Hasuike Resort on the Shiga Plateau in Yamanouchi

Nagano Prefecture(長野県, Nagano-ken; Japanese pronunciation: [naꜜɡano,naɡanoꜜkeɴ]) is a landlocked prefecture of Japan located in the Chūbu region of Honshu. It has a population of 2,007,682 as of 1 July 2023[update] and a geographic area of 13,561.56 square kilometres (5,236.15 sq mi). 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. 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.

As of 1 April 2014[update], 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

Physical map of Nagano Prefecture
Political map of Nagano Prefecture City Town Village
Hida Mountains (August 2006)
Nagano City
Chikuma River, from Yashima Bridge, looking downstream toward Murayama Bridge, Nagano (city)
Suwa
Komagane
Matsumoto
Nozawaonsen, Nagano

Nineteen cities are located in Nagano Prefecture:

Towns and villages

These are the towns and villages in each district:

Mergers

Demographics

Nagano Prefecture population pyramid in 2020
Historical population
YearPop.±% p.a.
18801,000,414—
18901,146,071+1.37%
19031,348,556+1.26%
19131,484,205+0.96%
19201,562,722+0.74%
19251,629,217+0.84%
19301,717,118+1.06%
19351,714,000−0.04%
19401,710,729−0.04%
19452,121,050+4.39%
19502,060,831−0.57%
19552,021,292−0.39%
19601,981,433−0.40%
19651,958,007−0.24%
19701,956,917−0.01%
19752,017,564+0.61%
19802,083,934+0.65%
19852,136,927+0.50%
19902,156,627+0.18%
19952,193,984+0.34%
20002,215,168+0.19%
20052,196,114−0.17%
20102,152,449−0.40%
20152,099,759−0.49%
20202,052,493−0.45%
source:

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

  • Hokuriku Shinkansen
  • Iida Line
  • Shinano Railway
  • Nagano Electric Railway

Road

Expressways

National highways

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

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 ¥8.5trillion (2017). Several large Japanese companies have production facilities in Nagano Prefecture, such as Citizen Watch, MinebeaMitsumi, Seiko Epson, and Vaio.

Tourism

  • Zenkō-ji
  • Onbashira Festival, held once every seven years
  • Yashima Wetland in Kirigamine Hill
  • Matsumoto Castle
  • Utsukushigahara Hills
  • Ski resort in Shiga Hills

Sports

Sunpro Alwin in Matsumoto.

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

Prefectural symbols

Sister regions

Notable people

See also

Notes

  • Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric and Käthe Roth. (2005). Cambridge: Harvard University Press. ISBN 978-0-674-01753-5;

External links

  • Media related to Nagano Prefecture at Wikimedia Commons
  • (in Japanese)
  • (in English)
  • (in English)

36°15′N 138°6′E/36.250°N 138.100°E/ 36.250; 138.100