Nagano (city)
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is the capital and largest
city A city is a human settlement of notable size.Goodall, B. (1987) ''The Penguin Dictionary of Human Geography''. London: Penguin.Kuper, A. and Kuper, J., eds (1996) ''The Social Science Encyclopedia''. 2nd edition. London: Routledge. It can be def ...
of
Nagano Prefecture is a landlocked 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 to the ...
, located in the Nagano Basin (Zenkoji Daira) in the central
Chūbu region The , Central region, or is a region in the middle of Honshū, Japan's main island. In a wide, classical definition, it encompasses nine prefectures (''ken''): Aichi, Fukui, Gifu, Ishikawa, Nagano, Niigata, Shizuoka, Toyama, and ...
of
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, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the n ...
. Nagano is categorized as a core city of Japan. Nagano City is the highest prefectural capital in Japan, with an altitude of . The city is surrounded by mountains, the highest of which is Mount Takatsuma (2,353m), and is near the confluence of the Chikuma River - the longest and widest river in Japan - and the Sai River. , the city had an estimated
population Population typically refers to the number of people in a single area, whether it be a city or town, region, country, continent, or the world. Governments typically quantify the size of the resident population within their jurisdiction usi ...
of 370,632 in 160,625 households, and a
population density Population density (in agriculture: standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geographical term.Matt RosenberPopu ...
of 444 persons per km2. The total area of the city is .


Overview

Nagano City, located in the former
Shinano Province or is an old province of Japan that is now Nagano Prefecture. Shinano bordered on Echigo, Etchū, Hida, Kai, Kōzuke, Mikawa, Mino, Musashi, Suruga, and Tōtōmi Provinces. The ancient capital was located near modern-day Matsumoto, w ...
, developed from the
Nara period The of the history of Japan covers the years from CE 710 to 794. Empress Genmei established the capital of Heijō-kyō (present-day Nara). Except for a five-year period (740–745), when the capital was briefly moved again, it remained the c ...
(AD 710 to 794) as a temple town (''monzen machi''). The city of Nagano is home to Zenkō-ji, a 7th-century
Buddhist Buddhism ( , ), also known as Buddha Dharma and Dharmavinaya (), is an Indian religion or philosophical tradition based on teachings attributed to the Buddha. It originated in northern India as a -movement in the 5th century BCE, and ...
temple that is listed as a Japanese national treasure. Zenkō-ji was established in its current location in 642 AD. The location of Zenkō-ji is approximately 2 kilometers from the present-day central Nagano Station. During the
Sengoku Period The was a period in History of Japan, Japanese history of near-constant civil war and social upheaval from 1467 to 1615. The Sengoku period was initiated by the Ōnin War in 1467 which collapsed the Feudalism, feudal system of Japan under the ...
, the Age of Warring States, Nagano was the site of a series of battles, the Battles of Kawanakajima, between 1553 and 1564. During the
Edo period The or is the period between 1603 and 1867 in the history of Japan, when Japan was under the rule of the Tokugawa shogunate and the country's 300 regional '' daimyo''. Emerging from the chaos of the Sengoku period, the Edo period was character ...
(1603 and 1868), as the city developed, Nagano became an important post station (shukuba) on the Hokkoku Kaidō highway which connected
Edo Edo ( ja, , , "bay-entrance" or "estuary"), also romanized as Jedo, Yedo or Yeddo, is the former name of Tokyo. Edo, formerly a ''jōkamachi'' (castle town) centered on Edo Castle located in Musashi Province, became the ''de facto'' capital of ...
(present day Tokyo) with the
Sea of Japan The Sea of Japan is the marginal sea between the Japanese archipelago, Sakhalin, the Korean Peninsula, and the mainland of the Russian Far East. The Japanese archipelago separates the sea from the Pacific Ocean. Like the Mediterranean Sea, i ...
coast. Following the
Meiji restoration The , referred to at the time as the , and also known as the Meiji Renovation, Revolution, Regeneration, Reform, or Renewal, was a political event that restored practical imperial rule to Japan in 1868 under Emperor Meiji. Although there were ...
, Nagano became the first established modern town in Nagano prefecture on April 1, 1897. The city of Nagano and several surrounding communities hosted 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 the
1998 Winter Paralympics The , the seventh Paralympic Winter Games, were held alongside the Winter Olympics in Nagano, Japan from 5 to 14 March 1998. They were the first Paralympic Winter Games to be held outside Europe. 571 athletes competed in Nagano; as 2022 it rem ...
. Nagano City is an important historical location, an industrial center, as well as a travel destination and a center for accessing surrounding sightseeing spots, including Japan's ''
onsen In Japan, are the country's hot springs and the bathing facilities and traditional inns around them. As a volcanically active country, Japan has many onsens scattered throughout all of its major islands. There are approximately 25,000 hot ...
''-bathing snow monkeys in Yamanouchi and world-class ski resorts of Hakuba, Shiga Kogen and Nozawaonsen - throughout the year.


1998 Winter Olympics and Paralympics

Nagano, along with the neighboring communities of Hakuba village, Nozawaonsen, Yamanouchi, Iizuna, and
Karuizawa is a resort town located in Nagano Prefecture, Japan. , the town had an estimated population of 20,323 in 9897 households, and a population density of 130 persons per km². The total area of the town is . Karuizawa is one of the oldest and most ...
hosted 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 ...
from February 7 to February 22 and the
Paralympics The Paralympic Games or Paralympics, also known as the ''Games of the Paralympiad'', is a periodic series of international multisport events involving athletes with a range of physical disabilities, including impaired muscle power and impaired ...
from March 5 to March 14. This was the third
Olympic Games The modern Olympic Games or Olympics (french: link=no, Jeux olympiques) are the leading international sporting events featuring summer and winter sports competitions in which thousands of athletes from around the world participate in a multi ...
and second
Winter Olympic Games The Winter Olympic Games (french: link=no, Jeux olympiques d'hiver) is a major international multi-sport event held once every four years for sports practiced on snow and ice. The first Winter Olympic Games, the 1924 Winter Olympics, were h ...
to be held in Japan, after the
1964 Summer Olympics The , officially the and commonly known as Tokyo 1964 ( ja, 東京1964), were an international multi-sport event held from 10 to 24 October 1964 in Tokyo, Japan. Tokyo had been awarded the organization of the 1940 Summer Olympics, but this h ...
in
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 ...
, and the
1972 Winter Olympics The 1972 Winter Olympics, officially the and commonly known as Sapporo 1972 ( ja, 札幌1972), was a winter multi-sport event held from February 3 to 13, 1972, in Sapporo, Japan. It was the first Winter Olympic Games to take place outside Euro ...
in
Sapporo ( ain, サッ・ポロ・ペッ, Satporopet, lit=Dry, Great River) is a city in Japan. It is the largest city north of Tokyo and the largest city on Hokkaido, the northernmost main island of the country. It ranks as the fifth most populous city ...
(the first Winter Games ever held in Asia). As of 2019, Nagano was the southernmost host of the Winter Olympic Games. The Nagano Olympic Commemorative Marathon is held annually to commemorate the occasion. One important legacy of the Games was an improved transportation network. In order to improve access to Nagano in advance of the Games, Nagano was linked to the high-speed '' shinkansen'' train network. The Nagano Shinkansen (now the Hokuriku Shinkansen) was inaugurated five months before the start of the Games, and during the Winter Olympics carried 655,000 passengers. In addition, both Nagano Station and Shinonoi Station were expanded, and Imai Station in the Kawanakajima area was built to access the Athletes village. Finally, the Nagano Expressway and the
Jōshin-etsu Expressway The is a national expressway in Japan. It is owned and operated by East Nippon Expressway Company. Naming is a kanji acronym consisting of 3 characters, each representing the former names of the prefectures that the route traverses. consist ...
were built in the Nagano region, and another 114.9 kilometers of roads within
Nagano Prefecture is a landlocked 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 to the ...
were improved. In addition to a transportation legacy, several world-class
venues of the 1998 Winter Olympics For the 1998 Winter Olympics in Nagano, Japan, a total of fifteen sports venues were used. Nagano had attempted twice to host the Winter Olympics, losing out to Sapporo, host of the 1972 Winter Olympics. The third time, in 1991, Nagano edged out ...
were built, including
M-Wave , or , is a covered speed skating oval in the city of Nagano, Japan. M-Wave, which opened in November, 1996, was constructed for the speed skating events at the 1998 Winter Olympics. It was Japan's first International Skating Union (ISU) stan ...
, Japan's first International Skating Union (ISU) standard indoor 400m double-track, and which happens to be one of the largest hanging wooden roof structures in the world. Finally, the Athletes Village beside the newly constructed Imai Station was built in advance of the Games by the city of Nagano as future public residential housing, and loaned to the
Nagano Olympic Organizing Committee The Nagano Organizing Committee for the Olympic Winter Games of 1998 (NAOC) was the organizing committee for the 1998 Winter Olympics in the city of Nagano, Japan. The committee was established shortly after Nagano was selected as the host city i ...
during the Games. A Media Village, composed of a four-block 10-12 storey apartment complex named Asahi Danchi, was built in the Asahi district of Nagano, across the street from the M-Wave. Asahi Danchi now includes private sector housing as well as housing for government employees. File:Stylized Nagao Olympics manhole cover with tactile paving.jpg, Stylized manhole cover displaying the Nagano Olympics emblem, with
tactile paving Tactile paving (also called tenji blocks, truncated domes, detectable warnings, tactile tiles, tactile ground surface indicators, tactile walking surface indicators, or detectable warning surfaces) is a system of textured ground surface indicat ...
File:浅川ループライン.JPG, Asagawa Loop Line to
Iizuna Kogen Ski Area is a skiing area located in Nagano, Nagano, Japan. It is operated by Nagano City. Constructed on existing alpine skiing runs, it hosted the freestyle skiing events for the 1998 Winter Olympics The 1998 Winter Olympics, officially known a ...
built in preparations for 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 ...


