Temples near Nagano

Zenko-ji, one of Japan's most important Buddhist temples, is a walk up the main street from Nagano station; do not miss the dark passage beneath the main hall. Togakushi Shrine's Upper Shrine lies about an hour away by bus, at the end of a long avenue of ancient cedars, and the approach is often snowbound in winter. Everything else on the list, including Nikko and the Fuji shrines, is more than 120 km away and is better visited from Tokyo than from here.