[Ina-shi Station] (Ina City, Nagano) — A Snowy Walk Around the Station and Shopping Street
Looking through the ticket gates, you can see straight through to the platform and tracks — an open, unfussy layout. The station name board reading "Inashi (Ina City)" is simple and unadorned, and the whole place has that quiet, unhurried feeling you only find at smaller regional stations.
About Ina City
Population: 63,362 (estimate, January 1, 2026)
Ina City sits in the southern part of Nagano Prefecture and has apparently been gaining a quiet reputation as a place to relocate to.
Getting to Ina-shi Station
Looking at a map, Ina City sits almost exactly in the center of Honshu.
On Google Maps, you can see that Ina-shi Station sits right in the heart of the city center.
From Tokyo Station, take the JR Chuo Line to Shinjuku, then catch the limited express Azusa to Okaya — about 2 hours 15 minutes. From there, it's another hour on the JR Iida Line to Ina-shi Station. Add in the transfers and you're looking at well over 3 hours total, but as a trip from Tokyo it's perfectly manageable.
Around the Station
Step outside the station into a light snowfall and you'll find a few taxis waiting. Across the way stands an old multi-story building — the kind that still carries the feel of the Showa era — and for a moment it seems like time is moving a little slower here.
A large "PACHINKO" sign catches the eye, but the shutters are pulled firmly shut. Whatever life this place once had is now just a memory preserved in faded signage.
Walking along the shopping street in the snow, most of the storefronts are shuttered. Still, a beauty salon here, a restaurant there — a few places are clearly holding on.
Turning into a side alley, the sign for Hotel Shimadaya comes into view. Old buildings line both sides of the narrow lane, and the whole thing has a calm, tucked-away feel quite unlike the main street.
![Kasuga Brewery (Sake brand "Inokashira") and Iida Line crossing](/images/2026/02/26/20250226_6.jpg "Kasuga Brewery (Sake brand "Inokashira") and Iida Line crossing")
Cross the railway tracks and Kasuga Brewery — makers of the local sake "Inokashira" — comes into view. Still operating today, the brewery building and the Iida Line crossing make for a surprisingly atmospheric combination.
The area around the station is mostly parking lots, with the Ina Bus Terminal nearby. Car-centric, as you'd expect from a regional city — most people here seem to get around by car rather than on foot or by bike.
Sauce katsu don — the local specialty. Thick cutlets drenched in a sweet-savory sauce, piled on a bowl of white rice. Deeply satisfying. I had mine at Tamura Shokudo, a short five-minute walk from the station. If you make it to Ina, it's worth going out of your way for.