is a landlocked prefecture of Japan located in the Chūbu region of Honshu.Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric (2005). "Nagano prefecture" in ; "Chūbu" at It has a population of 2,007,682 and a geographic area of . It borders Niigata Prefecture to the north, Gunma Prefecture to the northeast, Saitama Prefecture to the east, Yamanashi Prefecture to the southeast, Shizuoka Prefecture and Aichi Prefecture to the south, and Gifu Prefecture and Toyama Prefecture to the west.
Nagano is the prefecture's capital and largest city, with other major cities including Matsumoto, Ueda, and Iida.Nussbaum, "Nagano" at The prefecture is known for its impressive highland areas of the Japanese Alps, including most of the Hida Mountains, Kiso Mountains, and Akaishi Mountains, which extend into neighbouring prefectures; it contains nine of the twelve highest mountains in Japan. Its mountain ranges, natural scenery, and history have gained the prefecture international recognition as a winter sports tourist destination, and it received further attention as the host of the 1998 Winter Olympics. It is served by the Hokuriku Shinkansen railway line with direct services to Tokyo, Toyama, and Kanazawa.
History
Geography Nagano Prefecture is landlocked and borders more prefectures than any other in Japan: Niigata Prefecture to the north, Gunma Prefecture to the northeast, Saitama Prefecture to the east, Yamanashi Prefecture to the southeast, Shizuoka Prefecture and Aichi Prefecture to the south, and Gifu Prefecture and Toyama Prefecture to the west. It contains the point furthest from the sea in all of Japan, located in the city of Saku. Its mountains have made it relatively isolated, and many visitors come 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 coastal areas.
, 21% of the total land area of the prefecture are 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:
NameArea (km2)PopulationMapRōmajiKanji Azumino安曇野市331.7897,800 Chikuma千曲市119.7958,124 Chino茅野市266.5955,673 Iida飯田市658.66101,536 Iiyama飯山市202.4320,118 Ina伊那市667.9368,177 Komagane駒ヶ根市165.8632,210 Komoro小諸市98.5542,489 Matsumoto松本市978.47235,972 Nagano (capital)長野市834.81365,296 Nakano中野市112.1842,664 Okaya岡谷市85.1048,616 Ōmachi大町市565.1527,559 Saku佐久市423.5197,454 Shiojiri塩尻市289.9867,240 Suwa諏訪市109.1748,972 Suzaka須坂市149.6750,828 Tōmi東御市112.3729,440 Ueda上田市552.04157,480
Towns and villages These are the towns and villages in each district: NameArea (km2)PopulationDistrictMapRōmajiKanji Achi阿智村214.436,379Shimoina District Agematsu上松町168.424,451Kiso District Anan阿南町123.074,616Shimoina District Aoki青木村57.104,360Chiisagata District Asahi朝日村70.624,569Higashichikuma District Chikuhoku筑北村99.474,688Higashichikuma District Fujimi富士見町144.7614,485Suwa District Hakuba白馬村189.369,007Kitaazumi District Hara原村43.267,661Suwa District Hiraya平谷村77.37414Shimoina District Iijima飯島町86.969,446Kamiina District Iizuna飯綱町75.0011,115Kamiminochi District Ikeda池田町40.169,382Kitaazumi District Ikusaka生坂村39.051,743Higashichikuma District Karuizawa軽井沢町156.0321,834Kitasaku District Kawakami川上村209.614,009Minamisaku District Kijimadaira木島平村99.324,468Shimotakai District Kiso木曽町476.0311,045Kiso District Kiso木祖村140.502,877Kiso District Kitaaiki北相木村56.32755Minamisaku District Koumi小海町114.204,676Minamisaku District Matsukawa松川町72.7913,043Shimoina District Matsukawa松川村47.079,689Kitaazumi District Minamiaiki南相木村66.051,057Minamisaku District Minamimaki南牧村133.092,924Minamisaku District Minamiminowa南箕輪村40.9915,463Kamiina District Minowa箕輪町85.9125,051Kamiina District Miyada宮田村54.509,051Kamiina District Miyota御代田町58.7615,562Kitasaku District Nagawa長和町183.866,088Chiisagata District Nagiso南木曽町215.934,111Kiso District Nakagawa中川村77.054,910Kamiina District Neba根羽村89.97890Shimoina District Nozawaonsen野沢温泉村57.963,653Shimotakai District Obuse小布施町19.1210,999Kamitakai District Ogawa小川村58.112,585Kamiminochi District Ōkuwa大桑村234.473,693Kiso District Omi麻績村34.382,738Higashichikuma District Ōshika大鹿村248.28977Shimoina District Ōtaki王滝村310.82753Kiso District Otari小谷村267.912,914Kitaazumi District Sakae栄村271.661,828Shimominochi District Sakaki坂城町53.6415,025Hanishina District Sakuho佐久穂町188.1511,076Minamisaku District Shimojō下條村38.123,545Shimoina District Shimosuwa下諏訪町66.8720,055Suwa District Shinano信濃町149.308,339Kamiminochi District Takagi喬木村66.616,117Shimoina District Takamori高森町45.3613,067Shimoina District Takayama高山村98.567,101Kamitakai District Tateshina立科町66.877,147Kitasaku District Tatsuno辰野町169.2018,951Kamiina District Tenryū天龍村109.441,275Shimoina District Toyooka豊丘村76.796,704Shimoina District Urugi売木村43.43552Shimoina District Yamagata山形村24.988,726Higashichikuma District Yamanouchi山ノ内町265.9012,403Shimotakai District Yasuoka泰阜村64.591,622Shimoina District
Mergers
Demographics
The life expectancy in Nagano Prefecture is the highest nationwide, with an average life expectancy of 87.18 years for women and 80.88 years for men.
