Home
【Kami-Suwa Station / Night Walk】(Suwa, Nagano) The City's Only Station, Near a Quiet Shopping Street
Visited: April 27, 2024 (Saturday)
April was a filming stretch from Kansai up into Hokuriku. After Himi Station, Nanao Station, Shinano-Omachi Station, and Matsumoto Station, I was heading back toward Tokyo. Kami-Suwa sits on that return route along the Chuo Main Line.
JR Kami-Suwa Station is the only station in Suwa City. From Tokyo, Limited Express Azusa stops here on the way toward Matsumoto. The station is a gateway to Lake Suwa and the Kami-Suwa onsen area, but this walk stayed near the station.
There is a foot bath on the platform. I did not know that. Soaking there while watching trains sounds like a good way to wait.
Restaurants line the tracks near the exit. A short walk brings you to quieter shopping streets, and the onsen district is within walking distance as well.
Around the Station
One street off the station front turns into a narrow lane. A vertical sign reads Juwari Sobaya (十割そばや). Warm bulbs hang along the shopfront. Planting is on the right; a blue sign sits further down. Few people are walking here.
On the corner is a shop signed Daruma (だるま). Daruma figures are painted under the eaves. A menu board stands outside the lattice doors. People walk ahead along the stone paving.
The path opens onto a small plaza with a stone lantern. On the right, an arched opening in the building holds a table and stools. Further back, a Gyukaku sign and the blue lights of a Toyoko Inn come into view.
HAO-CHA — Chinese tea — stands out with round windows. Across the street and further along, shutters are down. Under globe streetlamps the road is quiet. A Gyukaku sign sits back on the right.
Ahead is a green arch. White lettering reads Komeikan-dori (湖明館通り). On the left, a banner lists dizziness, tinnitus, and chronic headache. On the right, a sign points to Chiba Pharmacy. One car is parked; no pedestrians are in sight.
A narrower alley follows. Snack Usagi (スナック うさぎ) is on the left. Plants and blue lights sit on the right. One person walks ahead. An orange sign shows further down.
Near an intersection: a Yoshida (よしだ) sign and a panda lantern. Beside a red door marked Ennichi (縁日) stands a vending machine, with someone waiting next to it. Shop lights continue down the street.
A bicycle leans against closed shutters. A few people talk outside a lit doorway further on. A pole sign reads Suehiro (末広). Parked cars line the left side.
Back on the station-front road, a pedestrian overpass crosses ahead. The building on the right is lit; shops on the left have their shutters down, with chairs on the sidewalk. Almost no cars pass. The loop ran from the station through the restaurant streets, Komeikan-dori, and Suehiro, then back.
Video: Walking Around Kami-Suwa Station
I hope you'll enjoy this video alongside the post. Consider subscribing to The Street Archive | MACHIDORI YouTube channel.