Cityscapes

File:Matsushiro Castle 20100919-02.jpg,
Matsushiro Castle , formerly known as Kaizu Castle (海津城, ''Kaizu-jō''), is a Japanese castle located in former Matsushiro town, now part of The site is a registered National Historic Site of Japan. Situation Matsushiro Castle is located in the flatland ...
（2010） File:Zenko-ji Shrine, Nagano; October 2018 (12).jpg, Zenkō-ji（2018） File:Skyline of NaganoCity from Unjoden0.jpg,
Skyline A skyline is the outline or shape viewed near the horizon. It can be created by a city’s overall structure, or by human intervention in a rural setting, or in nature that is formed where the sky meets buildings or the land. City skylin ...
of Nagano City（2019） File:Skyline of Nagano City03.jpg, CBD of Nagano（2022） File:West Entrance of Gondo Arcade Nagano City.jpg, Downtown Gondō（2011）


Geography

Nagano is located in north-central Nagano Prefecture, in the Nagano Basin (''Zenkoji Daira''), surrounding by mountains, near the
confluence In geography, a confluence (also: ''conflux'') occurs where two or more flowing bodies of water join to form a single channel. A confluence can occur in several configurations: at the point where a tributary joins a larger river (main stem); o ...
of the Chikuma River and the Sai River. The Sai River in Nagano should not be confused with the
Sai River (Gifu) The is a river in Japan which flows through Gifu Prefecture, and empties into the Nagara River. Geography The river flows from the city of Motosu, where it takes water from the Neo River and flows south. After running through Hozumi and Ōg ...
even though both rivers have the same ''
kanji are the logographic Chinese characters taken from the Chinese script and used in the writing of Japanese. They were made a major part of the Japanese writing system during the time of Old Japanese and are still used, along with the subsequ ...
'' and reading, 犀川 (Saigawa). Other important rivers include the Susobana River, which originates in the Togakushi highland area; and the Torii River, which also originates in the Togakushi highland area. The Chikuma River is 367.0 km, with 29.5 km within the Nagano city limits; the Sai River is 157.7 km, with 44.2 km in Nagano; all 40.1 km of Susobana River are in Nagano City, and 10.4 km of the 34.8 km-long Torii River are in Nagano Myōkō-Togakushi Renzan National Park, Jōshin'etsu-kōgen National Park and
Chūbu-Sangaku National Park is a national park in the Chūbu region of Japan. It was established around the Hida Mountains and encompasses parts of Nagano, Gifu, Toyama and Niigata prefectures. It was designated a national park on December 4, 1934, along with Daisetsuz ...
are each partially located within Nagano City. The present-day core city of Nagano includes the districts and former towns of Nagano, Shinonoi, Matsushiro, Wakaho, Kawanakajima, Kohoku, Naniai, Shinkomachi, Toyono, Togakushi, Kinasa, Ooka, Shinshushincho, Nakajo.


Surrounding mountains

* Mount Takatsuma, 2,353 m, straddles
Myōkō, Niigata is a city located in Niigata Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 31,374 in 12,408 households, and a population density of 70 persons per km². The total area are of the city was . Myōkō is a member of the World H ...
and Nagano City. It is the highest peak of the Togakushi mountain range, is one of
100 Famous Japanese Mountains is a book written in 1964 by mountaineer and author Kyūya Fukada.Hyakumeizan, Hiking Japan!
. Japa ...
, and due to its pyramidal shape it is also known as Togakushi Fuji. Takatsuma is the highest point in Nagano City. The lowest point is located in the Asano area of Toyono, 327.4 meters above sea level. * Mount Iizuna, 1,917 meters, is a popular area for skiing and is where the Spiral, bobsleigh and luge track for 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 ...
, is located. * Mount Togakushi, 1,904 m, is located in Nagano City. * Mount Hijiri, 1,447 m. is located along the border between Nagano City, and
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 ...
in
Higashichikuma District, Nagano is a district located in Nagano Prefecture, Japan. As of October 1, 2011, the district has an estimated population of 23,044. The total area is 268.42 km2. Northern Higashichikuma is increasing its population, while the Southern Higashichiku ...
. * Daibou Pass, 1,055 m, is located in Nagano City, on the border of Togakushi and
Kinasa, Nagano former Kinasa village hall was a village located in Kamiminochi District, Nagano Prefecture, Japan. As of 2003, the village had an estimated population of 2,140 and a density Density (volumetric mass density or specific mass) is the sub ...
. * Iizuna Kogen, 1,000 m, is a highland area that extends to the south base of Mount Iizuna in Nagano City. * Mount Mododori, 744 m, spans northern Nagano City, and Iizuna town. It is a monogenetic volcano that was active approximately 200,000 years ago. * Mount Dizuki, 733 m, is located on the northwest side of Nagano City. * Mount Minakami, 659 m, is a
lava dome In volcanology, a lava dome is a circular mound-shaped protrusion resulting from the slow extrusion of viscous lava from a volcano. Dome-building eruptions are common, particularly in convergent plate boundary settings. Around 6% of eruptions ...
in Matsushiro in Nagano City. Its relative height to the surrounding landscape is 280 m.


Climate

Nagano has a hot-summer humid continental climate (
Köppen climate classification The Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by German-Russian climatologist Wladimir Köppen (1846–1940) in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen, nota ...
''Dfa'') that borders on a
humid subtropical climate A humid subtropical climate is a zone of climate characterized by hot and humid summers, and cool to mild winters. These climates normally lie on the southeast side of all continents (except Antarctica), generally between latitudes 25° and 40° ...
(
Köppen climate classification The Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by German-Russian climatologist Wladimir Köppen (1846–1940) in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen, nota ...
''Cfa''). Its location in a sheltered inland valley means it receives less precipitation than any part of Japan except
Hokkaidō is Japan, Japan's Japanese archipelago, second largest island and comprises the largest and northernmost Prefectures of Japan, prefecture, making up its own List of regions of Japan, region. The Tsugaru Strait separates Hokkaidō from Honshu; th ...
. The city receives heavy winter snow totaling from December to March, but it is less gloomy during these cold months than the coast from Hagi to Wakkanai.


