Ukiyoe woodblock prints by HOKUSAI in Obuse, Nagano

A visit to Hokusai-kan makes another good day tour when you are staying at a ski resort near it in addition to seeing snow monkeys. It will be good for a change from skiing. A few hundred years ago, Ukiyoe master Hokusai came to Obuse around four times and he left his pieces of both prints and paintings to wealthy families in the village. The town and people of Obuse were wise enough to recognize what they had and built a Hokusai museum. The collection of the museum is quite impressive and the museum building is well done too.

Obuse is also known as their good chestnuts and the sweets with these chestnuts. The town also started the open garden stroll about three decades ago. The town is  the pioneer of this system. They also introduced passing through the gardens and stores. This way, interesting walkways were made in spite of the limited area of the town. Kids are also allowed to do the same and they pass through these places to come back home from school. Some people wanted to see these kids to be convinced that they really were passing. 

Nagano is now another popular destination for tourists.