The outdoors is often conflated with strenuous hikes and thrill-seeking activities, but it is just as much a place to get away from the everyday, rest and relax. Head into the mountains, forests and valleys of Nagano to get in touch with nature and restore balance to your body and mind.

Camping and Glamping

To some, lugging camping gear to a faraway campsite to set up tents, sleeping bags and other camping gear is a pain. But to others, it is a ritual marking the start of a special evening away from the hustle and bustle of everyday life. While you give up some creature comforts of home, what you get back is so much more: a chance to slow down and live in the moment, if only for an evening or two.

Nagano has its fair share of campgrounds, some located in picturesque national parks (such as Konashidaira Campground in Kamikochi and Togakushi Campground in Myoko Togakushi Renzan National Park), some with exquisite starry skies, and others with majestic mountain views.

You can also skip gear lugging and the tent pitching at a campsite with full gear rentals, like at Hakuba Iwatake Campgrounds, or at a glamping site with plentiful amenities, like Mokki Stardust Glamping in Achi Village

Forest-bathing

There’s no better way to get in touch with nature than taking a stroll through the woods and focusing on the sights, sounds and aromas around you.

Admire the organic textures and patterns of nature and watch as leaves rustle in the wind, creating dancing shadows on the ground below. Listen to the trickling of running water and the chirping of birds in the treetops. Smell the fragrant aroma of hinoki cypress, pine and oak. Forest-bathing stimulates all your senses and brings you in harmony with your surroundings.

Over 80% of Nagano Prefecture is covered in forest, and there are countless parks and forest trails where you can immerse yourself in nature. Learn more about Nagano’s forest-bathing trails here.

Zazen Meditation

Zazen meditation is a fundamental discipline of Zen Buddhism and is practiced in the Rinzai and Soto sects of Buddhism in Japan. During a zazen meditation session, monks sit with good posture, breathe steadily and deeply, and allow their minds to wander without lingering on any passing thoughts. Like a cloudy river, the mind slowly clears as detritus flows downstream.

Many temples, such as Daikanjin of Zenkoji in Nagano City, offer short 30-minute to 1-hour zazen meditation experiences, where a monk will guide you in the proper posture and breathing techniques. You may be surprised just how quickly a half hour of meditation passes by and how clear your mind feels afterwards.

Yoga

Whether as a warm-up for a long day of activities, as prehab for fatigued muscles and joints or as stress relief after a long week of work, yoga is a great way to move your body and calm your mind. You can find yoga studios around Nagano that offer yoga classes outdoors, such as yoga at Lake Hokuryu in Iiyama, and, if you’d like to test your balance, atop standup paddleboards as well.

There are also indoor yoga options, such as Komorebi Yoga in Hakuba, and Shizen Collective in Nozawa.

Stand-up Paddleboarding (SUP)

Standing on a floating board and propelling oneself across the water is both a great workout and a relaxing way to enjoy the outdoors. Focus on your balance and core as you paddle leisurely across the lake, feeling the gentle waves rocking beneath your feet. Depending on when and where you visit, you can also enjoy the scenery of the Japanese Alps or seasonal flowers.

Nagano may have no access to the ocean, but there are many picturesque lakes around the prefecture where you can rent stand-up paddleboards and spend a morning or afternoon on the water. Evergreen Outdoor Center offers guided SUP tours and Hakuba Lion Adventure offers SUP rentals at Lake Aoki. For paddleboarding along the Chikuma River, Lake Hokuryu or Lake Nojiri, you can book tours through the Shinetsu Shizenkyo Activity Center.

Hot Springs

Hot springs have long been highly regarded for their healing properties. Historically, nobles and samurai, would spend anywhere from one to several weeks at a hot spring area for medicinal bathing, known as tōji in Japanese. Eventually, hot springs became a place for relaxation and recreation among the common man, and now there are over 20,000 hot spring facilities around the country.

Nagano has the second highest number of day-use hot spring facilities of any prefecture in Japan. Whether you just want to quickly clean off after a long day, leisurely soak in a secluded hot spring resort or enjoy incredible scenery from the comfort of a steamy tub, there’s a hot spring to suit any of your needs.

You can visit charming hot spring towns like Shibu-Yudanaka Onsen, Nozawa Onsen or Bessho Onsen; head to the quiet, natural oases of Shirahone Onsen and Hirugami Onsen; or stop by one of the many day-use hot springs near ski resorts or hiking trails around the prefecture. See Nagano's most popular hot spring areas here.

Sauna

The process of sweating it out in the sauna and then plunging into the cold bath, known in Japanese as totonou, leaves you feeling clean, calm and refreshed. It is believed to improve blood circulation, relieve pain, and offer other cardiovascular benefits as well.

While not Japanese by origin, sauna have seen a boom in popularity in recent years among young 20-somethings, and new sauna facilities are popping up by the day. From humongous, television-equipped sauna in sentō bathhouses to small, steamy log cabins by the lakeshore, you can find all manner of sauna around Japan.

In addition to countless hot-spring-adjacent sauna options, Nagano has many sauna-first facilities built in resplendent natural settings, like The Sauna at Guesthouse Lamp by Lake Nojiri in Shinano Town, or glamping facilities with sauna like Earthboat (multiple locations) and From P in Hakuba.

You can also enjoy sauna with views of the outdoors atHotel Grand Phenix Okushiga in Shiga Kogen or Ikenotaira Hotel & Resort by Lake Shirakaba.