Demographics

The population of Nagano City has declined by 10,000 since the mid-1990s. As of April 1, 2019, the city had a total population of 376,080 people, made up of 193,982 women and 182,098 men in 160,625 households.


Historical populations


Population of districts of the current Core City of Nagano

The growth and decline of the population within the various districts of Nagano City has been uneven over the past 70 years


Foreign and non-Japanese residents

The following table shows the population of foreigners and non-Japanese residents since 2014


Surrounding municipalities

;
Nagano Prefecture is a landlocked 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 to the ...
* Shinano, located approximately 20 kilometers north of Nagano. Lake Nojiri is found in Shinano. Lake Nojiri was home to ''Kokusaimura'' (International Village), a landownership association, made up principally of Christian missionaries who had cottages there from the early 20th Century. * Nakano, located in the Zennoji Plain, on the Chikuma River and surrounded by mountains, experienced significant growth after the 1998 Winter Olympics. * Suzaka, a former castle town (jōkamachi) during the
Edo period The or is the period between 1603 and 1867 in the history of Japan, when Japan was under the rule of the Tokugawa shogunate and the country's 300 regional '' daimyo''. Emerging from the chaos of the Sengoku period, the Edo period was character ...
Tokugawa shogunate The Tokugawa shogunate (, Japanese 徳川幕府 ''Tokugawa bakufu''), also known as the , was the military government of Japan during the Edo period from 1603 to 1868. Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005)"''Tokugawa-jidai''"in ''Japan Encyclopedia ...
on the opposite side of the Chikuma River from Nagano. The city was noted in the Meiji period for its silk industry. After World War II, an electronics industry was established. The city is also noted for apples and grapes, and the Prefectural Agricultural Research Station is located there. * Obuse, an important historical tourist town, approximately 30 minutes by Nagano Electric Railway train from Nagano Station. Obuse is home to a
Hokusai , known simply as Hokusai, was a Japanese ukiyo-e artist of the Edo period, active as a painter and printmaker. He is best known for the woodblock print series '' Thirty-Six Views of Mount Fuji'', which includes the iconic print ''The Great W ...
museum, and ''Gansho-in'', a Buddhist temple, has a ceiling painted by him. The largest hospital in the town, a former
tuberculosis Tuberculosis (TB) is an infectious disease usually caused by '' Mycobacterium tuberculosis'' (MTB) bacteria. Tuberculosis generally affects the lungs, but it can also affect other parts of the body. Most infections show no symptoms, ...
sanatorium A sanatorium (from Latin '' sānāre'' 'to heal, make healthy'), also sanitarium or sanitorium, are antiquated names for specialised hospitals, for the treatment of specific diseases, related ailments and convalescence. Sanatoriums are often ...
, was built in the 1930s by
J. G. Waller Rev. John Gage Waller (26 January 1863 – 22 March 1945) was a minister of the Anglican Church of Canada who was active in the central region of Japan, Chubu, in particular in Nagano Prefecture on behalf of the Anglican Church in Japan. Waller ...
and the
Anglican Church of Canada The Anglican Church of Canada (ACC or ACoC) is the province of the Anglican Communion in Canada. The official French-language name is ''l'Église anglicane du Canada''. In 2017, the Anglican Church counted 359,030 members on parish rolls in 2,2 ...
. * Ueda, approximately 35 kilometers south of Nagano, was a former castle town of the Ueda Domain under the Tokugawa shogunate. The ruins of Ueda Castle are an important historical site in the city. * Chikuma, located approximately 20 kilometers south of Nagano, includes numerous burial tombs (tumuli) from the
Kofun are megalithic tombs or tumuli in Northeast Asia. ''Kofun'' were mainly constructed in the Japanese archipelago between the middle of the 3rd century to the early 7th century CE.岡田裕之「前方後円墳」『日本古代史大辞典 ...
period. During the
Nara period The of the history of Japan covers the years from CE 710 to 794. Empress Genmei established the capital of Heijō-kyō (present-day Nara). Except for a five-year period (740–745), when the capital was briefly moved again, it remained the c ...
, several important Man'yōshū poems were set here. The area around Chikuma prospered during the Edo period as several post stations along the pilgrimage route to the famed Zenkō-ji were located here.
Obasute Station is a railway station on the Shinonoi Line in the city of Chikuma, Nagano Prefecture, Japan. It is operated by the East Japan Railway Company (JR East). Lines Obasute Station, which is served by trains on the Shinonoi Line, is located 54.2  ...
, a switchback station is located here. * Ōmachi is approximately 40 kilometers west of Nagano. 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 ...
, also called the Japanese Northern Alps, with 3000m peaks surround Ōmachi. The area was part of the holdings of Matsumoto Domain during the Edo period. *
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 ...
is approximately 30 kilometers southwest of Nagano Station. The town is in the Hijiiri Highlands, and
Hijiri-Kōgen Station is a train station in the village of Omi, Higashichikuma District, Nagano Prefecture, Japan, operated by East Japan Railway Company (JR East). Lines Hijiri-Kōgen Station is served by the Shinonoi Line and is 45.0 kilometers from the terminus ...
is located here, as is
Kitayama Dam is a dam in 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 duri ...
. * Chikuhoku is located in the Matsumoto Basin, and the
Higashijo Dam is a dam A dam is a barrier that stops or restricts the flow of surface water or underground streams. Reservoirs created by dams not only suppress floods but also provide water for activities such as irrigation, human consumption, indu ...
and Onikuma Dam are located here. Most of the area was under the control of Matsumoto Domain during the Edo period. * Ikusaka is approximately 50 kilometers southwest of Nagano, in the center of Nagano Prefecture. Two dams, Ikusaka Dam and Taira Dam are found here. The area of present-day Ikusaka was part of the holdings of Matsumoto Domain during the Edo period. *
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 * ...
is approximately 20 kilometers west of Nagano. It is listed as one of
The Most Beautiful Villages in Japan is a Japanese nonprofit organization of listing some of the most beautiful villages and towns in Japan. The association is active on enhancement and protection of Japanese rural heritage, cultural fairs & branding and promotion of regional, ...
. It is an important agriculture center, primarily rice cultivation. * Hakuba, located 45 km west of Nagano Station, is an internationally renowned ski resort town in the northern Japan Alps. The surrounding valley has an annual snow fall of over 11 meters, and the 10 ski resorts have more than 200 runs. The village was an important site for 1998 Winter Olympics (
Alpine skiing Alpine skiing, or downhill skiing, is the pastime of sliding down snow-covered slopes on skis with fixed-heel bindings, unlike other types of skiing ( cross-country, Telemark, or ski jumping), which use skis with free-heel bindings. Whether ...
, ski jumping, and cross-country). Most of Hakuba is located in
Chūbu-Sangaku National Park is a national park in the Chūbu region of Japan. It was established around the Hida Mountains and encompasses parts of Nagano, Gifu, Toyama and Niigata prefectures. It was designated a national park on December 4, 1934, along with Daisetsuz ...
. * Otari is located approximately 55 kilometers northwest of Nagano Station. It is in the mountainous far northwest of Nagano Prefecture, bordered by Niigata Prefecture to the north and west. Much of the village is within the borders of the
Chūbu-Sangaku National Park is a national park in the Chūbu region of Japan. It was established around the Hida Mountains and encompasses parts of Nagano, Gifu, Toyama and Niigata prefectures. It was designated a national park on December 4, 1934, along with Daisetsuz ...
or the Myōkō-Togakushi Renzan National Park. ; Niigata Prefecture * Myōkō, on the border of Nagano Prefecture, lies in mountains surrounding the historical entrance to the Echigo Plains. The city is surrounded by five mountains. Madarao, Myōkō, Kurohime, Togakushi and Iizuna are collectively known as the Five Peaks of Northern Shinano ( Hokushingogaku). Mount Myōkō (2,454 m) is in the city, much of which is within the borders of the Myōkō-Togakushi Renzan National Park.


