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 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.
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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, 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:
Towns and villages
These are the towns and villages in each district:
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 Matsumoto to Minami-Otari)
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 Itoigawa)
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
Shinshu University (National)
Nagano College of Nursing (Prefectural)
The University of Nagano (Prefectural)
Nagano University [Municipal (Ueda City)]
Suwa Tokyo University of Science [Municipal (Chino City)]
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 ¥8.5 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 (40–50 meters) 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