Nearby Property

Hoshino Resorts KAI Alps

Local Guide
5 recommended spots in the Omachi area to enjoy with children.

In the Omachi area of Nagano Prefecture, which lies at the foot of the Northern Alps, there are many places where parents and children can enjoy learning and playing in the rich natural environment. From a casual 2-hour walking tour through the forest to an art museum in a large park and a heated swimming pool with a slide, there is something for everyone. Why not visit a spot that will excite both children and adults?

*Please note that due to the prevention of the spread of the new coronavirus, the hours of operation may change and the cafe may be closed. Please check in advance before visiting.

A forest world where both adults and children can lose themselves in

Encounter antelopes living in the forest. Don't make loud noises and keep your distance so as not to startle them.
Encounter antelopes living in the forest. Don't make loud noises and keep your distance so as not to startle them.

A nature school in the mountains at an altitude of approximately 870 meters where you can enjoy forest walks and camping. The area is about 300 hectares, or about 60 times the size of the Tokyo Dome, and nature welcomes you in every season. The school offers guided tours for small groups of one or two families each day, where visitors can walk through the forest to pick mushrooms and wild vegetables, pick up acorns to find out which animals have eaten them, touch trees and smell the aroma of their branches and leaves, and sometimes see antelopes and monkeys. Sometimes you may even see antelope or monkeys. There are many things to learn in the mountains each season, and this is a great opportunity for parents and children to get in touch with nature.

Play to your heart's content in a forest full of tree houses!

Many treehouses are scattered throughout the forest.
Many treehouses are scattered throughout the forest.

There are about 40 treehouses of various sizes in the forest, many of them handmade by children visiting for camping and other activities. Before or after your guided tour, be sure to go inside your favorite treehouse.
Other experiences include playing on the athletic log crossing and swings made of wood and rope, boiling water and drinking tea in the camp space, and other mind-blowing experiences in the midst of magnificent nature. During the winter season, visitors can also enjoy a tour walking on snow wearing kanjiki (snowshoes).

Millennium Woods Nature School
  • Address Taira 2115, Omachi-shi, Nagano MAP
  • Direction Approx. 15 min. by car from JR Shinano-Omachi Station
  • Hours of Operation Inquiries: 8:00 - 21:00 (guided tours begin at the time of application)
  • Closed No holidays
  • Admission Fee Guided tours 3,000 yen, junior high school students and younger 1,500 yen
  • TEL 090-9660-2350
  • Parking Free of charge
  • Memo Reservations for guided tours must be made at least one week in advance in summer and one day in advance in winter by phone or on the website. Free shuttle service to and from Omachi Hot Spring Resort is available.

A museum where visitors can meet animals living in the Alps and in the high mountains.

You can see stuffed mountain creatures up close, including the cute-looking Japanese serow (in the foreground).
You can see stuffed mountain creatures up close, including the cute-looking Japanese serow (in the foreground).

Japan's first mountain-themed museum, located halfway up Mt. On a clear day, visitors can enjoy a panoramic view of the Northern Alps from the observation lounge on the third floor. The main theme of the permanent exhibition is "Nature and People in the Northern Alps," and the "Mountains and Creatures" zone is the center of attention. The exhibit features stuffed animals that survived the last ice age and live in a variety of environments, from Omachi's satoyama to the high mountains. Visitors can easily tell the difference between a deer and an antelope by looking at the skeletal structure and hooves. Visitors can also learn about grouse, the prefectural bird of Nagano, and how they regrow their feathers three times a year.

Adorable grouse in the attached garden will make you feel relaxed.

Grouse in autumn. In winter, they are covered to their feet with pure white feathers that blend in with the snow of the Alps.
Grouse in autumn. In winter, they are covered to their feet with pure white feathers that blend in with the snow of the Alps.