History


Ancient Ages

Nagano is located in former
Shinano Province or is an old province of Japan that is now Nagano Prefecture. Shinano bordered on Echigo, Etchū, Hida, Kai, Kōzuke, Mikawa, Mino, Musashi, Suruga, and Tōtōmi Provinces. The ancient capital was located near modern-day Matsumoto, w ...
and developed from the
Nara period The of the history of Japan covers the years from CE 710 to 794. Empress Genmei established the capital of Heijō-kyō (present-day Nara). Except for a five-year period (740–745), when the capital was briefly moved again, it remained the c ...
as a temple town at the gate of the famous Zenkō-ji, a 7th-century
Buddhist Buddhism ( , ), also known as Buddha Dharma and Dharmavinaya (), is an Indian religion or philosophical tradition based on teachings attributed to the Buddha. It originated in northern India as a -movement in the 5th century BCE, and ...
temple which was relocated to this location in 642 AD. In the southern section of Nagano City are a series of over 500 burial mounds at Ōmuro Kofun - a National historic site - dating from the 5th-8th centuries.


Middle Ages

During the
Sengoku period The was a period in History of Japan, Japanese history of near-constant civil war and social upheaval from 1467 to 1615. The Sengoku period was initiated by the Ōnin War in 1467 which collapsed the Feudalism, feudal system of Japan under the ...
(c. 1467 – c. 1600), the area was hotly contested between the forces of the
Uesugi clan The is a Japanese samurai clan which was at its peak one of the most powerful during the Muromachi and Sengoku periods (14th to 17th centuries). Appert, Georges. (1888) ''Ancien Japon,'' p. 79./ref> At its height, the clan had three main branc ...
based in
Echigo Province was an old province in north-central Japan, on the shores of the Sea of Japan. It bordered on Uzen, Iwashiro, Kōzuke, Shinano, and Etchū Provinces. Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005). "''Echigo''" in . It corresponds today to Niig ...
and the Takeda clan based in Kai Province. The several Battles of Kawanakajima between Uesugi Kenshin and
Takeda Shingen , of Kai Province, was a pre-eminent ''daimyō'' in feudal Japan. Known as the "Tiger of Kai", he was one of the most powerful daimyō with exceptional military prestige in the late stage of the Sengoku period. Shingen was a warlord of great ...
were fought near here.


Early Modern Ages

During the
Edo period The or is the period between 1603 and 1867 in the history of Japan, when Japan was under the rule of the Tokugawa shogunate and the country's 300 regional '' daimyo''. Emerging from the chaos of the Sengoku period, the Edo period was character ...
(1603 and 1868), much of the area came under the control of the
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_based_at_Matsushiro_Domain._ The_area_suffered_from_flooding_in_1742,_and_from_a_destructive_earthquake_in_1847. shukuba.html" ;"title="Matsushiro_Domain.html" ;"title="DF 56 of 80/nowiki>">DF 56 of 80">("S ...
based at Matsushiro Domain">DF 56 of 80/nowiki>">DF 56 of 80">("S ...
based at Matsushiro Domain. The area suffered from flooding in 1742, and from a destructive earthquake in 1847. shukuba">Post station on the Hokkoku Kaidō highway connecting
Edo Edo ( ja, , , "bay-entrance" or "estuary"), also romanized as Jedo, Yedo or Yeddo, is the former name of Tokyo. Edo, formerly a ''jōkamachi'' (castle town) centered on Edo Castle located in Musashi Province, became the ''de facto'' capital of ...
with the
Sea of Japan The Sea of Japan is the marginal sea between the Japanese archipelago, Sakhalin, the Korean Peninsula, and the mainland of the Russian Far East. The Japanese archipelago separates the sea from the Pacific Ocean. Like the Mediterranean Sea, i ...
coast.


Late Modern Ages

Following the
Meiji restoration The , referred to at the time as the , and also known as the Meiji Renovation, Revolution, Regeneration, Reform, or Renewal, was a political event that restored practical imperial rule to Japan in 1868 under Emperor Meiji. Although there were ...
and the creation of the municipalities system on April 1, 1889, the modern town of Nagano was established. Nagano was elevated to city status on April 1, 1897. During
World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...
, construction of the
Matsushiro Underground Imperial Headquarters The was a large underground bunker complex built during the Second World War in the town of Matsushiro, which is now a suburb of Nagano, Japan. The facility was constructed so that the central organs of the government of the Empire of J ...
as the last redoubt for the Japanese government following the projected American invasion of Japan was started in 1944, but was aborted in 1945 due to the end of war. It was the first city founded in Nagano Prefecture and the 43rd city in Japan. Nagano hosted 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 ...
,
1998 Winter Paralympics The , the seventh Paralympic Winter Games, were held alongside the Winter Olympics in Nagano, Japan from 5 to 14 March 1998. They were the first Paralympic Winter Games to be held outside Europe. 571 athletes competed in Nagano; as 2022 it rem ...
, and the
2005 Special Olympics World Winter Games ) , caption = , host_city = Nagano, Nagano, Nippon , nations = 84 , athletes = 2,600 , events = 79 in 7 sports , opening = February 26 , closing = March 5 , opened_by = Prime Minister Junichiro ...
.


Contemporary Ages

;Growth of the city The city borders expanded on July 1, 1923, with the annexation of the neighbouring town of Yoshida and villages of Sarita, Miwa and Komaki. The city again expanded on April 1, 1954, by annexing neighbouring villages of Asahi, Furusato, Yanagihara, Wakatsuki, Asakawa, Naganuma, Amori, Odagiri, Imoi and Mamejima. In 1959, due to the flooding of Chikuma River, 71 people died or were missing and 20,000 homes were flooded. On October 16, 1966, the city again expanded by annexing the neighbouring towns of Kawanakajima, Matsushiro and Wakaho, and villages of Shinonoi, Kohoku, Shinko, and Naniai. During the 1985 Matsushiro earthquake, 27 people died and 60 homes were destroyed or badly damaged due to landslides. In 1999, Nagano was designated as a , a category of Japanese city. Nagano continued to expand on January 1, 2005, by absorbing the municipalities of Toyono, and the village of Togakushi, and Kinasa (from
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 ...
), and the village of Ōoka (from Sarashina District). On January 1, 2010, Nagano absorbed the town of Shinshūshinmachi and the village of Nakajō from
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 ...
.


Politics

Nagano has a mayor-council form of government with a directly elected mayor and a
unicameral Unicameralism (from ''uni''- "one" + Latin ''camera'' "chamber") is a type of legislature, which consists of one house or assembly, that legislates and votes as one. Unicameral legislatures exist when there is no widely perceived need for multi ...
city legislature of 39 members. The city and neighboring towns of Shinano, Iizuna, and
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 * ...
contribute 11 members to the 57-member
Nagano Prefectural Assembly Nagano may refer to: Places * Nagano Prefecture, a prefecture in Japan ** Nagano (city), the capital city of the same prefecture *** Nagano 1998, the 1998 Winter Olympics *** Nagano Olympic Stadium, a baseball stadium in Nagano *** Nagano Univer ...
. In terms of national politics, parts of Nagano can be found in one of two national districts, Nagano 1st District, which consists of Iiyama, Nagano (except for the recently annexed areas in District 2), Nakano, and Suzaka, as well as the Kamitakai, Shimominochi, and Shimotakai, and Nagano 2nd District, which consists of
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 ...
and Ōmachi, as well as the Higashichikuma, Kamiminochi, Kitaazumi, Minamiazumi, and several areas annexed into Nagano city, specifically the Sarashina as well as the former towns of Kinasa, Togakushi, and Toyono, in the lower house of the National Diet.


