is a

landlocked A landlocked country is a country that does not have territory connected to an ocean or whose coastlines lie on endorheic basins. There are currently 44 landlocked countries and 4 landlocked de facto states. Kazakhstan is the world's largest ...

prefecture of Japan located in the Chūbu region of Honshū. Nagano Prefecture has a population of 2,052,493 () and has a geographic area of . Nagano Prefecture borders Niigata Prefecture to the north,

Gunma Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan located in the Kantō region of Honshu. Gunma Prefecture has a population of 1,937,626 (1 October 2019) and has a geographic area of 6,362 km2 (2,456 sq mi). Gunma Prefecture borders Niigata Prefecture and Fuku ...

to the northeast,

Saitama Prefecture is a landlocked prefecture of Japan located in the Kantō region of Honshu. Saitama Prefecture has a population of 7,338,536 (1 January 2020) and has a geographic area of 3,797 km2 (1,466 sq mi). Saitama Prefecture borders Tochigi Prefecture ...

to the east,

Yamanashi Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan located in the Chūbu region of Honshu. Yamanashi Prefecture has a population of 817,192 (1 January 2019) and has a geographic area of 4,465 km2 (1,724 sq mi). Yamanashi Prefecture borders Saitama Prefecture to the ...

to the southeast,

Shizuoka Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan located in the Chūbu region of Honshu. Shizuoka Prefecture has a population of 3,637,998 and has a geographic area of . Shizuoka Prefecture borders Kanagawa Prefecture to the east, Yamanashi Prefecture to the northea ...

and

Aichi Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan located in the Chūbu region of Honshū. Aichi Prefecture has a population of 7,552,873 () and a geographic area of with a population density of . Aichi Prefecture borders Mie Prefecture to the west, Gifu Prefecture ...

to the south, and

Gifu Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan located in the Chūbu region of Honshu. Gifu Prefecture has a population of 1,991,390 () and has a geographic area of . Gifu Prefecture borders Toyama Prefecture to the north; Ishikawa Prefecture to the northwest, ...

and Toyama Prefecture to the west. Nagano is the capital and largest city of Nagano Prefecture, with other major cities including

Matsumoto Matsumoto (松本 or 松元, "base of the pine tree") may refer to: Places * Matsumoto, Nagano (松本市), a city ** Matsumoto Airport, an airport southwest of Matsumoto, Nagano * Matsumoto, Kagoshima (松元町), a former town now part of the c ...

, Ueda, and Iida. Nagano Prefecture has impressive

highland Highlands or uplands are areas of high elevation such as a mountainous region, elevated mountainous plateau or high hills. Generally speaking, upland (or uplands) refers to ranges of hills, typically from up to while highland (or highlands) is ...

areas of the Japanese Alps, including most of the

Hida Mountains The , or , is a Japanese mountain range which stretches through Nagano, Toyama and Gifu prefectures. A small portion of the mountains also reach into Niigata Prefecture. William Gowland coined the phrase "Japanese Alps" during his time in Japa ...

Kiso Mountains are a mountain range in Nagano and Gifu prefectures in Japan. They are also called the and they combine with the Hida Mountains ("Northern Alps") and the Akaishi Mountains ("Southern Alps") to form a group collectively known as the Japanese A ...

, and

Akaishi Mountains The are a mountain range in central Honshū, Japan, bordering Nagano, Yamanashi and Shizuoka prefectures. It is also called the , as it joins with the Hida Mountains ("Northern Alps") and the Kiso Mountains ("Central Alps") to form the Japane ...

which extend into the neighbouring prefectures. The abundance of mountain ranges, natural scenic beauty, and rich history has gained Nagano Prefecture international recognition as a world-class winter sports tourist destination, including hosting the

1998 Winter Olympics The 1998 Winter Olympics, officially known as the and commonly known as Nagano 1998 ( ja, 長野1998), was a winter multi-sport event held from 7 to 22 February 1998, mainly in Nagano, Japan, with some events taking place in th ...

and a new Shinkansen line to

Tokyo Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, with an estimated 37.46 ...

History

Geography

Nagano is an inland prefecture and it borders more prefectures than any other in Japan, bordering

, and

to the east, Niigata Prefecture to the north, Toyama Prefecture and

to the west, and

to the south. Nagano contains the point furthest from the sea in the whole of Japan—this point lies within the city of Saku. The province's mountains have made it relatively isolated, and many visitors come to Nagano for its mountain resorts and hot springs. Nine of the twelve highest mountains in Japan can be found in Nagano and one of its lakes, Lake Kizaki, is a beach resort popular for its water attractions and games. The climate is predominantly alpine with warm summers, cold snowy winters and less intense humidity than the lower lying coastal areas. As of 1 April 2014, 21% of the total land area of the prefecture was designated as Natural Parks; namely the Chichibu Tama Kai, Chūbu-Sangaku, Jōshin'etsu Kōgen, and Minami Alps National Parks; Myōgi-Arafune-Saku Kōgen, Tenryū-Okumikawa, and Yatsugatake-Chūshin Kōgen Quasi-National Parks; and Chūō Alps, Enrei Ōjō, Hijiriyama Kōgen, Mibugawa Suikei, Ontake, and Tenryū Koshibu Suikei Prefectural Natural Parks.