Transportation Railway Central Japan Railway Company Chūō Main Line (west line) Iida Line East Japan Railway Company Chūō Main Line (east line) Hokuriku Shinkansen Koumi Line Ōito Line (from to ) Shin'etsu Main Line Shinonoi Line Matsumoto Electric Railway Kamikōchi Line Nagano Electric Railway Nagano Line Shinano Railway Shinano Railway Line Ueda Dentetsu Bessho Line West Japan Railway Company Ōito Line (from Minami-Otari to )
Road Expressways
Chubu-jukan Expressway Chubu-odan Expressway Chuo Expressway Joshinetsu Expressway Nagano Expressway Sanen-nanshin Expressway
National highways
Route 18 Route 19 (Nagano-Matsumoto-Shioriri-Nagiso-Nakatsugawa-Tajimi-Nagoya) Route 20 (Matsumoto-Suwa-Kofu-Otsuki-Hachioji-Nihonbashi of Tokyo) Route 117 Route 141 Route 142 Route 143 (Matsumoto-Azumino-Ueda) Route 144 Route 147 (Matsumoto-Omachi) Route 148 (Omachi-Itoigawa) 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-Takasaki) Route 418 (Ono-Seki-Ena-Iida)
Airports The prefecture is home to Matsumoto Airport, its only main airport, though it provides only limited domestic routes. However, other airports in nearby prefectures such as Chubu Centrair International Airport in Aichi, Shizuoka Airport in Shizuoka, Toyama Airport in Toyama, and Haneda Airport and Narita Airport in Tokyo are also used by travellers from the prefecture.
Education Universities Public Nagano College of Nursing (Prefectural) Nagano University [Municipal (Ueda City)] Shinshu University (National) Suwa Tokyo University of Science [Municipal (Chino City)] The University of Nagano (Prefectural)
Private Matsumoto University (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 companies have production facilities in Nagano Prefecture, such as Citizen Watch, MinebeaMitsumi, Seiko Epson, and Vaio.
Tourism Five Mountains of Northern Shinshu Kamikōchi Lake Kizaki Lake Suwa Mount Kirigamine Suwa-taisha, one of the oldest shrines in Japan Matsumoto Castle, one of Japan's national treasures One of the world's highest geysers () in Suwa Zenkō-ji temple
Sports
There are two local J.League clubs: AC Nagano Parceiro and Matsumoto Yamaga FC.
Prefectural symbols Gentian Japanese serow Ptarmigan Siberian Silver Birch Shinano no Kuni (prefecture song)
Sister regions
Changhua County, Taiwan, since 2008 Colorado, United States Hebei, China
Notable people Yuto Adachi, member of South Korean boy band Pentagon Glim Spanky, rock band Yasuyuki Kazama, drift driver Tadamichi Kuribayashi, Imperial Japanese Army general Jun'ya "ZUN" Ota, video game developer and creator of the Touhou Project shoot 'em up video game series Yasuo Tanaka, independent politician and former governor of Nagano Keiichi Tsuchiya, racing driver Bumpei Usui, artist Takashi Yamazaki, filmmaker Tatsumi Yoda, former chairman of Avex
See also Chūō Shinkansen Matsushiro Underground Imperial Headquarters
Notes
References Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric and Käthe Roth. (2005). Japan Encyclopedia. Cambridge: Harvard University Press. . .
External links
Nagano Prefecture Official Website Nagano Prefecture Official Website Nagano Prefecture Tourism Website