[Nyororin]

Originally Posted by GregX999

Nyororin - I hadn't given much thought to Nagano either (it does seem to be rarely talked about).

Yes, Nagoya is talked about so infrequently that almost everyone mistakenly lumps it in with Nagano.
It`s an incredibly common mistake, so I`ll forgive you for it.

I think for me, maybe because it seemed too dense of an area. How easy is it to get out to the more "nature" type areas to the north and east (like east of Seto or north of Seki)?

It`s quite easy to get out into natural areas. I have found that there is a LOT less congestion in getting out of Nagoya than say, Tokyo or Osaka. Escaping either of those seems like a complete nightmare - particularly on holidays. Easier of course to head north or west than east though - the city sort of cuts off to the north/north-west, but suburbs go on forever to the east.
Also, I think that it needs to be kept in mind that there is a lot more nature and scenery than just the dark green high mountains that show up on Google Maps. Deep mountains are beautiful to drive through, but I can`t say I`d want to ride a bicycle through them... Expanses of rice fields with small groves, and scattered villages are just as fascinating. (In my opinion)

Are there busses or light-rail that go out there (where one could bring a bike)?

Japan has an expansive public transportation system. There are few places that it would be impossible to reach via public transport and a bicycle. I would avoid taking one on a train or bus during commuting hours, but I have seen tons of people dragging along folding cycles...
Also, as you head further out in the countryside - a lot of stations or nearby tourism offices offer bicycle rentals (I use "rental" loosely, as many will lend you the bike for free.)

What you say about the bike lanes and sidewalks sounds VERY good to me. I would plan on using a (folding?) bike for most local errands. And being rather central seems nice too.

I haven`t really lived in other large cities in Japan, but in short term stays, I have found that regular parks here are larger, less crowded, and very green. Nagoya gets this weird reputation as being a boring ugly city... But I don`t think it`s true in the least. It just isn`t a tourist city, so tourists aren`t carted around to pretty spots. They tend to rush through on the way from Tokyo to Kyoto, and judge from what they see out the train window... Which isn`t much of interest.

Trees line most streets, which are wide and spacious to begin with. There are bicycle lanes, bridges over intersections for pedestrians and bicycles, etc. There are numerous small historical areas very nearby - (Iwakura, Inuyama, Narumi, Arimatsu, etc), and a ton of museums.

Does anyone know much about the smaller towns in Nagano prefecture like Omachi or Matsumoto? Too small? Too rural?

I have a friend in Matsumoto - It seems to be a nice town, but they get a LOT of snow in the winter. She always gets depressed as they are in the shadow of mountains from mid-autumn to mid-spring... It gets cold very quickly and takes forever to thaw out. The summers are very mild, so we try to visit then... And usually need to take jackets even in mid-summer as it gets cold in the evenings.