Government


Mayors

;Non-direct election *Hachirouemon Sato, 1897-1899 (assumed office as City Hall clerk) *Kouemon Suzuki, 1899-1911 (two terms) *Hajime Makino, 1911-1921 (two terms) *Koji Mita, 1921 *Bensaburou Maruyama, 1922-1934 (three terms) *Nanasawa, 1934 *Iuemon Fujii, 1934-1937 *Takano, 1937-1941 *
Kuraji Ishigaki was a Japanese politician. He was born in Yamagata Prefecture. He was governor of Nagano Prefecture (1931-1933) and mayor of Nagano, Nagano (October 1941-April 1942). He was a member of the Government-General of Taiwan. He died in office.『 ...
, 1941-1942 (died in office) *Takano, 1942-1946 ;Mayors: Direct election * Hisashimon Matsuhashi, 1947-1952 (two terms) * Itaru Kurashima, 1954-1962 (two terms) * Tadao Natsume, 1962-1973 (three terms) * Masayuki Yanagihara, 1973-1985 (three terms) *
Tasuku Tsukada (born March 3, 1936) is a Japanese politician, and the former mayor of the city of Nagano, the capital of Nagano Prefecture, in central Japan. Tsukada won his first mayoral contest in 1985. He served four full 4-year terms, until November 10, 2 ...
, 1985-2001 (four terms) * Shouichi Washizawa, 2001-2013 (three terms) * Hisao Katō, 2013–2021 (two terms) *
Kenji Ogiwara (born 20 December 1969) is a Japanese politician and former Nordic combined skier who won several medals at the Winter Olympics, the FIS Nordic World Ski Championships, and the Holmenkollen ski festival. He won gold medals in the Nordic combi ...
, 2021–present (one term)


National


Ministry

* Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications ** Shin-Etsu Communications Bureau ** Nagano Administration Evaluation Office *
Ministry of Justice A Ministry of Justice is a common type of government department that serves as a justice ministry. Lists of current ministries of justice Named "Ministry" * Ministry of Justice (Abkhazia) * Ministry of Justice (Afghanistan) * Ministry of Justi ...
** Nagano District Public Prosecutors Office ** Nagano Regional Legal Bureau ** Nagano Probation Office ** Nagano Public Security Research Office ** Nagano Juvenile Detention Facility ** Nagano Prison, Nagano Detention Office ** Tokyo Office of Entry and Residence, Nagano Office ** Judicial bodies *** Nagano District Court *** Nagano Family Court *** Nagano Summary Court * Ministry of Finance ** Nagano Finance Office ** Nagoya Customs Nagano District Cabinet Order Office ** Kanto Shin-Etsu National Tax Dispute Tribunal Nagano Branch ** Nagano Tax Office * Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare ** Nagano Labor Bureau ** Nagano Public Employment Security Office ** Shinonoi Public Employment Security Office ** Nagano Labor Standards Supervision Station * Japan Pension Service ** Nagano Kita Pension Office ** Nagano Minami Pension Office * Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries ** Nagano Agricultural Administration Office *** Nagano Statistics and Information Center ** Chubu Forest Management Bureau * Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism ** Nagano Regional Meteorological Observatory ** Japan Meteorological Agency Matsushiro Earthquake Observatory ** Hokuriku Regional Development Bureau Chikuma River River Office ** Kanto Regional Development Bureau Nagano management office ** Kanto Regional Development Bureau Nagano National Highway Office *
Ministry of the Environment An environmental ministry is a national or subnational government agency politically responsible for the environment and/or natural resources. Various other names are commonly used to identify such agencies, such as Ministry of the Environment ...
** 長野自然環境事務所 *** 戸隠自然保護官事務所 * Ministry of Defense ** SDF Nagano Regional Cooperation Headquarters


Prefectural

*Nagano Prefectural Government Building


Public facilities


Library

* Nagano City Library, located approximately 1.5 kilometers north of Nagano Station, near the Shinano Educational Museum * Nagano City Nambu Library, located 400 meters south of Shinonoi Station * Nagano Prefectural Library, located 800 meters south of Nagano Station * The
University of Nagano , abbreviated as , is a co-educational 4-year public university located in Nagano, Nagano, Japan. It is the newest of the ten major universities in Nagano Prefecture. The University of Nagano consists of two campuses, named for their locations, ...
public library, located 700 meters north of Hongō Station * Nagano City Lifelong Learning Center, located 350 meters west of Shiyakushomae Station


External relations


Twin towns – sister cities


International

;Sister City


National

;Partnership cities


Economy

The gross value of goods and services of the economy in the city of Nagano in 2016 was estimated to be 4,438,580,046,000 yen, approximately US$40.5 billion. The largest percentage of this, 41.8%, was related to wholesale and retail, followed by healthcare and welfare, 25.9%, manufacturing, was 13.7%. In 2016, Nagano City had 183,710 people in employment, with 21.1% of workers in wholesale or retail, 14.%% in healthcare and welfare, and 11.6% are in manufacturing. Other major employers include hotels and restaurants, 9% of employees, and construction industry, 7.9%; farming and forestry workers comprised 1.1% of the working population.


Major companies with headquarters in Nagano City


Other major companies in Nagano City

*
Fujitsu is a Japanese multinational information and communications technology equipment and services corporation, established in 1935 and headquartered in Tokyo. Fujitsu is the world's sixth-largest IT services provider by annual revenue, and the la ...
has a magnetic storage device and circuit board factory in Nagano *
Japan Post was a Japanese statutory corporation that existed from 2003 to 2007, offering postal and package delivery services, banking services, and life insurance. It's the nation's largest employer, with over 400,000 employees, and runs 24,700 pos ...
has one of its 10 national training centers located in Nagano City, 1.5 km east of Nagano Station. *Nishina, a manufacturer of hydraulic equipment for construction machinery and industrial vehicles, including
forklift A forklift (also called lift truck, jitney, hi-lo, fork truck, fork hoist, and forklift truck) is a powered industrial truck used to lift and move materials over short distances. The forklift was developed in the early 20th century by various ...
s, was established in 1939. It's HQ and one of its factories are in the Toyono area of Nagano City. Another of its factories is in neighboring Suzaka. In 2001, Nishina joined the Toyota Industries group. * Ricoh


Mass Media


Regional newspapers

* Shinano Mainichi Newspaper * Nagano Shinmin Newspaper


Television

* NHK Nagano * Shin-etsu Broadcasting (SBC) ( Japan News Network) * Nagano Broadcasting Systems (NBS) ( Fuji News Network) * TV Shinshu ( Nippon News Network) and ( Nippon Television Network System) * Asahi Broadcasting Nagano (ABN) (
All-Nippon News Network , or ANN, is a Japanese commercial television network run by TV Asahi Corporation. The network's responsibility includes the syndication of national television news bulletins to its regional affiliates, and news exchange between the stations. ...
) * Information Network Community (Shinano Mainichi Newspaper Network)


Education


Universities and colleges

Nagano is home to several private and public universities. Four of the ten universities recognized as major universities in the prefecture have campuses in the city, including the newest prefectural university, The University of Nagano. ;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 ...
, ''Shindai'' is a
Japanese national university As of 2013, there were 86 , 90 public universities and 606 private universities in Japan. National universities tend to be held in higher regard in higher education in Japan than private or public universities. As of the 2019 fiscal year, the ...
with campuses also in
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 Minamiminowa, Nagano. * The University of Nagano, a 4-year university, replaced the 2-year Nagano Prefectural College in 2018. The university has two campuses, named for their location in Nagano, Miwa Campus and Gocho Campus. The university has an affiliated Center for Social Innovation Initiatives. The university is unique in Japan in that all first-year students live in a dormitory and all second-year students take part in overseas study programs. * Nagano Prefectural College, is a 2-year prefectural college in the Miwa area of Nagano City. The predecessor of the school was founded in 1929. It became the 4-year university, The University of Nagano, in April 2018. Nagano Prefectural College will close when its final students graduate in March 2020. *National Institute of Technology, Nagano College, is a national engineering college located in the Tokuma area of Nagano City. The national college has 5 departments: Mechanical Engineering, Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Electronics and Control Engineering, Electronic and Computer Science, and Civil Engineering. *Nagano Prefectural Agricultural College is a two-year practical, comprehensive agricultural college located in the Matsushiro area of Nagano. ;Private * Seisen Jogakuin College is a Catholic private women's college, with both 4-year and 2-year programs in its attached
Seisen Jogakuin College (Junior College) is a private junior college in Nagano, Japan. It was established in 1966 as a specialized training school. It became a junior college in 1981. It is now attached to Seisen Jogakuin College. Departments * Department of English studies * Departm ...
. It has a sister school, Seisen University located in
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 ...
. Its newest campus opened in April 2019 beside the east exit of Nagano Station. * Nagano Women's Junior College is a private women's junior college located in the Miwa area of Nagano, approximately 700 meters to the east of The University of Nagano. *Nagano University of Health and Medicine opened in 2015 in the Kawanakajima area of Nagano. It has a Faculty of Nursing and a Faculty of Health Science for rehabilitation. *
Seisen Jogakuin College (Junior College) is a private junior college in Nagano, Japan. It was established in 1966 as a specialized training school. It became a junior college in 1981. It is now attached to Seisen Jogakuin College. Departments * Department of English studies * Departm ...
, established in 1966, is a specialized training school. ;Former schools *
Nagano College of Economics was a private junior college A junior college (sometimes referred to colloquially as a juco, JuCo or JC) is a post-secondary educational institution offering vocational training designed to prepare students for either skilled trades and technica ...
was a junior college in Nagano from 1967 to 2009.