Another popular attraction for children is the "Children's Plaza," where you can see stuffed Japanese serows, Japanese monkeys, and Japanese raccoons. Here, visitors can actually touch the stuffed animals and feel how soft their fur is.
The "Annex Garden," an outdoor Property adjacent to the museum, is also a must-visit spot. Wild animals and plants native to the Northern Alps, such as grouse, ducks, and antelope, are bred and cultivated here.
At the end of the tour, we recommend stopping by the museum café and store "Morugenroto" inside the museum to enjoy a cup of coffee and grouse cookies and take a break. Grouse stuffed animals and other goods are also available.

Omachi Mountain Museum
  • Address 8056-1 Omachi, Omachi-shi, Nagano MAP
  • Direction 7 min. drive from JR Shinano Omachi Station
  • Hours of Operation 9:00-17:00 (last admission at 16:30)
  • Closed Mondays (if Monday is a national holiday, the museum is open on Monday and closed the following day), the day after a national holiday, and the year-end and New Year holidays.
  • Admission Fee Admission: 450 yen, high school students: 350 yen, elementary/junior high school students: 200 yen
  • TEL 0261-22-0211
  • Parking Free of charge
  • Memo Admission to the attached garden is free and open all year round. Two grouse tours are available from 9:00-16:30.

A museum in nature that you should visit as your first museum

The center of the exhibit is 135 cm high from the floor, a device designed to be enjoyed by children.
The center of the exhibit is 135 cm high from the floor, a device designed to be enjoyed by children.

The museum is located in "Azumino Chihiro Park" overlooking the Northern Alps. The museum exhibits original paintings by Chihiro Iwasaki, an artist known for her watercolor paintings with children as the theme, as well as picture book works from around the world. The museum's concept is "an art museum where you don't have to look at the paintings," and the abundantly wooded space is filled with chairs here and there, allowing parents and children to spend time together looking at the trees in the garden or reading picture books in the museum. The museum is a single-story, barrier-free building with a "picture book café" and a "children's room" where children can take off their shoes and play, with the hope that children will enjoy the museum as their "first museum" in their lives.

The "Train Classroom" in the Totto-chan Square is also worth a visit.

The train in the plaza is a recreation of the world of Tomoe Gakuen, which Totto-chan attended.
The train in the plaza is a recreation of the world of Tomoe Gakuen, which Totto-chan attended.

Of the six exhibition rooms, we recommend the "Children's Exhibition Room. The classroom of "Totto-chan, the Little Girl at the Window" by Tetsuko Kuroyanagi (director of the Chihiro Art Museum), whose cover was illustrated by Chihiro Iwasaki, is reproduced here, and visitors can enjoy coloring and drawing on worksheets.
The Azumino Chihiro Park in Matsukawa Village, which surrounds the museum, is also a highlight. Opened in 2016, Totto-chan Plaza features a real train, one car of which is used as a "train classroom" and the other as a library where visitors can read picture books. Visitors are free to enter and see the trains during museum hours.

Azumino Chihiro Art Museum
  • Address 3358-24 Nishihara, Matsukawa-mura, Kitaazumi-gun, Nagano MAP
  • Direction 5 min. drive from JR Shinano Matsukawa Station
  • Business hours 10:00-16:00
  • Closed Wednesdays *Closed during winter (12/1-2/28) and temporarily for exhibition changes.
  • Admission Fee Admission 900 yen, free for high school students and younger
  • TEL 0261-62-0772
  • Parking Free of charge
  • Memo Picture Book Cafe is closed.

Heated swimming pool and hot spring Jacuzzi for all seasons

The 25-meter pool is in the front and the children's pool is in the back. There is also a full-fledged water slide.
The 25-meter pool is in the front and the children's pool is in the back. There is also a full-fledged water slide.

This leisure property, located near Lake Kisaki, consists of a pool building and a hot spring. The pool building is equipped with a 25-meter swimming pool and a water pool for children. From April to early November, a 70-meter-long water slide is open. From April to early November, a 70-meter-long waterslide is open for visitors to enjoy the thrill of playing in the water. When you get tired of swimming, take a break at the Jacuzzi Pool. Since this is an indoor Property, parents and children can refresh themselves regardless of the weather.

Training Room, Public hot spring, and Dining Area are also in the building.

The
The "Ultra Trainer" on the wall of the training room is a fun way to check reflexes and motor skills.

