1-Day Historic Obuse & Hokusai: Japan's 'Mad Man of Art' Tour

Walk in the footsteps of Japan’s most celebrated artist, Hokusai Katsushika, on this engaging one-day tour in the quaint, historic town of Obuse. Starting from Nagano Station, you will visit Hokusai’s original studio in Obuse, view his original work at the Obuse Hokusai-kan Museum and finally, view his last and largest remaining ‘in-situ’ artwork – the giant phoenix of Gansho-in Temple. Including plenty of time to explore Obuse for yourself, this tour is designed to introduce you to or further your understanding of Japan’s greatest artist in the very place he walked, worked and produced his final masterpiece*.

Highlights

• Discover the mastery of Hokusai with a guided visit to his studio in Obuse followed by viewing his original works at the Obuse Hokusai-kan Museum*

• Witness Hokusai’s largest remaining ‘in situ’ masterpiece, his celebrated ‘Happo Nirami Dai Hou-ou Zu’ (‘Phoenix Staring in Eight Directions’) on the ceiling of Gansho-in Temple

• Enjoy lunch at a popular local restaurant followed by free-time to explore Obuse including its ‘sake’ breweries, chestnut confectionary and craft stores

• Including transport and led by a local-based, English-speaking guide

Want to join this tour from Tokyo? It’s easy to do! Scroll to the bottom for our FAQs including train services that you can use to join the tour!

*the minimum age to join this tour is 13. It is also worth noting that this tour includes a visit to the Hokusai-kan Museum is in Obuse, Nagano and is not be to mistaken with the larger Sumida Hokusai Museum in Tokyo. They are two separate museums and with this tour taking place in Obuse, it will not visit the Sumida Hokusai Museum.

Description

The tour begins at Nagano Station at 09:30, where your guide will greet you and once all guests have arrived, have you board the train to Obuse. Once a thriving agricultural and merchant centre, Obuse is a historically important town now famous for its chestnut confectionaries, ‘sake’ breweries and connection to Japan’s most celebrated artist, Hokusai Katsushika. Through his life – from 1760 to 1849 – during Japan’s ‘Edo Period’, Hokusai produced tens of thousands of artworks and mastered several art forms including ‘ukiyo-e’ (floating world) woodblock prints, ‘surimono’ (soft printing), ‘manga’ (hand-drawn images) and ‘kakemono’ (paintings), producing some of Japan’s most famous artworks – most notably, his ‘Thirty-six View of Mount Fuji’ series including the ‘Great Wave Off Kanagawa. In a culture that’s all about following the rules, it’s intriguing that its most heralded is artist is one who spent his life breaking them.

In 1844 at the age of 85, Japan’s self-proclaimed ‘Old Man Mad About Art’ walked himself to Obuse to seek the patronage of Takai Kozan, a wealthy Obuse merchant whom he had met in Tokyo, then called ‘Edo’. Led by your guide, you will visit the Takai Kozan Museum including Hokusai’s studio where he worked and taught while in Obuse. The story of how he came to be there and his relationship Kozan is a fascinating one; an ideal introduction to the life and work of Hoksaui which you’ll then have the chance to view at the nearby Obuse Hokusai-kan Museum*. The small museum rotates its exhibitions to highlight different stages of Hokusai’s prolific life including his early focus on ‘ukiyo-e’ to later mastery of styles including ‘surimono’, ‘manga’ and ‘kakemono’.

Lunch is at Kurabu, a popular local restaurant serving a tempting menu of traditional and modern Japanese. You can choose between a traditional ‘ochazake’ (grilled rice ball in soup) or ‘tororo’ (grated yam) with appetisers including ‘tsukemono’ (pickled vegetables), rice and ‘miso soup’ or more modern, Shinshu herb chicken also with ‘tsukemono’ (pickled vegetables), rice and ‘miso soup’.

After lunch your guide will set you free to explore Obuse for yourself – for up to 1 hour, depending on the pace of the tour – in which time you can enjoy the local chestnut confectionaries, ‘sake’, craft stores or simply grab a coffee and wander. It’s up to you and of course, your guide will point you in the right direction or accompany you – whichever you prefer.

The final stop on the tour is Obuse’s Gansho-in Temple. Founded in the 15^th century, Gansho-in is the setting for Hokusai’s last masterpiece – the striking ‘Happo Nirami Dai Hou-ou Zu’ (‘Phoenix Staring in Eight Directions’) on the temple ceiling – and a fitting end to the day’s exploration and a truly memorable experience of the masterful hand of Hokusai. From the temple you’ll return to Obuse Station to take the train back to Nagano Station, where the tour is scheduled to conclude at 16:15.

MEETUP POINTS

This tour operates to and from Nagano Station with the option of also starting from Obuse:

1 /  NAGANO STATION @ 09:30 / main meetup point

The meetup point is inside the station, in front of the Information Board directly across from the Shinkansen / ‘Bullet Train’ ticket gate. Be sure to look for the guide wearing a SNOW MONKEY RESORTS tour tag and ensure you are there prior to the meetup time as the tour will need to depart by 09:35.

2 / OBUSE STATION @ 10:15

The meetup point is in front of the station entrance / exit. Obuse is a small station with only one entrance / exit. Be sure to look for the guide wearing a SNOW MONKEY RESORTS tour tag and ensure you are there prior to the meetup time as the tour will need to depart by 10:20.

NOTES

Included

• Transportation fee from Nagano to/from Obuse and all listed destinations

• Entry fee for Takai Kozan Museum, Hokusai-kan Museum and Gansho-in Temple

• Lunch (vegetarian options are available)

• English-speaking guide

Excluded

• Additional food, snacks & drinks

• Shinkansen / ‘Bullet Train’ tickets to/from Nagano

• Accommodation

Other Information

• There is a reasonable amount of walking in this tour. It is suitable for anyone of reasonable fitness.

• The minimum age to join this tour is 13 years and old. Experience tells us that younger children will not be engaged by the content of the tour. Should you wish to book a group tour suitable for younger children, please refer to our ‘Tours’ main page where you will find a range of options including our Snow Monkeys, Zenko-ji Temple & Sake Tour; Snow Monkeys & Snow Fun; Snow Monkeys & Cherry Blossoms and other tours suitable for guests of all ages.

• This tour is typically conducted using public transport i.e. by train from Nagano to Obuse and back and a short taxi ride to Gansho-in Temple once in Obuse. All transport costs are included in the tour price. For larger groups, we may choose to use private transport i.e. a van or small bus, for the entire tour.

• This tour is not wheelchair accessible and may not be suitable for mobility-impaired travellers. Should you have any concerns about your ability to join the tour, please contact us to discuss prior to booking.

• Both the Takai Kozan Museum and Hokusai-kan Museum rotated their exhibitions seasonally therefore we cannot guarantee which artworks will be on display at the time of your tour. This however will not affect the tour experience.

• This tour includes lunch at Kurabu. On rare occasions it may not be possible to use this restaurant in which case we would switch to another, comparable location. Please note that the restaurant may change their menu from time-to-time and the tour lunch may different to images shown on this page.

• This tour can be enjoyed as the second day of our 2-Day Snow Monkeys, Zenko-ji, Obuse & Luxury Ryokan Tour. For more information, please refer to the tour page.

• This tour is booked by request. Once you submit your booking request, we will reply within 24 hours but typically, much sooner.