High schools

;Prefectural * Nagano Prefectural Nagano Senior High School * Nagano Prefectural Nagano Yoshida High School ** Nagano Prefectural Yoshida Senior High School Fixed Part-time School * Nagano Prefectural Nagano West Senior High School ** Nagano Senior Nagano West Senior High School Chujo School * Nagano Prefectural Nagano East Senior High School * Nagano Prefectural Nagano High School of Technology * Nagano Prefectural Nagano Commercial Senior High School * Nagano Prefectural Nagano South Senior High School * Nagano Prefectural Sarashina Agriculture High School * Nagano Prefectural Shinonoi High School ** Nagano Prefectural Shinonoi High School Saikyou Branch * Nagano Prefectural Matsushiro High School ;Municipal * Nagano City Nagano Junior and Senior High School ;Private * Nagano Seisen Jogakuin Junior and Senior High School * Nagano Women's High School * Nagano Shunei Senior High School * Nagano
Nihon University , abbreviated as , is a private research university in Japan. Its predecessor, Nihon Law School (currently the Department of Law), was founded by Yamada Akiyoshi, the Minister of Justice, in 1889. It is one of Japan's leading private universit ...
Junior and Senior High School * Bunka Gakuen Nagano Junior and Senior High School * Tsukuba Kaisei High School, Nagano Learning Center


Primary and secondary education

Nagano has 55 public elementary schools and 24 public middle schools operated by the city government, along with one public middle school operated by the national government and four private middle schools. The city has 12 public high schools operated by the Nagano Prefectural Board of Education, of which three are vocational, one public high school operated by the city government, and five private high schools. In addition, the city has four special education schools.


Transportation


Airways


Airport

The nearest airport is
Matsumoto Airport Matsumoto Airport (松本空港) , also known as Shinshu-Matsumoto Airport, is an airport located southwestAIS Japan
 of c ...
, connected via a 70-minute express bus from Nagano City.


Railways

The city's main railway hub is Nagano Station. The coming of 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 ...
saw important changes to the transportation systems. Nagano Station and the smaller Shinonoi Station were expanded, and with the construction of the Athletes village for the Games in the Kawanakajima area, Imai Station was opened. Finally, the Hokuriku Shinkansen, initially named the ''Nagano Shinkansen'', connecting Nagano to Takasaki, Gunma where it merges with the
Jōetsu Shinkansen The is a high-speed shinkansen railway line connecting Tokyo and Niigata, Japan, via the Tōhoku Shinkansen, operated by the East Japan Railway Company (JR East). Despite its name, the line does not pass through the city of Joetsu or the hi ...
and continues to Ōmiya Station and Tokyo Station, opened in 1997 to accommodate the expected increase in travelers to Nagano. This reduced by half the travel time between
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 ...
and Nagano, to 79 minutes for 221 kilometers. As the main railway hub of the region, Nagano Station connects
JR East 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 ...
, Shinano Railway, and Nagano Electric Railway in the city center. The JR trains carry 36,612 passengers per day with private rail carrying another 15,082 (and buses carry 20,229 passengers).


High-Speed Rail

;
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 ...
（JR East） * Hokuriku Shinkansen：- -


Conventional Lines

;
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 ...
（JR East） *
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 . ...
：- - - - - - *
Shinonoi Line The is a railway line in Nagano Prefecture, Japan, operated by the East Japan Railway Company (JR East). It connects Shinonoi Station in Nagano with Shiojiri Station in Shiojiri. The line is a corridor between the Shinetsu Main Line and th ...
： - - - * Iiyama Line： - - - - ; Shinano Railway（Shintetsu） *
Kita-Shinano Line The is a railway line operated by the third-sector railway operating company Shinano Railway in Nagano Prefecture, Japan, since 14 March 2015 following the opening of the Hokuriku Shinkansen extension north of Nagano and transfer of operatio ...
： - - - - * Shinano Railway Line： - - ; Nagano Electric Railway * Nagano Line： - - - - - - - - - -


Busways

Buses for the Kawanakajima Bus and the Nagano Dentetsu Bus Co. service the city and surrounding areas, departing both Nagano Station and the Nagano Bus Terminal just west of the station. Local bus provider, Alpico Kōtsū, departs from a dedicated office across the street from the Zenkō-ji Exit of Nagano Station. Long-distance highway bus services depart from the East Exit of Nagano Station. There is also a daily bus to Narita Airport. ''Gururin-go'' is a central district bus that runs in a circular loop from Nagano Station to Zennoji, passing Zenkō-ji, the Nagano Prefectural Office, and the Nagano Bus Terminal. Regardless of where you board or disembark, the fare is 150 yen.


Roads


Expressway

*
Jōshin-etsu Expressway The is a national expressway in Japan. It is owned and operated by East Nippon Expressway Company. Naming is a kanji acronym consisting of 3 characters, each representing the former names of the prefectures that the route traverses. consist ...
* Nagano Expressway


Japan National Route

* * * * *


Local attractions

Nagano is surrounded by mountains which boast excellent hiking, camping, and cycling. In addition, the city includes 46 national-designated cultural assets, 55 prefectural-designated cultural assets, 298 municipal-designated cultural assets, and finally 59 national-registered structures and 7 monuments in Nagano city.


Temples and Shrines

* Zenkō-ji Buddhist temple and pilgrimage destination, that was established in its current location in the middle of the 7th century. * Togakushi Shrine, a complex of five Shinto shrines, in the mountains above Nagano, whose uppermost shrine is approached via a path of more than 300 Cryptomeria trees. *Saikou-ji, a Jōdo-shū (Jōdo Buddhism) temple, approximately 1 kilometer west of Zenkō-ji. *Miwa Shrine, likely started in the 9th century, is located near Hongō Station. *Yushimatenmangu Shrine in Wakaho is a branch of Yushima Tenman-gū which is located in Bunkyō,
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 ...
.