On the second floor of the pool building is a training room equipped with aerobics and running machines, which pool users are free to use. The "Ultra Trainer" on the wall is a competition to see how many flashing lights on a large panel can be touched in a given time. Parents and children are welcome to try their hand at it.
Also recommended is the Public hot spring, which draws hot water from Kuzu Hot Spring, a famous hot spring in the mountains west of Omachi City. In addition to the indoor hot spring, there is also an Outdoor hot spring to relieve your daily fatigue. At the Restaurant on the first floor of the hot spring building, you can enjoy "Kurobe Dam Curry" shaped like a dam, Wakasagi Tempura, and other dishes.

Shinshu, Lake Kisaki hot spring, Yupuru Kisaki Lake
  • Address 10639-1 Taira, Omachi-shi, Nagano MAP
  • Direction 10 minutes drive from JR Shinano-Omachi Station
  • Hours of Operation Swimming pool 10:00 - 21:00 (last admission 20:00)
    Public hot springs 10:00 - 20:00 (last admission 19:30), Saturdays, Sundays, national holidays 7:00 - 21:00 (last admission 20:30)
  • Closed Thursdays (open if Thursday is a national holiday, closed the following day) *Pool is closed on G.W. and during Obon vacation; Public hot spring is open every day in August.
  • Admission Fee Pool 600 yen, Elementary/Junior high school students 300 yen Public baths 700 yen, 3 years old to elementary school students, 65 years old and over 500 yen Pool and Public hot spring common ticket (adults only) 1,000 yen
  • TEL 0261-23-7100
  • Parking Free of charge

A huge park where you can play all day long, from catching fish to playing with athletic equipment

Alpine Adventure,
Alpine Adventure," an authentic athletic adventure in the trees

A huge park where visitors can enjoy different activities during the green season and snow season. In the green season, the park is transformed into a "mountain sports park," with a "base area" where visitors can play in the river, including catching fish, and an "alpine area" where mountain biking, ziplining, and other mountain activities can be experienced in the 1,200-meter-high forest reached by gondola ride. The "Alpine Area" offers a variety of fun activities for children and adults alike. Of particular note is the "Alpine Adventure. This is a full-scale athletic activity where you walk across the top of a tree with a lifeline attached, providing a thrilling and exhilarating experience.

In winter, enjoy playing in the snow on the "Kids' Slope.

The
The "Kids' Slope" is located right in front of the base center. Rest area is close by, making it safe for small children.

In winter, the park is transformed into a "Winter Sports Park," one of the largest ski slopes in Hakuba. At the "Kids' Slope" where admission is free, you can enjoy renting various types of sleds. When they get tired of playing, they can take a rest in the kids' room next door.
The adjacent Restaurant "Alice" offers a wide variety of dishes such as sweet curry and kid's plates. Seats by the window overlook the kids' slopes, so you can take a coffee break while watching your children. The kids' school, which is open to children as young as 4 years old, also offers rental courses, making it ideal for skiing debuts.

Hakuba47 Mountain Sports Park / Winter Sports Park
  • Address 24196-47 Kamishiro, Hakuba-mura, Kitaazumi-gun, Nagano MAP
  • Direction 10 minutes drive from Hakuba Station on the JR Oito Line, or 60 minutes each from the Azumino IC of Nagano Expressway, Nagano IC of Joshinetsu Expressway, and Itoigawa IC of Hokuriku Expressway.
  • Direction Shuttle bus available from JR Hakuba Station
  • Hours of Operation Mountain Sports Park mid-July to mid-September 9:00-16:30
    Winter Sports Park "Kids' Slope": snowfall and preparation from mid-July to the end of March 11:30 - 15:00
  • Closed Open throughout the year
  • Admission Fee Please check the Mountain Sports Park HP
    Winter Sports Park "Kids Slope" Free
  • TEL 0261-75-3533
  • Parking Free of charge
  • Memo Winter Sports Park
    https://www.hakuba47.co.jp/winter/
The information in this article is current as of the date of the update. Please check before visiting as they are subject to change.