Tokura Kanze Onsen

Insider tip — Chikuma city takes its name from the Chikuma River — which becomes the Shinano River in Niigata, Japan's longest river. The valley was the subject of Shimazaki Toson's classic novel Hakai (The Broken Commandment), one of modern Japanese literature's most important works. 'Kanze' in the onsen's name evokes the Kanze school of Noh theater, one of Japan's most refined performing arts traditions. Zenkoji temple in nearby Nagano city has received pilgrims for 1,400 years.