Nagano Omotesando Central Square
About the Nagano Omotesando Central Square Camera
This camera watches the Central Square on Chuo-dori, the street that runs from Nagano Station up to Zenkoji. The road is the temple's formal approach, and it has been the axis of the city for centuries.
The square is a deliberate piece of urban design: an open space carved out of a commercial street, used for markets, performances and seasonal events. Nagano has spent considerable effort making the approach walkable rather than simply drivable, and this is the most visible result.
It is a good place to read the city's rhythm. Quiet on a weekday morning, busier as the day goes on, and transformed during the Zenkoji Gokaicho — the once-in-roughly-seven-years opening when pilgrim numbers rise into the millions and this street carries most of them.
Highlights & Nearby
- •Watch for: foot traffic on the Zenkoji approach, events in the square, seasonal decoration
- •Nearby: Zenkoji, Nagano Station, Nakamise-dori, Nagano city centre
- •Note: exceptionally busy during the Zenkoji Gokaicho, held roughly every seven years