Cities

Nineteen cities are located in Nagano Prefecture: *

Azumino is a city located in Nagano Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 97,761 in 39744 households. and a population density of 290 persons per km2. Its total area is . Etymology of Azumino Azumino is a combination of two ...

* Chikuma * Chino * Iida * Iiyama * Ina * Komagane * Komoro *

* Nagano (capital) * Nakano * Okaya * Ōmachi * Saku * Shiojiri * Suwa * Suzaka * Tōmi * Ueda

Towns and villages

These are the towns and villages in each

district A district is a type of administrative division that, in some countries, is managed by the local government. Across the world, areas known as "districts" vary greatly in size, spanning regions or counties, several municipalities, subdivision ...

: * Chiisagata District ** Aoki ** Nagawa * Hanishina District ** Sakaki * Higashichikuma District ** Asahi ** Chikuhoku ** Ikusaka **

Omi is a hereditary noble title ('' kabane'') of ancient Japan. It was given to the descendants of the Imperial Family before Emperor Kōgen. Along with ''Muraji'', ''Omi'' was reserved for the head of the most powerful clans during the Kofun period ...

** Yamagata * Kamiina District ** Iijima ** Minamiminowa ** Minowa ** Miyada ** Nakagawa ** Tatsuno *

Kamiminochi District is a district located in Nagano Prefecture, Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, w ...

** Iizuna **

Ogawa Ogawa (written: lit. "small river" or in hiragana) is the 30th most common Japanese surname. Less common variants are (also "small river") or ("tail river"). Notable people with the surname include: *, American poet *, Japanese footballer * ...

** Shinano * Kamitakai District ** Obuse ** Takayama * Kiso District ** Agematsu ** Kiso (village) ** Kiso (town) ** Nagiso ** Ōkuwa ** Ōtaki * Kitaazumi District ** Hakuba ** Ikeda ** Matsukawa ** Otari * Kitasaku District ** Karuizawa **

Miyota is a town located in Nagano Prefecture, Japan. , the town had an estimated population of 15,562 in 6897 households, and a population density of 260 persons per km². The total area of the town is . Geography Miyota is located on the eastern bo ...

** Tateshina * Minamisaku District ** Kawakami ** Kitaaiki ** Koumi ** Minamiaiki ** Minamimaki ** Sakuho * Shimoina District ** Achi **

Anan Anan or ANAN may refer to: People * Anan (name) Places * Anan, Haute-Garonne, a commune in the Haute-Garonne ''département'', France * Anan, Nagano, a town in Nagano, Japan * Anan, Tokushima, a city in Tokushima, Japan Other uses * ''Anan'' ( ...

** Hiraya ** Matsukawa ** Neba ** Ōshika ** Shimojō ** Takagi ** Takamori ** Tenryū ** Toyooka ** Urugi ** Yasuoka * Shimominochi District ** Sakae * Shimotakai District ** Kijimadaira ** Nozawaonsen ** Yamanouchi * Suwa District ** Fujimi **

Hara Hara may refer to: Art and entertainment * Hara (band), a Romanian pop-band * ''Hara'' (film), a 2014 Kannada-language drama film * ''Hara'' (sculpture), a 1989 artwork by Deborah Butterfield * Goo Hara (1991-2019), South Korean idol singer ...

** Shimosuwa Nagano Prefecture is famous for having the largest number of villages in Japan.

Mergers

Demographics

The life expectancy in Nagano prefecture is the longest nationwide with the average life expectancy of 87.18 years for women and 80.88 years for men.

Transportation

Railway

East Japan Railway Company The is a major passenger railway company in Japan and is the largest of the seven Japan Railways Group companies. The company name is officially abbreviated as JR-EAST or JR East in English, and as in Japanese. The company's headquarters ar ...

** Hokuriku Shinkansen **

Shin'etsu Main Line The Shinetsu Main Line ( ja, 信越本線, ) is a railway line, consisting of three geographically separated sections, operated by the East Japan Railway Company (JR East) in Japan. It was originally one continuous line connecting and via . ...

