Took the shinkansen from Tokyo and headed to Nagano. Dumped out luggage in a coin locker in the station and went sightseeing for a bit.
Walked around and ended up at Zenko-ji temple. This town basically grew around this temple, so it is a prominent landmark.
Temples are okay, but what you should be looking for here is oyaki. Oyaki is a vegetable or red bean stuffed dumpling which “skin” is made from fermented buckwheat. It is a Nagano speciality. I went to this traditional oyaki shop, where they cook the oyaki above the fire-pit right in front of you. These tasty treats make you feel all warm and fuzzy inside especially in the cold winter months.Read more