【by car】Approximately 20 min from Omi Interchange on the Nagano Expressway.



■Ashino-jiri guardian deity (Masked) (Ashino-jiri dosojin)
Location ：Oooka hei,Nagano city
Access：【by car】Approximately 20 min from Omi Interchange on the Nagano Expressway.


■Toyoasihara shrine
address ：4080 Hei Oooka,Nagano city
access：【by car】Approximately 20 min from Omi Interchange on the Nagano Expressway.