** Chūō Main Line (east line) ** Shinonoi Line ** Ōito Line (from to ) ** Koumi Line *

Central Japan Railway Company is the main railway company operating in the Chūbu (Nagoya) region of central Japan. It is officially abbreviated in English as JR Central and in Japanese as JR Tōkai ( ja, JR東海, links=no). ''Tōkai'' is a reference to the geographical ...

** Chūō Main Line (west line) ** Iida Line * West Japan Railway Company **Ōito Line (from Minami-Otari to ) * Shinano Railway ** Shinano Railway Line * Nagano Electric Railway **Nagano Line * Matsumoto Electric Railway ** Kamikōchi Line * Ueda Dentetsu ** Bessho Line

Road

Expressways

* Chuo Expressway * Nagano Expressway * Joshinetsu Expressway *Sanen-nanshin Expressway *Chubu-jukan Expressway *Chubu-odan Expressway

National highways

*Route 18 *Route 19 (Nagano-Matsumoto-Shioriri-Nagiso- Nakatsugawa-

Tajimi is a city located in Gifu, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 110,070 in 46,580 households, and a population density of 1200 people per km2. The total area of the city was . The city is famous for its production of Mino ware ceram ...

Nagoya is the largest city in the Chūbu region, the fourth-most populous city and third most populous urban area in Japan, with a population of 2.3million in 2020. Located on the Pacific coast in central Honshu, it is the capital and the most po ...

) *Route 20 (Matsumoto-Suwa- Kofu- Otsuki- Hachioji-

Nihonbashi is a business district of Chūō, Tokyo, Japan which grew up around the bridge of the same name which has linked two sides of the Nihonbashi River at this site since the 17th century. The first wooden bridge was completed in 1603. The curre ...

of Tokyo) *Route 117 *Route 141 *Route 142 *Route 143 (Matsumoto-Azumino-Ueda) *Route 144 *Route 147 (Matsumoto-Omachi) *Route 148 (Omachi-

Itoigawa is a city located in Niigata Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 41,333, and a population density of 55 persons per km2. The total area of the city is . Geography Itoigawa is located in the far southwestern corner of ...

) *Route 151 (Iida- Shinshiro- Toyohashi) *Route 152 *Route 153 (Nagoya- Toyota-Iida-Shioriri) *Route 158 ( Fukui- Gujo- Takayama-Matsumoto) *Route 254 *Route 256 ( Gifu-Gujo- Gero-Nakatsugawa-Nagiso-Iida) *Route 403 *Route 406 (Omachi-Hakuba-Nagano-Susaka-

Tsumagoi 250px, Mount Shirane from Manza Onsen is a village located in Gunma Prefecture, Japan. , the village had an estimated population of 9,546 in 3,999 households, and a population density of 28 persons per km². The total area of the village is . Ge ...

- Takasaki) *Route 418 (

Ono ONO, Ono or Ōno may refer to: Places Fiji * Ono Island (Fiji) Israel * Kiryat Ono * Ono, Benjamin, ancient site Italy * Ono San Pietro Ivory Coast * Ono, Ivory Coast, a village in Comoé District Japan * Ōno Castle, Fukuoka * ...

- Seki- Ena-Iida)

Airports

Matsumoto Airport Matsumoto Airport (松本空港) , also known as Shinshu-Matsumoto Airport, is an airport located southwestAIS Japan
of c ...

Education

Universities

Public

Shinshu University , abbreviated to , is a Japanese national university located in Matsumoto, Nagano Prefecture, Japan. As the only university in Japan bearing the name of a former Japanese province, it bears the name "Shinshu" (alternative name for Shinano Pro ...

(National) *

Nagano College of Nursing is a public university in Komagane, Nagano, Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, ...

(Prefectural) * The University of Nagano (Prefectural) * Nagano University unicipal (Ueda City)* Suwa Tokyo University of Science unicipal (Chino City)

Private

Matsumoto University is a private university in Matsumoto, Nagano Prefecture, Japan, established in 2002. Matsusho Gakuen Junior College is a private junior college in Matsumoto, Nagano is a city located in Nagano Prefecture, Japan. Matsumoto is designa ...

(Private) * Matsumoto Dental University (Private) * Saku University (Private) * Seisen Jogakuin College (Private)

Economy

Nagano Prefecture has a large and diversified economy, with a strong focus on electronics, information technology, precision machinery, agriculture and food products, and tourism, with a total GDP of about trillion (2017). Several large Japanese groups have production facilities in Nagano Prefecture, such as

Citizen Watch is an electronics company primarily known for its watches and is the core company of a Japanese global corporate group based in Nishitokyo, Tokyo, Japan. In addition to Citizen brand watches, it is the parent of American watch company Bulova, ...

