RegionUsable guide

Chubu

Region of Japan

Photo: Uryah, CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons

Overview

Chūbu (中部) is the central region of Japan's Honshu island, located at the border between West Japan and East Japan. There are many high-altitude mountains, such as Mount Fuji and the Japanese Alps. The food culture is different for each region.

Getting there and around

Getting there

By train
True to the name, the Tokaido Shinkansen bisects the southern Tokai region and connects Shizuoka and Aichi with Tokyo and Kyoto by High-speed rail.
By ferry
A car ferry operated by Shin Nihonkai Ferry connects Tsuruga and Niigata to Akita in Tohoku and Tomakomai in Hokkaido runs once a week, along with that they also operate a ferry connecting Niigata to…
By bus
For budget-conscious travellers, long-distance buses can function as cheaper alternative to trains and provide overnight accommodation for longer journeys to Chubu.
By car
E1 and 1EA are the numbers you should bear in mind when accessing the Tokai subregion.

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Getting around

By train
Like the rest of Japan, trains are the primary method of travel around Chubu.
By ferry
The main use of ferries in the Chubu region is access to Sado Island.
By car
It makes sense to drive in Chubu, given its mountainous terrain. Some places are more convenient to drive to, such as the Noto Peninsula. Chubu is good for driving.

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Airports and nearby hotels

Choose an airport to see hotels, stations, taxi ranks and car rental desks around it.

Shinshu-Matsumoto Airport

Matsumoto · Regional · MMJ

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Cities

Nagoya

Chubu's largest city by far

Fukui

Castle ruins and historical gardens in this under-visited city

Kanazawa

stylish historic city

Matsumoto

famous for its historic castle

Nagano

Japan's winter sports capital

Niigata

Major port city on the northern coast

Shizuoka

Medium sized city dating back to the Nara period

Takayama

attractively preserved town and a good starting point for trips to the Japan Alps

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Toyama

Former castle town and centre for traditional medicine

Gero Onsen

one of Japan's Three Famous Hot Springs

Izu Peninsula

Area with hotsprings and beaches near Tokyo

Kamikochi

Beautiful mountainous resort that's closed in the winter

Kiso Valley

Valley with well-preserved post-towns

Mount Fuji

the world's most photographed mountain with great views from the Fuji Five Lakes

Oku-Hida Onsen Villages

5 remote hamlets full of stunning scenery and some of Japan's best hot springs

Sado Island

place of exile home to gold mines and the yearly Earth Celebration

Shirakawa-go

a well-preserved historic village and World Heritage Site

Yuzawa

popular ski and hot spring resort, the setting of Snow Country by Yasunari Kawabata, a Nobel laureate.

Read before you go to Chubu

Articles and travel topics about Chubu and Japan.

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Full travel guide

Every section of the guide. Open one to read it in full.

UnderstandChubu means "middle region", reflecting its position straddling the two Japanese poles of Kansai and Kanto.

PrefecturesThe Chūbu region covers a large and geographically diverse area of Honshū, which leads to it generally being divided into three distinct subregions: Tōkai, Kōshin'etsu, and Hokuriku.

TalkThere are many people who speak in each dialect in this area."). Shizuoka people use ～dara instead of ～daro. In Ishikawa and Toyama, people use dara as an abuse word meaning "idiot".

Get inChubu Centrair International Airport (NGO), Japan's third major international gateway, is located on an artificial island 30 minutes south of Nagoya.

Get aroundLike the rest of Japan, trains are the primary method of travel around Chubu.

SeeThe Chubu region is home to 3 of the 12 original castles remaining in the country.

DoIn the winter, cold, dry air from the Asian continent meets moist Pacific air, the result is a large amount of snow that falls in the Koshin'etsu district, also known as Snow Country (雪国 Yukiguni), since it receives…

EatChubu's regions all have their local specialities, with the coastal regions specializing in seafood while the inland prefectures are renowned for their meat such as Hida Beef in Takayama, Jibuni (治部煮), duck stew in…

DrinkChubu is sake country and Niigata, renowned for its koshihikari rice, produces some of the best in the country including famous labels like Kubota (久保田), Koshinokanbai (越乃寒梅) and Hakkaisan (八海山).

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Sources and licences

Guide text adapted from the Wikivoyage article "Chubu" by its contributors, available under CC BY-SA 4.0. Read on Wikivoyage · Contributors · CC BY-SA 4.0
Summary from the Wikipedia article "Chūbu region", available under CC BY-SA 4.0. Wikipedia
Photo: Uryah, CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons

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