A small city in Nagano Prefecture, at the foot of an active volcano, between three shinkansen stations. This is where we live.
Three shinkansen stations within a 30-minute drive — that's rare in Japan. You get bullet train access to Tokyo in about an hour while living in a quiet rural town surrounded by mountains.
Karuizawa is 20 minutes away. It's where wealthy Tokyo families have summer homes, where the art galleries and fancy restaurants are. We prefer Komoro — it's quieter, cheaper, and the people are more interesting.
Komoro is home to ZuCity — a group of people buying and renovating abandoned houses into coliving spaces.
There's a zen temple here that's been operating for over 1,300 years. Walking the grounds at 6am in the fog is one of those experiences that rearranges how you think about time.
Komoro is so famous for soba that a major Tokyo chain named itself "Komoro Soba." The buckwheat grows in the surrounding mountains. Local shops have been perfecting the craft for generations. It's the real thing.
The people here are what make it. They invite us to festivals, bring us food, teach us things we didn't know we needed to learn. This isn't hospitality-industry warmth — it's real neighborly care. We're lucky to be here.
An active volcano in our backyard. It shapes the weather, the soil, the light. You develop a relationship with it. Some mornings it's hidden in clouds. Some evenings it glows. It's always there.
Komoro is in the top 100 cherry blossom spots in Japan. Every spring the castle ruins turn pink and the whole town comes out. It's one of those things that's exactly as beautiful as people say it is.
Dozens of hot springs within a 30-minute drive. Rustic mountain rotenburo, luxury private baths, everything in between. A daily onsen is the kind of habit that changes your baseline.
Exploring the natural beauty around Komoro — mountains, temples, local festivals, and the landscapes that make this region of Nagano so special.
A glimpse into daily life at ZuCity Japan — community gatherings, shared meals, and the coliving experience in rural Nagano.
Strawberries, apples, peaches, blackberries — fruit that's normally expensive in Japanese cities grows abundantly here. Plus rice, buckwheat, wasabi, pumpkin, miso. The raw ingredients of Japanese cuisine, straight from the source.
Sake breweries, whiskey distilleries, craft beer, wineries — all within 30 minutes. Clean mountain water and centuries of agricultural tradition make this region quietly excellent at fermentation.
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