(Citizen Group),

MinebeaMitsumi is a Japanese multinational corporation and a major producer of machinery components and electronics devices. The company was founded as in 1951. As of June 30, 2019, MinebeaMitsumi comprises 121 consolidated subsidiaries and affiliates. NMB (US ...

, Seiko Epson and Vaio.

Tourism

* Kamikochi * Lake Kizaki * Lake Suwa *

Mount Kirigamine is a 1,925m volcano, located in Nagano Prefecture, Japan. Outline The tallest peak of Mount Kirigamine is Mount Kuruma, on which there is a weather radar site. Most of the mountain is covered in grass with sparse bushes and rocks. The south a ...

* Suwa Taisha, one of the oldest shrines in Japan *

Matsumoto Castle , originally known as Fukashi Castle, is one of Japan's premier historic castles, along with Himeji and Kumamoto. The building is also known as the due to its black exterior. It was the seat of Matsumoto Domain under the Edo Period Tokugawa ...

, one of Japan's national treasures *One of the world's highest geysers (about 40 to 50 meters) in Suwa * Zenkō-ji temple in

Nagano city is the capital and largest city of Nagano Prefecture, located in the Nagano Basin (Zenkoji Daira) in the central Chūbu region of Japan. Nagano is categorized as a core city of Japan. Nagano City is the highest prefectural capital in Japan, with ...

Five Mountains of Northern Shinshu The Five Mountains of Northern Shinshu () or Five Mountains of Northern Nagano Prefecture are the traditionally distinctive mountains that can be seen in the northern Nagano Prefecture. They are: Mount Iizuna, Mt. lizuna (飯縄山, 1917 mete ...

Sports

There are two local J.League clubs: AC Nagano Parceiro and Matsumoto Yamaga FC.

Prefectural symbols

* Siberian Silver Birch * Gentian * Ptarmigan * Japanese Serow * Shinano no Kuni (prefecture song)

Sister regions

Changhua County Changhua County ( Mandarin Pinyin: ''Zhānghuà Xiàn''; Wade-Giles: ''Chang¹-hua⁴ Hsien⁴''; Hokkien POJ: ''Chiang-hòa-koān'' or ''Chiong-hòa-koān'') is the smallest county on the main island of Taiwan by area, and the fourth smal ...

, Taiwan (2008) *

Hebei Hebei or , (; alternately Hopeh) is a northern province of China. Hebei is China's sixth most populous province, with over 75 million people. Shijiazhuang is the capital city. The province is 96% Han Chinese, 3% Manchu, 0.8% Hui, and ...

, China *

Colorado Colorado (, other variants) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It encompasses most of the Southern Rocky Mountains, as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the ...

, USA

Personalities

* Nagano's former governor, Yasuo Tanaka, is an independent who has made a reputation internationally for attacking Japan's status quo. Among other issues, he has refused national government money for construction projects that he deems unnecessary, such as dams, and has overhauled (locally) the press club system that is blamed for limiting government access to journalists who give favorable coverage. Tanaka was voted out from office on August 6, 2006 and was replaced by Jin Murai. * Tatsumi Yoda (aka Tom Yoda), former chairman of Avex, is from Chikuma-shi. * Glim Spanky, the members of the rock band are from Nagano Prefecture *

Yuto Adachi , known mononymously as Yuto (; ja, ユウト), is a Japanese rapper, singer, songwriter and composer based in South Korea. He is a member of the South Korean boy group Pentagon, formed by Cube Entertainment. Biography Early life and educati ...

, of Korean boy group

Pentagon In geometry, a pentagon (from the Greek πέντε ''pente'' meaning ''five'' and γωνία ''gonia'' meaning ''angle'') is any five-sided polygon or 5-gon. The sum of the internal angles in a simple pentagon is 540°. A pentagon may be sim ...

is from Nagano Prefecture *

Yasuyuki Kazama is a drifting driver from Japan, formerly competing in D1 Grand Prix, well known for using the Nissan Silvia S15. He is also known as Waku Waku and Spin Benz Dokan. Biography Kazama was first introduced to drifting at age 17 when he watched Ge ...

, a professional drift driver, is from Shimosuwa in Nagano Prefecture. * Keiichi Tsuchiya, a professional racing driver, is from Tōmi in Nagano Prefecture. * Jun'ya Ota (aka ZUN), video game developer best known for the '' Touhou Project'' series is from Nagano Prefecture.

Notes

References

* Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric and Käthe Roth. (2005)
''Japan encyclopedia.''
Cambridge: Harvard University Press.
OCLC 58053128

External links

*
Nagano Prefecture Official Website

Nagano Prefecture Tourism Website
{{Authority control Chūbu region Prefectures of Japan Japan campaign