Welcome to the Ueda English Guide Group, or EGG for short! We are a group of volunteer English guides who are ready to introduce Ueda City to you. Please take a look at our information and contact us if you would like to arrange a free tour!
About EGG
Founded in 1999, EGG currently has about 30 regular members and is an authorized guide group of Ueda city.
We have two main principles behind our activities:
First, we want to provide hospitality to foreign visitors to Ueda City as tourist guides. We will guide you around Ueda City and its surrounding areas in English. We want to introduce Japanese culture through sightseeing in Ueda, and help you have firsthand experiences with it. We do not charge a guide fee, just ask that visitors pay for the guide’s costs such as transportation or food.
Second, we contribute to local international exchange through English. We would be happy to help with events held in Ueda City, assist with reception events involving foreign visitors, and so on. If the request will cost members a lot in terms of time and/or money, we may charge a small fee.
In addition to these activities available by request, we also hold group study sessions once a week. At these study sessions, members exchange opinions about topics from daily life to current affairs, and we also invite native English speakers to improve our English skill. Tour training is also conducted on a regular basis, and in order to be useful as tourist guides, we actively seek out new areas for tourism promotion, maintaining our knowledge of existing tours and developing new ones.
About Ueda City
Nestled in a valley in the mountains of East Nagano Prefecture, Ueda City has a long and storied history. It was the seat of power for the Sanada Clan during the Sengoku Civil War period, and later in the Edo Period was an economic center for silk manufacturing. These days, it’s a slow-paced rural city centrally located between Karuizawa and Nagano City, and an excellent place for those who want a more local, off-the-beaten-track experience. Now famous for delicious food, relaxing hot springs, and ancient temples, Ueda City has plenty to offer travelers, and also makes an excellent stop on the way to other popular tourist destinations in Nagano, including ski resorts like Sugadaira.
Course Information
We can arrange a variety of tours:
Around Ueda City
- Strolling in and around Ueda castle (a half-day tour)
- Bessho Onsen – hot springs, footbath, shrines, temples (a half-day tour)
Workshop
- Soba-noodle making
- Weaving silk fabric
- Zazen, or meditation at a temple
- Tea ceremony
Seasonal Tours
(availability depends on the season)
- Apple picking (Sept.-Nov.)
- Grape picking (Sept.-Nov.)
- Golf (Apr.-Nov.)
- Snowcat riding (Dec.-Feb.)
Lunch
- Soba, ramen, sushi – a Japanese-style meal
Please also look at our pamphlet for more information about Ueda city and the tours we offer.
Reserve a Volunteer Tour
Please be sure to submit your inquiry at least 3 days before your desired tour date.