Ueda travel guide

Ueda, Japan

By the Travel Wiki editorial team

Ueda

Introduction

Ueda is a city in Nagano Prefecture, Japan, spread across a large area that makes it one of the biggest municipalities in the prefecture by land size. Its population is concentrated in a number of households across the city, giving it a moderate population density.

Before you go

Before you go, it helps to know that Ueda is a castle town in Nagano Prefecture, and that the city runs an official multilingual guide site, Ueda Trip Navi, which you can use to plan your visit. Checking it ahead of your trip is the simplest way to gather practical details before you arrive. The source material for this guide is limited, so treat Ueda Trip Navi as your starting point for anything beyond the basics covered here.

Getting there

Ueda sits on the Shinkansen line running between Tokyo and Nagano, which puts it within easy reach of both cities. The Shinano Railway line also connects Karuizawa with Nagano, giving you a second rail option through the area.

Getting around

Ueda is a compact castle town, and walking will mostly do for getting around the centre. The central sights sit close enough together that you can cover the core of the city on foot, so treat walking as your default and only reach for other transport when a destination lies beyond comfortable walking range.

Where to stay

Your main option for a conventional hotel stay is the area just northwest of the station, where Toyoko-inn sits within easy reach of the platforms; a double room there comes with breakfast. Ueda Plaza Hotel is another choice in the city and is among the most affordable places to stay.

For a different kind of night, head out to Bessho Onsen, the hot spring area that serves as Ueda's traditional lodging quarter.

Food & drink

For a set lunch built around local ingredients, head to Collabo Shokudo on the north end of the Yanagi-machi shopping street, where the daily set changes each day and the kitchen is run by a non-profit organisation working to preserve and propagate local food culture. If you prefer your Japanese-style curry with a dash of chilli, Curry House Bengal, a short walk north of Ueda Station, serves generous portions quickly, with mains that come with soup, pickle or salad and sometimes a complimentary cup of milk tea; the menu is in both Japanese and English. Jaipur Indian Cooking, about a six-minute walk from the station's Oshiro exit, offers good quality Indian curry in a non-smoking room, with lunch sets at weekends and dinner in the evening. For coffee, Rin's Coffee is an elegant lounge near the Castle Exit intersection of Ueda Station, selling a wide array of local and imported beans. In Bessho Onsen, a few doors north of the Oyu Onsen bath house, Cafe Garden Berry is a cosy spot with good quality coffee plus beverages and snacks made from local ingredients, and the owner speaks English.

What to see and do

Ueda's central sight is Ueda Castle Park, reached by walking straight up the main shopping street from the station's Oshiro exit and turning left at the Chuo 2 Chome intersection. Only three towers and gates survive from the original castle, the base of the Sanada clan, who twice defeated the Tokugawa forces here in the 16th century before the castle was destroyed and later rebuilt by the Sengoku clan. The maple leaves in late autumn are spectacular. Inside the park you'll find the Ueda City Museum, with a small but diverse collection that includes well-preserved samurai armor used by local Sanada clan members, and the Yamamoto Kanae Memorial Gallery, dedicated to an artist who worked in oils and woodblock prints and pioneered a method of art education that encouraged children to draw freely rather than copy from books. Beyond the centre, Anrakuji Temple in Bessho Onsen is a peaceful precinct set against a hill, holding important cultural objects from the Kamakura Period and, as the oldest Zen temple in Nagano Prefecture, a pagoda that is the only remaining octagonal one in Japan. The Mugonkan, a short train ride and walk away, displays works by art students who died during the Second World War, with a café and a library on site. If you want to stretch your legs, the 1,164 m Mount Taroyama offers a two-to-three-hour walk from the north side of the station.

Three days in Ueda

Day one: Arrive in Ueda by Shinkansen from Tokyo or Nagano, or by the Shinano Railway from Karuizawa or Matsumoto. Before you go far, check Ueda Trip Navi for local information. Once you are settled, use the Ueda Electric Railway Bessho Line from Ueda Station to reach Bessho Onsen, a hot spring area that makes an easy first taste of the city. Back near the station, Collabo Shokudo and Yanagi are options for a meal, and if you want something else, Japanese curry is available at Curry House Bengal.

Day two: Give the day to Bessho Onsen, reached on the Bessho Line. The area is known for its hot springs, and the railway ride itself is part of the experience. For meals, you can return to the station area or stay in the onsen district, where Collabo Shokudo, Yanagi and Curry House Bengal are among the choices. In the evening, settle into a hotel such as Toyoko or Ueda Plaza Hotel, both convenient for the station.

Day three: Spend your last hours around Ueda Station and the Castle Exit side, where you can find coffee at Rin and Indian food at Jaipur Indian Cooking or Oshiro. If you have time before your train, the Shinano Railway and Japan Railways connections make it simple to continue to Karuizawa or Matsumoto. English menus are available at some of the Indian restaurants, so you can order without worry before you leave.

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