Japan Koshinetsu

Matsumoto is a Japanese city in the Chūbu region on the island of Honshu. It is a city located in Nagano Prefecture. Matsumoto is designated as a Special City. The current city of Matsumoto is a merger of the old city of Matsumoto with four villages. Matsumoto officially absorbed those villages without creating a new municipal organization. Matsumoto is surrounded by mountains and is acclaimed for its beautiful views. Hiking and climbing locations are readily accessible by local bus transportation. Matsumoto has several historic features, such as Matsumoto Castle, Kaichi School Museum, and Temari (traditional Japanese handball).

Hakuba is an internationally renowned ski resort town in the northern Japan Alps. As the surrounding valley has an annual snow fall of over 11 meters, it is the central hub for 10 ski resorts with more than 200 runs. The village was the main event venue for 1998 Winter Olympics (Alpine, Ski Jump, Crosscountry). Hakuba was once part of the route called the Salt Road used to bring salt and other marine products from the coast.

Nagano, the capital city of Nagano Prefecture, is located in the northern part of the prefecture near the confluence of the Chikuma and the Sai rivers, on the main Japanese island of Honshu. Nagano is most famous for Zenko-ji, a 7th-century Buddhist temple that overlooks the city. A million tourists visit Nagano annually. Nagano was originally a town in Kamiminochi District built around the hilltop temple that is the largest wooden building in eastern Japan, but the city now encompasses locations that were within Sarashina, Hanishina, and Kamitakai districts.

Niigata is the capital and the most populous city of Niigata Prefecture, Japan. It lies on the northwest coast of Honshu, the largest island of Japan, in the Chubu region and faces the Sea of Japan and Sado Island. With a long history as a port town, Niigata became a free port following the Meiji Restoration. Niigata's city government was established in 1889. Mergers with nearby municipalities in 2005 allowed the city's population to jump to 810,000. The annexation of the surrounding area has also given the city the greatest rice paddy field acreage in Japan.