is located on
Honshu Island ,
Japan . The capital is the city of
Nagano .
Nagano was formerly known as the province of
Shinano , and was divided among many local
Daimyo during the
Sengoku period.
Nagano was host to the
1998 Winter Olympics , which gained the prefecture international recognition as well as gaining the prefecture a
Shinkansen line to
Tokyo .
Nine of the twelve highest mountains in Japan can be found in this inland prefecture. Nagano is also the prefecture which is bordered by the highest number of other prefectures in Japan and it contains the location which is the furthest point from the ocean anywhere in Japan.
The province's mountains have made it relatively isolated, and many people come for its mountain resorts and hot springs.
19 cities are located on Nagano Prefecture.
These are the towns and villages in each
District .
(as of March 31, 2006)
- Nagano's current 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.
