Alps Azumino National Government Park

Horigane & Hotaka Region
Facility Information

Scenic spots

Fields of Flowers

The park offers a variety of flower fields that can be enjoyed year-round. The true beauty of spring tulips and fall cosmos is shown as seasonal flowers bloom and blanket the fields. Visitors frequently return to take in the captivating scenery and floral highlights of the park’s best feature.

Traditional mountain scenes

The scenes of pre-urban, 1960s rural Japan have been brought back to life for you to enjoy. Visitors of all ages will be able to soak up and even join in the old ways of life for the Japanese. Rape blossoms bring the field to life in spring and are viewable from above the terraced rice paddies.

Scenic overlook

Greenery and waterfront scenes below offer a fantastic spot for taking panoramic photos. Mt. Jonen (2,857 meters) of the Northern Japan Alps can be seen soaring into the skies above in clear weather. The rest area faces out toward the water, allowing you to take in a breath of fresh air with the babble of the streams below.

Evening light shows (held in winter)

Brilliant light shows illuminate the park during winter nights. Lights flash in synchronized rhythm with the music, highlighting the trees and water of the park in a dream-like display of beauty. Illumination dates vary from year to year, so please be sure to contact us ahead of time.

Experience programs at Exhibition center

Art room

The art room offers visitors a chance to try their hand at crafting creations using the park’s abundant natural resources such as wood, nuts, and flowers. Available programs vary depending on the time of year.

Typical program 1: Pressed flower fans (available in summer)

Fans are small yet indispensable tools in cooling off during the sultry summer months in Japan. Choose whatever flowers you like most and press them into your very own fan

- Experience fee: 200yen
- Required time: 30 min

Typical program 2: Christmas wreath making (available in fall & winter)

Nothing says winter like an adorable, festive Christmas wreath. Try your hand at making your very own wreath from pine cones.

- Experience fee: 500yen–700yen
- Required time: 1 hr

Social studies room

Learn about the region’s traditional foods as you go back in time to a rural, 1960s house that has been brought back to life for you to enjoy.

Typical program 1: Soba noodle making

Japanese soba is a dish that enjoys worldwide fame, yet Nagano is indisputably the number one place in Japan for these buckwheat noodles. Experience every step of making soba from kneading the flour to pounding out the noodles before trying a taste of your very own creation.

- Experience fee: 1,600yen
- Required time: 90 min
- Must reserve in advance.

Typical program 2: Afternoon snack (rice balls)

Enjoy traditional rice balls that were often eaten as an afternoon snack while working on the farm. Delight in rice that has been cooked atop a traditional stove, offering a snack that is altogether different from your normal rice fare.

- Experience fee: 200yen
- Required time: 60 min, beginning at 11:30 am
- Preference given to those who reserve in advance.

Science room

The clear, fresh streams running through the region’s mountains are home to a variety of fish. This room contains a small aquarium for you to view the species that live in the area. Become closer with the area’s nature by learning through specimens of flora, fauna, and insects that have been raised here.

Outdoors activities

Marshmallow dome

A play area as soft and elastic as a marshmallow. Children will love bouncing up and down just as they would on a trampoline (Only for children 12 and under; closed in winter).

Picnics & recreation in the fields

No setting is better for a picnic than the rolling fields within the park from which you can view Mt. Jonen and its neighboring peaks. Mini soccer, disc golf, and cyber wheels are also available for some light exercise.

Obstacle courses

Obstacle courses utilizing nets and wire ropes among the trees are available. Children will feel just like an adventurer as they take on the various courses available (for children between ages 6 and 12).

Ponds

A picturesque, waterside photo spot into which the streams of the Northern Alps flow. From mid-July to the end of August, the pond is open for swimming, allowing visitors to cool off in the summer heat. The water is no deeper than 40 cm, so even children can take a dip. A pool for toddlers is also available. The other pond is stocked with river fish, and our summertime fish-catching experience enjoys great popularity.

Dog run

Pets are allowed into the park, though you must apply before entering park premises. There is an area for smaller dogs as well as an area for medium to large dogs. Bathrooms and drinking water for pets are also available.

Food & Drink

Restaurant Azumino

Restaurant Azumino features a menu put together using regional dishes.

- Hours: 10 A.M. to 1 hour before closing time
(From 10 A.M. to 11 A.M. and from 2 hours before to 1 hour before closing time, only the cafe menu is available).

Information center

Information center

Information centers are set up at all four entrances to the park. Guide center at the Central Gate serves as the main information hub, providing both park information and tourist information about the surrounding areas.