My wife and I are going to Japan for my brother's wedding in August. As part of trip I was looking at a side trip to the Japan Alps for a couple of days. My thought was to base in Nagano and take a side trip to the Ninja museum, and Matsumoto.

Just a couple of questions:

Are any Olympic sites, ie. bobsled chutes, etc. worth visiting?
Is it worth the time to go out and see the Nagano area?
Will it be cooler up there than Tokyo?
Is there enough lodging in mid-week to get a good deal?
And is there enough public transportation for us without cars?

Thank you for help.

In Nagano in August, hiking in the Japan Alps would be nice. Climbing Mt Hakuba (about 2900 m high) can be recommended; it took 6 hours for me to the top, I stayed overnight in a hut near the top.