Easygoing bike trip in Ueda, Nagano, and Matsumoto

Ueda — Cafés & bistros that invite you to stay in the old castle town

“We never dreamed we’d travel on the train carrying bicycles”—Kei and Tsuyoshi Kojima step onto the platform of Shinano Railway Line’s Ueda Station. They open their bike bags, take out their folded Brompton bikes, unfold them, hop on, and pedal away toward the Ueda city center spreading out around the Ueda Castle ruins. Historically, Ueda was the political and cultural heart of the Shinano Province, and a flourishing castle town and post town. Every street has a unique character, and the width of the paths and the relaxed atmosphere are perfect for a leisurely ride.

Navigating the special cafes serving as community guides

Kei and Tsuyoshi Kojima opened Amijok in central Matsumoto in 2011. Both are originally from Nagano Prefecture, but they had been working in unrelated industries until they met in Tokyo and clicked. Together, they set out to create a space where people naturally gravitated to and connected with one another. That was the beginning of Amijok. Every day, as they opened shop and served a great cup of coffee and delicious muffins, that scene blended in with the Matsumoto cityscape, and Amijok is something of a landmark today. Matsumoto has always had a tight-knit community of private shops. “That circle of small shops is a huge creator of the cityscape,” says Kei. Those businesses organize city-wide events like city walks and stamp rallies (where the participants visit designated places collecting stamps), and the owners support one another to build and grow their community. On this trip, we visit those shops that go beyond their role as cafes to serve as community guides, as well as other attractions, in Ueda, Nagano, and Matsumoto.

Our first destination in Ueda is Yard, on the ground floor of a building along the shopping street leading from the station. The cafe opened only recently, but the owner, Chika Kurita, had long joined events in Nagano Prefecture as a vendor named Goodyard. Kei and Tsuyoshi have known her since then. The couple congratulate her on the opening, and the friends chat the time away. Our next stop, Nabo, is a book cafe run by Value Books that serves not coffee but mainly tea drinks. Sachie Ikegami, a regular at Amijok since before Nabo opened, treats us to her specialty lemon tea soda.

Other than cafes, a special attraction of Ueda is the Tokidakan Silk Mill, a heritage of Japan’s modern sericulture industry, where cocoon warehouses and other buildings dating back to the Meiji (1868–1912) and Taisho (1912–26) periods are open to the public. If time allows, it’s worth spending an extra night in Ueda to visit Kei and Tsuyoshi’s favorite bistro, Fika, for French creative cuisine prepared with a variety of local ingredients. We satisfy both our stomachs and our hearts with the chef’s choice of natural wine and specialty charcuterie, and get ready for the next day’s ride.

Nagano — A taste of coffee and faith in the Zenkoji temple town

The Shinano Railway Line connects to the Shinetsu Main Line and brings us to Nagano Station. The modern city of Nagano began as a temple town built around Zenkoji, and today, small cafes and shops oozing originality blend in and strike a wonderful balance with the old streetscape. Our first stop is NorthSouthEastWest, serving as Kei and Tsuyoshi’s base in Tsuyoshi’s home city of Nagano. The couple opened the cafe in 2020, inviting friends to run their shops nearby. Next door is Ph.D. Stock Hue, engaging in the import, sale, and repair of vintage furniture; and upstairs is Natural Anchors, a select shop carrying ultralight outdoor gear and Japanese garage brands. The cluster of shops aim to be a hub for city walkers and connect the station area with Zenkoji, and farther outward, the city with the nature.

En route to Zenkoji, we check out Poolside Store, run by Rui Nakamura, an illustrator and close collaborator of Kei and Tsuyoshi. Rui is the perfect example of what the couple call the up-and-coming next generation of Nagano City leaders. They first discovered Rui’s work on social media and continued to follow his fun illustrations until one day, they asked him to create their cafe merchandise. That marked the beginning of their ongoing relationship. From then on, Rui’s work became the focus of the first exhibition organized at NorthSouthEastWest, and a regular feature at both Amijok and NorthSouthEastWest. Our afternoon stop is Hirano Coffee, nestled in a residential area close to Zenkoji. The fragrant aroma of coffee beans roasting lures us to a private house built in the late Taisho period (1912–26). On the first floor is the roaster and shop selling coffee beans, and on the second floor, the cafe. The owner, Jin Hirano, visits the farms and buys the beans in person when possible to make his flavorful, delectable cups of coffee. He offers about a dozen varieties of specialty coffee at all times, plus a house blend reflecting his personal taste.

