Nagano Prefecture

Nagano Prefecture (長野県, Nagano-ken) is a prefecture of Japan located in the Chūbu region of the island of Honshu. The capital is the city of Nagano. Due to the abundance of mountain ranges in this area, the land available for inhabitance is relatively limited.

Nagano has impressive highland areas, including most of the Kita-Alps Northern Alps, Chu-Alps, and Southern Alps, which extend into the neighboring prefectures. In addition to its natural scenic beauty and rich history, Nagano was host to the 1998 Winter Olympics, which gained the prefecture international recognition as a world-class winter sport destination, and a Shinkansen line to Tokyo.

History

See Shinano Province

Geography

Nagano is an inland prefecture and it borders more prefectures than any other in Japan. Nagano contains the point furthest from the sea in the whole of Japan - this point lies within the city of Saku. The province's mountains have made it relatively isolated, and many visitors come to Nagano for its mountain resorts and hot springs. Nine of the twelve highest mountains in Japan can be found in Nagano and one of its lakes, Lake Kizaki, is a beach resort popular for its water attractions and games.

As of April 1, 2012, 21% of the total land area of the prefecture was designated as Natural Parks, namely the Chichibu Tama Kai, Chūbu-Sangaku, Jōshin'etsu Kōgen, and Minami Alps National Parks; Myōgi-Arafune-Saku Kōgen, Tenryū-Okumikawa, and Yatsugatake-Chūshin Kōgen Quasi-National Parks; and Chūō Alps, Enrei Ōjō, Hijiriyama Kōgen, Mibugawa Suikei, Ontake, and Tenryū Koshibu Suikei Prefectural Natural Parks.

Cities

Nineteen cities are located in Nagano Prefecture:

• Azumino
• Chikuma
• Chino
• Iida
• Iiyama
• Ina
• Komagane
• Komoro
• Matsumoto
• Nagano (capital)
• Nakano
• Okaya
• ÅŒmachi
• Saku
• Shiojiri
• Suwa
• Suzaka
• Tōmi
• Ueda

Towns and villages

These are the towns and villages in each district:

Mergers

Demographics

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

Transportation

Railway

• East Japan Railway Company
  • Nagano Shinkansen
  • Shin'etsu Main Line
  • Chūō Main Line (east line)
  • Shinonoi Line
  • ÅŒito Line (from Matsumoto to Minami-Otari)
  • Koumi Line
• Central Japan Railway Company
  • Chūō Main Line (west line)
  • Iida Line
• West Japan Railway Company
  • ÅŒito Line (from Minami-Otari to Itoigawa)
• Shinano Railway
  • Shinano Railway Line
• Nagano Electric Railway
  • Nagano Line
  • Yashiro Line
• Matsumoto Electric Railway
  • Kamikōchi Line
• Ueda Dentetsu
  • Bessho Line

Road

Expressways

National highways

Airports

• Matsumoto Airport

Education

Universities

• Nagano University
• Nagano College of Nursing
• Shinshu University
• Matsumoto University
• Matsumoto Dental University
• Saku University
• Seisen Jogakuin College
• Suwa Tokyo University of Science

Tourism

• 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 (about 40 to 50 meters) in Suwa.
• Zenkō-ji temple in Nagano city

Sports

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

Prefectural symbols

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

Sister cities

• Changhua County, Taiwan (2008)
• Hebei, China
• Missouri, USA

Personalities

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

See also

• Matsushiro Underground Imperial Headquarters
• Chūō Shinkansen

Notes

References

• Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric and Käthe Roth. (2005). Japan encyclopedia. Cambridge: Harvard University Press. 10-ISBN 0-674-01753-6; 13-ISBN 978-0-674-01753-5; OCLC 58053128

External links

• Official Nagano Prefecture tourism website and blog