A popular highland sightseeing road in Nagano Prefecture
The Shinshu Venus Line which runs east-west in central Nagano Prefecture is a route within Yatsugatake-Chūshin Kōgen Quasi-National Park that was opened up as a free road in 2002. It extends from the area surrounding Chino Station for 76km up to the Utsukushigahara Highlands, and with an average altitude of 1400m, it reaches a maximum altitude of 1920m at Utsukushigahara, so the road can be enjoyed as a retreat from early summer to later in the season. Let’s introduce the road by splitting into 2 areas using Lake Shirakaba as the dividing line.
The Tateshina Highland from Lake Tateshina is an area to enjoy the highland resorts
The Tateshina Highland is a high-class resort area centering on Lake Tateshina which is 1km around. On the lakeshore, there is the outdoor art museum Sculpture Park while in the vicinity, there is Barakura English Garden and Tateshina Onsen to enjoy as features of a highland resort. Kita-Yatsugatake Ropeway can accommodate up to 100 passengers up to the peak where the 330,000 square meter Pilatus Tateshina Snow Resort is located which is popular for being able to navigate on foot within 30 to 40 minutes.
The Utsukushigahara Highlands from Lake Shirakaba are the highlight of the Venus Line
There are cafés and restaurants in the area around Lake Shirakaba, and since you can also drop by places such as the Tateshina Teddy Bear Museum along with other art museums specializing in silhouettes, collages, glass, and music boxes, the area is ideal as a resting spot. The nationally-designated Natural Monument of Yashimagahara Marsh is a peat land which took 12000 years to create. 250 different species of marsh plant life can be observed and the marsh takes 90 minutes to walk around. The final destination of Utsukushigahara has an area of 132,200 square meters where you can spend a relaxing time there once you arrive at places such as The Utsukushigahara Open-Air Museum with 350 outdoor exhibits of contemporary sculptures, Ogahana with its wonderful view and Utsukushigahara Farm.