Everything you need to land prepared, find the house, and have the best trip of your life.
Last guest arrived a few days ago. 50+ have visited this season.
The single most important step. Schedule car pickups, find ski buddies, ask which onsen welcomes tattoos this week, get real-time info on events and weather.
1,200+ members. Active every day.
Bring a friend — every great trip starts with someone you trust. Share this page using your referral link.
Soon you'll be able to connect your Telegram to your ZuCity account and we'll auto-invite you to the right channels.
The Pass is your entry token. It doesn't need to be confirmed for specific dates yet — the longer you stay, the deeper you go.
1 day — taste the place
7 days — find your rhythm
14 days — start to belong
All Pass lengths flow through the same item — pick your dates on the booking widget.
Six things to handle before you leave home. The biggest mistakes happen here.
Must be issued in your home country before you arrive in Japan. You cannot get one in Japan, full stop. Without it you cannot drive a ZuCity community car or rent one anywhere in the country.
Tokyo Haneda is closest to Komoro by shinkansen. Narita works too — add ~1 hour. Lock dates early; Japan-bound flights price up fast.
Buy reserved seats in advance during sakura (early April), Golden Week (late April–early May), Obon (mid-August), and New Year. Trains sell out and unreserved cars are standing-room only.
Japan has world-class healthcare but no NHI coverage for tourists. A clinic visit without insurance is hundreds of dollars; a hospital stay is thousands. Not optional.
Download the Google Translate offline Japanese pack before you fly. Use camera-translate for menus, signs, and the trash sorting chart.
Every hour you spend learning before arriving makes your trip 1,000× better. Two free tools: Duolingo for daily habit, Migii JLPT for grammar drills. Even 200 words of vocabulary changes everything — locals open up the moment you try.
Komoro essentials live above. This collapsible covers the foundational Japan-travel knowledge that makes everything else easy. Skim it once and you'll move through the country like you've been here before.
Most Western passports get 90 days visa-free on arrival. Check your country's rules — Russia, China and a few others need pre-arranged visas.
Japan is still cash-heavy. 7-Eleven ATMs accept foreign cards 24/7 and are everywhere. Wise and Revolut work cleanly. Tipping is rude — don't do it, even at restaurants and taxis.
IC card for trains, buses, vending machines, convenience stores. The Apple Pay / Google Pay version works the same. Charge it once, tap everywhere.
Ubigi or Airalo eSIMs are cheapest and instant. If your phone doesn't support eSIM, rent pocket wifi at the airport. Don't rely on free wifi — it's rare and slow.
Type A/B plugs (same as North America), 100V. Most laptops, phones, and cameras handle this without adapters. Some hair dryers from Europe will not.
Google Translate camera mode handles menus and signs. "Sumimasen" (excuse me / sorry / thank you for getting my attention) plus pointing handles 70% of in-person interactions. Always learn "arigatō gozaimasu" (thank you) — it goes a long way.
Wash thoroughly at the seated showers before entering the bath. Naked, no swimsuits. Long hair tied up. Most onsens nationwide ban visible tattoos — but several around Komoro welcome them. Ask in Telegram for the current list before you go.
Shoes off when entering houses, the ZuCity house, ryokans, some restaurants, and most temples. Wear slip-ons or shoes you can untie in seconds. House slippers may be provided — bathroom slippers are a separate pair, never wear them past the bathroom door.
110 for police. 119 for ambulance and fire. There is no national insurance for tourists — your travel insurance is the only thing standing between a small fever and a four-figure bill.
Vegetarian is hard. Dashi (fish stock) is in almost everything — miso soup, ramen broth, simmered vegetables, salad dressings. Bring allergy cards translated into Japanese. Halal options exist in Tokyo but are scarce in rural areas. Communicate needs early in Telegram — the community knows the workarounds.
Sorting trash is a social contract here, not a guideline. Get this wrong at the ZuCity house and it costs everyone — neighbors, the operations team, and your roommates.
Three ways in. All three end with you near our front door.
Tokyo Station → Sakudaira on the Hokuriku Shinkansen (~75 min), then switch to the Shinano Railway local line to Komoro (~25 min). The most common route.
Tokyo Station → Karuizawa OR Sakudaira (~70 min). Schedule a community car pickup in Telegram a day or two in advance. Most painless option if you have luggage.
Cheapest. Slowest. Direct overnight buses from Shinjuku run to Saku and Komoro — best if budget matters more than time.
From Komoro Station, the ZuCity house is a 15-minute walk. If you've scheduled a car pickup from Karuizawa or Sakudaira, the driver will meet you at the shinkansen exit. Message in Telegram the moment you board the shinkansen so we know your ETA.
Running late, early, or lost? Message the visiting channel before you panic. Someone is almost always awake.
The residency is the real product. Pick a path before locking in dates.
If you might stay longer than a Pass weekend, get on the coliving waitlist. The application takes 5 minutes and unlocks reduced-rate long stays and the chance to live with the team. This is the highest-value path.
Apply for colivingBrowse rooms in the ZuCity houses by date. Multi-night stays paired with a Pass are how most first-timers come.
Browse roomsKomoro and nearby Sakudaira both have walkable lodging within 10 minutes of the station. If you've already booked, ask in Telegram which neighborhood you landed in — we'll tell you which onsens, sobas, and matsuris are closest.
Komoro is a rural mountain town. Without a car you can still ski, onsen, eat, and meet people — but options shrink. With an IDP, you can drive a ZuCity community car (insurance covered) or rent locally. The IDP must be issued in your home country before you fly; Japan does not issue them.
A dedicated community car-share item is coming. For now, coordination happens in Telegram.
Coordinate car use in TelegramKomoro sits at ~700m elevation in Nagano. Weather varies more by season than almost anywhere else in Japan.
Komoro is small and intentional. Here's how to find the good stuff.
A working cafe, lined with books and a bar all made from wood. We go in the morning for coffee and work or in the afternoon to hangout and read books.
Our flagship venue. Coworking, lounges, talks, the basement club. This is where most of the community life happens.
Top-100 castles in Japan, 1,000-year festival, 400-year old soba and miso traditions. A city filled with things to do in the streets and the moutains.
Daily ski hills and resorts within 30 minutes. Olympic-grade powder within 90.
Don't see what you're looking for? Ask in Telegram — current spots, current events, current people.
Exploring the natural beauty around Komoro — mountains, temples, local festivals, and the landscapes that make this region of Nagano so special.