Nagano (city)

Nagano is a major city in central Japan. It serves as the capital of Nagano Prefecture. The city sits within the Nagano Basin, also known as Zenkoji Daira. This area is part of the Chūbu region. Nagano is a core city of Japan. It is also the highest prefectural capital in the country.

The geography of the city is defined by mountains and rivers. It is surrounded by high peaks. The highest point is Mount Takatsuma. This mountain stands at 2,353 meters. Other notable peaks include Mount Iizuna at 1,917 meters. Mount Togakushi reaches 1,904 meters. The lowest point is in the Asano area of Toyono. It sits at 327.4 meters above sea level.

Water plays a vital role in the landscape. The city is near the confluence of two rivers. The Chikuma River and the Sai River meet here. The Chikuma is the longest and widest river in Japan. It is 367.0 km long. About 29.5 km of it flows through Nagano City. The Sai River is 157.7 km long. Of that, 44.2 km is within the city limits.

Nagano has a very deep history. It began as a temple town during the Nara period. This type of town is called a monzen machi. The city is home to Zenkō-ji. This is a 7th-century Buddhist temple. It is a Japanese National Treasure.

The temple was established in 642 AD. Between 1553 and 1564, the city saw the Battles of Kawanakajima. These were conflicts during the Sengoku Period. Later, during the Edo period, Nagano became a post station. This station was called a shukuba. It sat on the Hokkoku Kaidō highway. This road connected Edo to the Sea of Japan.

In 1998, Nagano became a global center. It hosted the Winter Olympics and the Paralympics. The Olympics ran from February 7 to February 22. The Paralympics followed from March 5 to March 14.

This was the second Winter Olympics held in Japan. It was also the third Olympic Games in the country. Nagano was the southernmost host of the Winter Games as of 2019. The city and nearby areas like Hakuba also participated.

The Games left a massive legacy for the region. A high-speed shinkansen train network was built. The Nagano Shinkansen, now the Hokuriku Shinkansen, opened five months before the Games. It carried 655,000 passengers during the event.

Roads were also improved significantly. The Nagano and Jōshin-etsu Expressways were built. Many other roads in the prefecture were upgraded. The city also built world-class venues. One example is the M-Wave. It is a large indoor structure. It has one of the largest hanging wooden roofs in the world.

Today, the city is an industrial and travel hub. It is a gateway to many famous sights. Visitors go to see the snow monkeys in Yamanouchi. Others visit the ski resorts in Hakuba or Nozawaonsen. The city also serves as a base for onsen-bathing. The population was 376,080 in 2019. This total included 193,982 women and 182,098 men. The city is part of several national parks. These include Myōkō-Togakushi, Jōshin'etsu-kōgen, and Chūbu-Sangaku.