is the capital
City of
Nagano Prefecture , situated in the northern part of the prefecture near the junction of the
Chikuma River and the
Sai River , on the main island of
Honshū ,
Japan .
As of
July 1 ,
2006 , the city has an estimated
Population of 378,059. The total land area is 737.86 km&
2.
Nagano is most famous for
Zenkō-ji , a
7th Century Buddhist temple which overlooks the city. A million tourists visit Nagano annually, the gateway to a variety of sightseeing spots. Nagano was originally a small town in
Kamiminochi District (上水内郡) built around the hilltop temple, the largest wooden building in eastern Japan, but the city now encompasses locations that were within
Sarashina (更級郡) ,
Hanishina (埴科郡) , and
Kamitakai (上高井郡) Districts as well.
In 1998, Nagano played host to the
XVIII Olympic Winter Games .
:※All but the city of
Myoko are within Nagano Prefecture.
- North - Shinano , Kamiminochi District (上水内郡信濃町), Iizuna , Kamiminochi District (上水内郡飯綱町), Myoko , Niigata Prefecture (新潟県妙高市)
- East - Nakano (中野市), Obuse , Kamitakai District (上水内郡小布施町), Suzaka (須坂市)
- South - Ueda (上田市)、 Chikuma (千曲市)
- Southwest - Omachi (大町市), Omi , Higashichikuma District (東筑摩郡麻績村), Chikuhoku , Higashichikuma District (東筑摩郡筑北村), Ikusaka , Higashichikuma District (東筑摩郡生坂村)
- West - Shinshushinmachi , Kamiminochi District (上水内郡信州新町)、 Nakajo Kamiminochi District (上水内郡中条村), Ogawa , Kamiminochi District (上水内郡小川村)
- Northwest - Hakuba , Kitaazumi District (北安曇郡白馬村), Otari , Kitaazumi District (北安曇郡小谷村)
- The city is located within Minuchi (水内郡), Takai (高井), Sarashina (更級郡), and Hanishina (埴科郡) Districts in the ancient Shinano Province .
- Zenkō-ji relocated from the current city of Iida . (642). Afterwards, the town of Monzen becomes one of the motel towns of Hokkoku Kaidō .
- The Battles Of Kawanakajima were held, where Shigen Takeda(武田信玄) and Kenshin Uesugi (上杉謙信) fought.
- Inu-no-Mansui (戌の満水 or 千曲川大洪水) (1742), the water level reached at 6.4m(21ft) at Akanuma (near the border with the former town Toyono)
- Due to Zenko-ji Earthquake (May 8, 1847), nearly 10,000 people died (including the other disasters in Iiyama)
- Gained city status (1897)
- Matsushiro (松代大本営) was built (Started in 1944, but cancelled in 1945 due to the end of war)
- Biggest mergers of the Showa Era I (1954)
- Due to the flooding of Chikuma River (1959), 71 people are dead or missing and 20,000 homes were flooded
- Biggest mergers of the Showa Era II(1966)
- Matsushiro Earthquake (松代群発地震)
- Due to Landslides (地附山地すべり災害)（1985), 26 people died and 60 homes were destroyed or near-destroyed
- Hosted the 1998 Winter Olympics and the 1998 Winter Paralympics (1998)
- Became a Core City (1999)
- Due to the Biggest Mergers in Heisei Era, the city absorbed the municipalities of the town of Toyono , and the village of Togakushi , and Kinasa Kamiminochi District , and the village of Ooka and Sarashina District .
- Hosted the 2005 Special Olympics World Winter Games .
, ancient temple in Nagano]]
The historic site of the
Battles Of Kawanakajima has been retained as parkland, with a municipal museum of the history of the Zenkoji plain.
Matsushiro , the former castle town of the
Sanada Clan , is located in the southern part of the city. The town retains an historical atmosphere, preserving many old samurai residences, temples, and gardens of the feudal period, including the remains of the castle and mansion of feudal lord
Sanada Jumangoku .
Sporting venues built for the Winter Olympics include the
M-Wave speed-skating arena (with the world's largest wooden suspension roof),
Big Hat arena, and the
Aqua Wing Arena .
To north of the city is the village of
Iizuna . A popular destination in both summer and winter, it includes an Olympic
Ski Resort ,
Campsite ,
Onsen , 10 ponds, and a mountain slide ride.
Northeast of the city is Japan's largest ski resort,
Shiga Kogen , with the nearby
Jigokudani Monkey Park , famous for the wild
Japanese Snow Monkeys often found bathing in its hot springs.
Just south of the downtown core, in
Shinonoi , Mt. Chausu hosts the Nagano Chausuyama Zoo, an outdoor dinosaur park, botanical garden, and a museum of natural history.
The city's main railway hub,
Nagano Station , and the smaller
Shinonoi Station , were expanded for the 1998 Winter Olympics. The
Hokuriku Shinkansen opened in 1997, connecting Nagano to
Takasaki, Gunma . Nagano Station also serves the
Shinano Railway Line ,
Shin'etsu Main Line , and
Iiyama Line . The
JR Chūō Main Line connects Nagano to the major city of
Nagoya in
Aichi Prefecture .
The
Nagano Electric Railway also runs the
Nagano Line to major sites around Nagano City and its suburbs.
The city is connected by rail south to
Matsumoto via the
Shinonoi Line , which terminates at Shinonoi Station.
Buses for Kawanaka-jima Bus and the Nagano Dentetsu Bus Co. service the city, and depart both Nagano Station and the Nagano Bus Terminal just west of the station.
The city's nearest domestic airport is
Matsumoto Airport , connected via a 70-minute express bus from Nagano City.
Nagano Nihon University High School has one of the most well-known sports programs in Nagano prefecture. Its track and field club has taken part in a national interscholastic meet. The long distance running team took part in the national high school Ekiden championships in 2003 for the first time. Since then, the team has taken part in the national Ekiden twice, in 2004 and 2005.