Historical Sites

* Monzenmachi is the surrounding area in front of the gate leading to Zenkō-ji. The area has historical buildings, lodgings, shops, and restaurants. ** Zenkoji Nakamise-dori Street, a stone-paved street extending from Niomon Gate of Zenkoji, has many local shops. ** Daimon-cho, old merchant houses from the Taisho era, with stone lanterns and large pavement stones ** Patio Daimon, a commercial complex, that opened in 2017, that was established by renovating old warehouses and merchant houses. *
Matsushiro Castle , formerly known as Kaizu Castle (海津城, ''Kaizu-jō''), is a Japanese castle located in former Matsushiro town, now part of The site is a registered National Historic Site of Japan. Situation Matsushiro Castle is located in the flatland ...
, with its surrounding castle town, preserves many
samurai were the hereditary military nobility and officer caste of medieval and early-modern Japan from the late 12th century until their abolition in 1876. They were the well-paid retainers of the '' daimyo'' (the great feudal landholders). They ...
residences, temples, and gardens of the Edo period. ** Chokokuji Temple, the
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family temple, with the ancestral tomb of Sanada Nobuyuki, is an Important Cultural Property (Japan)">important cultural property. ** The Bunbu School (Matsushiro Literary and Military School) is a National Historic Site located next to Matsushiro Castle **The Matsushiro Clan Sanada Jumangoku Festival, in mid-October, is a recreation of a 16th-century procession and performance. ** Nearby is the former residence of the Yokota family, a middle-class
samurai were the hereditary military nobility and officer caste of medieval and early-modern Japan from the late 12th century until their abolition in 1876. They were the well-paid retainers of the '' daimyo'' (the great feudal landholders). They ...
, with a ''minka'' (thatched-roof) and garden with seasonal flowers. ** Also nearby is the Sakuma Zozan Shrine. Zozan was a 19th Japanese scholar, scientist, and linguist who advocated the opening up of Japan. In 1864, Zozan was assassinated by
Kawakami Gensai was a Japanese samurai of the late Edo period. A highly skilled swordsman, he was one of the four most notable assassins of the Bakumatsu period. Gensai's high-speed sword discipline allowed him to assassinate targets in broad daylight. Ear ...
, one of the most famous assassins of the Bakumatsu period, as Zozan was on return from
Kyoto Kyoto (; Japanese: , ''Kyōto'' ), officially , is the capital city of Kyoto Prefecture in Japan. Located in the Kansai region on the island of Honshu, Kyoto forms a part of the Keihanshin metropolitan area along with Osaka and Kobe. , the c ...
on a failed visit to see Emperor Kōmei to seek the opening of Japanese ports. Zozan, "''a driving force in pioneering a new age''", inspires the
University of Nagano , abbreviated as , is a co-educational 4-year public university located in Nagano, Nagano, Japan. It is the newest of the ten major universities in Nagano Prefecture. The University of Nagano consists of two campuses, named for their locations, ...
"''to act as a source for regional revitalization and reinvigoration and as a base for knowledge that will activate industry, culture, and lifestyles in Nagano''". **
Matsushiro Underground Imperial Headquarters The was a large underground bunker complex built during the Second World War in the town of Matsushiro, which is now a suburb of Nagano, Japan. The facility was constructed so that the central organs of the government of the Empire of J ...
(松代大本営跡 Matsushiro Daihon'ei Ato) was a large underground bunker complex built during the Second World War, constructed so that the central organs of government of Imperial Japan could be transferred there. Construction began in November 1944 and continued until Japan's surrender on August 15, 1945. Between 7,000 and 10,000 Korean slave laborers were used to build the complex, and it is estimated that 1,500 of them died. * Kawanakajima Battlefields, located in the southern section of present-day Nagano City, is where a series of 16th century battles occurred between
Takeda Shingen , of Kai Province, was a pre-eminent ''daimyō'' in feudal Japan. Known as the "Tiger of Kai", he was one of the most powerful daimyō with exceptional military prestige in the late stage of the Sengoku period. Shingen was a warlord of great ...
and Uesugi Kenshin during the warring
Sengoku period The was a period in History of Japan, Japanese history of near-constant civil war and social upheaval from 1467 to 1615. The Sengoku period was initiated by the Ōnin War in 1467 which collapsed the Feudalism, feudal system of Japan under the ...
. ** The Nagano City Museum is here. ** Also nearby is the Tenku-ji Temple, where prayers are offered for war dead of the Kawanakajima battles. This temple is the family temple of Shingen's brother, Nobushige, who died in 1561 in one of the battles. Included at the temple is a 5-meter statue of the ruler of the
underworld The underworld, also known as the netherworld or hell, is the supernatural world of the dead in various religious traditions and myths, located below the world of the living. Chthonic is the technical adjective for things of the underwo ...
in
Buddhist mythology The Buddhist traditions have created and maintained a vast body of mythological literature. The central myth of Buddhism is the life of the Buddha. This is told in relatively realistic terms in the earliest texts, and was soon elaborated into ...
, King Enma (閻魔王, Enma-ō).


Other sites

* Nagano Prefectural Shinano Art Museum / Higashiyama Kaii Gallery is located 100m from Zenkō-ji. *
Mizuno Museum of Art () is a Japanese sports equipment and sportswear company, founded in Osaka in 1906 by Rihachi Mizuno. Today, Mizuno is a global corporation which makes a wide variety of sports equipment and sportswear for badminton, baseball, boxing, cyc ...
*
Kitano Museum of Art The , which opened in 1968 as the first private art museum in Nagano Prefecture, is today run by a public interest incorporated foundation, in the Wakaho district, in the southeastern section of Nagano in Nagano Prefecture. The museum is loca ...
is an important regional art museum located in the Wakaho district of Nagano City, located approximately 7.5 km southeast of Nagano Station. Its collection of art includes works by: ** (Japanese): Takeuchi Seihō, Uemura Shōen, Kanzan Shimomura,
Hishida Shunsō was the pseudonym of a Japanese painter from the Meiji period. One of Okakura Tenshin's pupils along with Yokoyama Taikan and Shimomura Kanzan, he played a role in the Meiji era innovation of ''Nihonga''. His real name was Hishida Miyoji. H ...
,
Gyoshū Hayami was the pseudonym of a Japanese painter in the ''Nihonga'' style, active during the Taishō and Shōwa eras. His real name was Eiichi Maita. Biography Gyoshū was born in the plebeian downtown district of Asakusa in Tokyo. He studied tra ...
, Kiyokata Kaburagi,
Shinsui Itō Shinsui Itō ( ja, 伊東 深水, Itō Shinsui; 4 February 1898 – 8 May 1972) was the pseudonym of a ''Nihonga'' painter and '' ukiyo-e'' woodblock print artist in Taishō- and Shōwa-period Japan. He was one of the great names of the ...
** (Western):
Pierre-Auguste Renoir Pierre-Auguste Renoir (; 25 February 1841 – 3 December 1919) was a French artist who was a leading painter in the development of the Impressionism, Impressionist style. As a celebrator of beauty and especially femininity, feminine sensuality ...
,
Pablo Picasso Pablo Ruiz Picasso (25 October 1881 – 8 April 1973) was a Spanish painter, sculptor, printmaker, ceramicist and Scenic design, theatre designer who spent most of his adult life in France. One of the most influential artists of the 20th ce ...
, Tsuguharu Foujita,
Armand Guillaumin Armand Guillaumin (; February 16, 1841 – June 26, 1927) was a French impressionist painter and lithographer. Biography Early years Born Jean-Baptiste Armand Guillaumin in Paris, he worked at his uncle's lingerie shop while attending even ...
,
Henri-Edmond Cross Henri-Edmond Cross, born Henri-Edmond-Joseph Delacroix, (20 May 1856 – 16 May 1910) was a French painter and printmaker. He is most acclaimed as a master of Neo-Impressionism and he played an important role in shaping the second phase of ...
, Marc Chagall, Pierre Bonnard,
Bernard Buffet Bernard Buffet (; 10 July 1928 – 4 October 1999) was a French painter, printmaker, and sculptor. He produced a varied and extensive body of work. His style was exclusively figurative. The artist enjoyed worldwide popularity early in his caree ...
,
Emilio Greco Emilio Greco (11 October 1913 in Catania, Sicily – 5 April 1995) was an Italian sculptor, engraver, medallist, writer and poet. He is best known for his monumental bronze sculptures which are located around the world in museums such as - Tat ...
, and
Auguste Rodin François Auguste René Rodin (12 November 184017 November 1917) was a French sculptor, generally considered the founder of modern sculpture. He was schooled traditionally and took a craftsman-like approach to his work. Rodin possessed a uniqu ...
. * Chibikko Ninja-mura (Kids Ninja Village), Togakushi, from late April to late November. * Sporting venues built for the Winter Olympics including the
M-Wave , or , is a covered speed skating oval in the city of Nagano, Japan. M-Wave, which opened in November, 1996, was constructed for the speed skating events at the 1998 Winter Olympics. It was Japan's first International Skating Union (ISU) stan ...
speed skating arena (with the world's largest wooden suspension roof),
Big Hat is an indoor ice hockey arena in Nagano, Japan with a capacity of 10,104 seated spectators. Its official name is the ''Nagano Wakasato Tamokuteki Sports Arena''. The arena was completed and officially opened on December 10, 1995. Location Big ...
arena, and the
Aqua Wing Arena Aqua Wing Arena is an indoor aquatics arena in Nagano, Japan. The arena is located in the ''Yoshida'' area of the city of Nagano, in , 5 km northeast of Nagano Station. The closest station is Asahi Station on the Nagano Electric Railway, a distan ...
. * The Ōmuro Kofun group and the Senryū-Shōgunzuka Kofun - Himezuka Kofun are two groups of
Kofun period The is an era in the history of Japan from about 300 to 538 AD (the date of the introduction of Buddhism), following the Yayoi period. The Kofun and the subsequent Asuka periods are sometimes collectively called the Yamato period. This period is ...
burial mounds located outside the city. Both are National Historic Sites.