From there, we head to Zenkoji. The temple was founded in AD 644, during the Asuka period. It gained a wide following for nonsectarian teachings that vowed to save all people, and by the Edo period (1603–1868), became a pilgrimage destination for people across Japan. On this trip, we had booked a shukubo temple stay to take part in Zenkoji’s Oasaji morning service.

Experiencing a shukubo temple stay and rediscovering the allure of Nagano City

Zenkoji is also known as a morning temple, for it observes an Oasaji service at sunrise every morning, 365 days a year. Kei and Tsuyoshi take part in the service for the first time, with a dedicated guide from Yakuoin. “We thought we knew all about the temple, but there were so many unknowns and firsts,” says Kei. “More than anyone else, the locals should set time aside and experience an overnight stay at Zenkoji.”

Having purified mind and body in the Oasaji service, we’re ready to cycle through central Nagano. The traffic is heavy on the prefectural and national roads passing through the city, but our paradise awaits at the Chikuma River. Along the riverbank is the Chikuma River Cycling Road reserved for cyclists and walkers. We enjoy a sidelong view of the sparkling surface of the Chikuma River as we pedal along the nice flat cycling road.

Inariyama, formerly a thriving post town along the Zenkoji Kaido, is a nationally designated Preservation District for Groups of Traditional Buildings. We pedal past the old townhouses with plastered walls and warehouses with white walls, picturing the original townscape in our minds, and the Obasute Rice Terraces come into view. Lauded as an excellent moon-viewing spot since the Heian period (794–1185), the nostalgic sight of some 1,500 small rice fields is a highlight of this trip.

Past the rice terraces is Obasute Station, where Kei and Tsuyoshi take the train to Matsumoto Station. The simple 3-part fold transforms their Brompton bikes into a compact portable package. The Brompton is perfect for cycling trips that include traveling by train. And now, off we go on the JR Shinonoi Line straight to Matsumoto!

Matsumoto — Cafes, tools, and fun style polished by the castle town

Matsumoto is a great city to explore on foot. On this day, we visit AL Coffee & Bake, launched last year by a young couple who frequented Amijok; and Sioribi, with an amazing book selection. Want to wash away the sweat from the road? Cross the street and soak in the sento communal bath at Kikunoyu.

Another favorite place of Kei and Tsuyoshi is Sansan Shokudo, with the ambience of a mountain hut in the heart of the city. Sometimes a cafe, at other times a cafeteria, it serves to satisfy hungry travelers. The owner, Hideki Takahashi, was the cook of a mountain hut in the Northern Japanese Alps. He waits for us with a meal of rice cooked with spring water, miso soup, and house-made bacon, and gives us the energy to put on a last spurt.

Our goal is Amijok, where Kei and Tsuyoshi’s staff members wait to celebrate our arrival with freshly brewed coffee and Tsuyoshi’s recipe of muffins. This brings our cycling journey in Nagano Prefecture to a close. We discovered the nature and culture sought by tourists from all over the world, and the cafe community built and grown by friends. We’re sad to say good-bye, and at the same time, ready for the next amazing trip any time—together with our Brompton bikes.

What follows is an extra for readers with time and physical strength to spare. One more destination we recommend is Gallery Sen, located a short distance from the Matsumoto city center. The small gallery showcases artisanal lifestyle tools in its location commanding a grand view of the Northern Japanese Alps and the Matsumoto Basin. From Matsumoto Station, take the Shinonoi Line to Murai Station, and from there, climb to an elevation of 850 meters in one go. After Gallery Sen, stop by the farmers market Alps Ichiba on the way back to the Matsumoto city center.

Gallery Sen was renovated from a 150-year-old traditional Japanese house and showcases the work of about a dozen artisans chiefly from Nagano Prefecture. The gallerist, Shuko Okubo, has tried out and used each item herself and fallen in love with its performance or form or both. Of all the tools on display, the most eye-catching is a group of smooth, handsome wooden tools made by Kohtaro Okubo, Shuko’s husband and a woodworker running Okubo House Mokkosha. Kohtaro doesn’t use files or sandpaper, but instead finishes his spoons, spatulas, and other cooking and eating tools with a hand plane.

Nagano Travel Guide

【Ueda】

【Nagano】

【Matsumoto】

Cycling Route Map

Brompton
Brompton was invented in the British capital of London in 1975. Founder Andrew Ritchie decided there must be a better way of moving around London and engineered the bike in the bedroom of his flat. The vehicle folds into a light, compact package in under 20 seconds.
https://jp.brompton.com