Tomi, Mountain city in Nagano Prefecture, Japan
Tomi is a small town in Nagano Prefecture that spreads across wooded hills and gentle ridges, cut through by the Chikuma River. The settlements sit at elevations between 500 and 1000 meters, where fields, orchards and vineyards shape the rural landscape.
The town formed in 2004 through the merger of two municipalities that had grown along old trade routes. Some neighborhoods once served as rest stops for merchants and messengers traveling between the capital and northern provinces.
The Unno Juku neighborhood shows wooden houses with dark tile roofs that once sheltered travelers centuries ago. Families still live there today, running small shops and workshops while visitors walk the narrow lanes and look at the old facades.
The center is reachable from Ueda by the Shinano Railway in about ten minutes to Tanaka station. From there, walking paths lead to the vineyards in the south and the old quarters in the north, both around 20 minutes away on foot.
The vineyards here sit farther north than almost any other wine region in Japan and produce varieties that international juries have recognized multiple times. Visitors can walk through the vines and feel the cool mountain air that gives the wine its particular character.
The community of curious travelers
AroundUs brings together thousands of curated places, local tips, and hidden gems, enriched daily by 60,000 contributors worldwide.