Culture


Events

* Nagano Tomyo Festival is a light and lantern festival held every February to commemorate 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 ...
. * Nagano Olympic Commemorative Marathon, an
IAAF Bronze Label Road Race World Athletics Label Road Races are races that the World Athletics (until 2019: ''IAAF'') designates as one of the "leading road races around the world." The classification was first introduced for the 2008 running season, upon the suggestion of ...
, takes place in mid-April. * ''
Hanami is the Japanese traditional custom of enjoying the transient beauty of flowers; in this case almost always refer to those of the or, less frequently, trees. From the end of March to early May, cherry trees bloom all over Japan, and around ...
'' - cherry blossom viewing - in Joyama Park behind Zenkō-ji is possible from mid-to-late April. * Nagano Floral Festa Zenkoji Temple - flowers and flower art at Nagano Station and Omotesando - held in early May to welcome spring. * Buckwheat blossom viewing, mid-July to mid-September, Togakushi * Kijo ("Ogress") Momoji Festival held in mid-October in Iizuna, celebrates this woman and the beauty of nature. * Togakushi Soba Festival, early November * Yoi Ebisu and Ebisuko Fireworks display, dedicated to the god of fortune, Ebisu held in late November.


Sports

*
Nagano Sports Park is a park located in the ''Yoshida'' area of the city of Nagano (city), Nagano, Nagano Prefecture, Nagano, Japan, approximately 5 km northeast of Nagano Station. The facilities are owned by Nagano Prefecture and by the Nagano municipal gov ...
is a municipal and prefectural sporting ground that includes the
Aqua Wing Arena Aqua Wing Arena is an indoor aquatics arena in Nagano, Japan. The arena is located in the ''Yoshida'' area of the city of Nagano, in , 5 km northeast of Nagano Station. The closest station is Asahi Station on the Nagano Electric Railway, a distan ...
,
Nagano Athletic Stadium is an athletic stadium in Nagano Sports Park in the ''Yoshida'' area of Nagano, Nagano, Japan. The seating capacity is 5,200 seats, and the grass stand holds 12,000 people. External linksInfo on aqua.wing.jp AC Nagano Parceiro Football ...
, tennis courts, a baseball stadium, and a gymnasium. The sports park is accessible by Bus 7 from Nagano Station, or a 15-minute walk from Asahi Station on the Nagano Electric Railway. * AC Nagano Parceiro is a Japanese football club based in Nagano that represents Nagano in
J3 League or simply J3 is the third division of . It was established in 2013 as the third-tier professional association football league in Japan. The third-tier nationwide league is a relatively recent development in Japanese football with a first attempt ...
. *
AC Nagano Parceiro Ladies is a women's football club based in Nagano and affiliated with AC Nagano Parceiro. The team currently plays in the WE League, the highest division of women's football in Japan. Kits Kit suppliers and shirt sponsors Staff Managerial hi ...
, based in Nagano, is a women's football team that currently plays in the Nadeshiko League 1, the highest division of women's football in Japan. * Shinshu Brave Warriors is a professional
basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appr ...
team that competes in the second division of the Japanese
B.League The B.League is a professional men's basketball league that began in Japan in September 2016. The league is operated by the Japan Professional Basketball League and was formed as a result of a merger between the National Basketball League that ...
. *
Shinano Grandserows The are a semi-professional baseball team in the Baseball Challenge League of Japan, playing in the Advance-West Division. They are the only professional baseball team in Nagano Prefecture, with the team named after the Serow, found in the region ...
are an independent minor
baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each, taking turns batting and fielding. The game occurs over the course of several plays, with each play generally beginning when a player on the fielding t ...
team that plays in the Baseball Challenge League (Route Inn BCL) 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 ...
, at the Nagano Olympic Stadium. * Boaluz Nagano are a
futsal Futsal is a football-based game played on a hard court smaller than a football pitch, and mainly indoors. It has similarities to five-a-side football and indoor football. Futsal is played between two teams of five players each, one of whom is ...
team in the
F. League The F. League (in Japanese: "F・リーグ", officially "日本フットサルリーグ", Nihon Futtosaru Rīgu) is the top league for Futsal in Japan. The winning team obtains the participation right to the AFC Futsal Club Championship. Histo ...
. They play at the White Ring (arena). * Nagano City Gliding Field, which opened in 1974, is located in the Wakaho district of Nagano City along the Chikuma River. File:Minaminagano-15032202.JPG,
Minami Nagano Sports Park Stadium also nicknamed is a football stadium in Nagano, Nagano, Japan. It is the home ground of J3 League club AC Nagano Parceiro and L.League club AC Nagano Parceiro Ladies is a women's football club based in Nagano and affiliated with A ...
File:長野オリンピックスタジアム 一塁側 - panoramio.jpg, Nagano Olympic Stadium File:ホワイトリング バスケ.png, White Ring


Notable people from Nagano

*
Yoko Aki Yoko may refer to: People * Yoko (name), a Japanese feminine given name; variants include Yōko and Yohko * Yoko Gushiken (具志堅 用高, born 1955), Japanese professional boxer * Yoko Taro (横尾 太郎, born 1970), Japanese video game di ...
, songwriter, actress, novelist and essayist * Kazuo Aoki, politician * Joe Hisaishi, composer *
Haruyo Ichikawa was a Japanese film actress and singer whose career spanned five decades. Career Born in Nagano Prefecture, Hara made her motion picture debut in 1926 at Nikkatsu when she was still in her early teens. She easily made the transition to adult r ...
, actress * Toshimi Kitazawa, politician *
Takeru Kobayashi , also known as Takeru "Tsunami" Kobayashi, is a Japanese competitive eater. Described as "the godfather of competitive eating", Kobayashi is a six-time champion of Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest and is widely credited with popularizing the spor ...
, competitive eater * Kenji Kosaka, politician * Kiyoshige Koyama, composer * Isao Kuraishi, actor * Tadamichi Kuribayashi, general,
Imperial Japanese Army The was the official ground-based armed force of the Empire of Japan from 1868 to 1945. It was controlled by the Imperial Japanese Army General Staff Office and the Ministry of the Army, both of which were nominally subordinate to the Emper ...
* Hiro Mashima,
manga artist A is a comic artist who writes and/or illustrates manga. As of 2006, about 3,000 professional manga artists were working in Japan. Most manga artists study at an art college or manga school or take on an apprenticeship with another artist bef ...
* Saki Minemura, professional volleyball athlete *
Emi Nitta is a Japanese voice actress and singer from Nagano Prefecture affiliated with the talent agency Difference. She became a voice actress after passing an audition organized by talent agency S-inc. She officially transferred to Difference on 1 Septe ...
, voice actress * Shusei Tanaka, politician *
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 ...
, member of K-pop boy band
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 ...


Gallery


References


External links


Official Website
{{Authority control Cities in Nagano Prefecture Cities designated by government ordinance of Japan