[2025 Ueda Attraction] Travel Guide for Utsukushigahara Open Air Museum (Updated Jun)

Located in Ueda City, Nagano Prefecture, the Utsukushigahara Open-Air Museum is an outdoor sculpture museum situated at an altitude of approximately 2,000 meters in the Utsukushigahara Highlands. It opened in June 1981 as a sister museum to the Hakone Open-Air Museum. The museum features around 350 contemporary sculptures spread across its vast grounds, offering visitors a satisfying experience. Additionally, from the parking lot, you can enjoy a breathtaking 360-degree panoramic view. 📍Location: 386-0507 Utsukushigahara Highlands, Ueda City, Nagano Prefecture Parking: Approximately 150–800 spaces (free). 💰Price per person: 1,000 yen

|Snow and Stars at Utsukushigahara Highlands 🌟Utsukushigahara Highlands is located between Matsumoto and Ueda in Nagano Prefecture. At an altitude of over 2,000 meters, it is a lava plateau that was once eroded by a volcano. You can enjoy a 360-degree view of Mount Fuji, the Japanese Alps, Yatsugatake, and more than 40 of Japan's 100 famous mountains. 💐In spring and summer, the area is covered with flowers. There are also ranches, art museums, and walking trails for hiking. ❄️In winter, the roads are closed from November to April, and most facilities are closed. Visitors can only reach the area by taking the hotel shuttle bus that operates in winter. - 🔎There are three accommodation options on the mountain, ranked by view and comfort: Utsukushigahara Kogen Ougatou Hotel/Yamamoto Goya Furusato-kan/Utsukushigahara Kogen Hotel Yamamoto Goya - ✨We stayed at Utsukushigahara Kogen Hotel Yamamoto Goya, which has only 17 rooms, so plan ahead. The weather was nice on the day we arrived, and the snow was a beautiful white. The rime and snow-covered trees were stunning, and we were amazed to see Mount Fuji when the view was clear! Next was the snowmobile experience. There were two sessions in the afternoon and one in the morning the next day. Everyone drew lots to determine the session, which was quite fair. - 🌿I remember that before we got on the snowmobile, everyone's phone suddenly rang with an earthquake alert, and we could feel the ground shaking. We later learned that it was an earthquake in Ishikawa Prefecture, and we were surprised that it could be felt so far away. 🌟The snowmobile took us to Ougatou, where there is a tower called the Tower of Beauty, built in 1954 from local ironstone. When the fog thickens, the tower rings a bell to indicate its location. There are many radio towers near the top of the mountain, standing silently in the snow, creating a mysterious atmosphere. After watching the sunset and the sea of clouds, we returned to the hotel. At night, there was a stargazing activity, and the staff took photos for everyone. - 🔜The next day, we had a mochi-making experience, and the mochi we made was part of our breakfast. Before leaving, we took a walk around Mount Ushibuse, but the weather was bad, and we couldn't see much through the fog. Although the range of activities is limited in winter, there are few tourists, and the beautiful snow left a deep impression.

[Utsukushi-ga-hara Plateau] is also famous among tourists. It's a spot in the mountains, but there's a large free parking lot so you won't have any trouble parking your car🙆♀️ I arrived at around 5am and waited in my car until sunrise at around 6:15am. It's on top of the mountain so it's quite cold when the sun isn't up. I recommend bringing a blanket or a throw blanket❕ After 6am the sky gradually gets brighter and the color of the sky is really beautiful at every stage😭✨️ The sun only rises in an instant. After that, I climbed a little higher up the mountain and saw a vast expanse of land. It seems that there are cows at the bottom of the mountain and depending on the time of year🐮 The entrance fee is free so I highly recommend it✨️ #0yentravelautumn #Utsukushi-ga-haraPlateau 📍Location: Iriyamabe, Matsumoto City, Nagano Prefecture 390-0222 💰Price per person: Free 🅿️ :Free parking available