Nagano (city)


Nagano is the capital and largest city of Nagano Prefecture, located in the Nagano Basin in the central Chūbu region of Japan. Nagano is categorized as a [Core cities of Japan|core Cities of Japan|city of Japan]. Nagano City is the highest prefectural capital in Japan, with an altitude of.
The city is surrounded by mountains, the highest of which is Mount Takatsuma, and it is near the confluence of the Chikuma River—the longest and widest river in Japan—and the Sai River., the city had an estimated population of 365,296 in 160,625 households, and a population density of 438 persons per km². The total area of the city is.
WWW city.nagano.nagano.jp𝕏 nagano_cityIG naganocity_official

Overview

Nagano City, located in the former Shinano Province, developed in the Nara period as a temple town. The city of Nagano is home to Zenkō-ji, a 7th-century Buddhist temple that is listed as a Japanese National Treasure. Zenkō-ji was established at its current location in 642 AD. The location of Zenkō-ji is approximately two kilometers from the present-day central Nagano Station.
Between 1553 and 1564, during the Sengoku Period, the Age of Warring States, Nagano was the site of a series of conflicts known as the Battles of Kawanakajima. During the Edo period, as the city developed, Nagano became an important post station (shukuba) on the Hokkoku Kaidō highway which connected Edo with coast of the Sea of Japan. Following the Meiji restoration, Nagano became the first established modern town in Nagano prefecture, on April 1, 1897.
The city of Nagano and several surrounding communities hosted the 1998 Winter Olympics and the 1998 Winter Paralympics. Nagano City is an important historical location and an industrial center, as well as a travel destination and a hub for accessing surrounding sightseeing spots, including Japan's onsen-bathing, the snow monkeys in Yamanouchi, and the world-class ski resorts of Hakuba, Shiga Kogen and Nozawaonsen.

1998 Winter Olympics and Paralympics

Nagano, along with the neighboring communities of Hakuba village, Nozawaonsen, Yamanouchi, Iizuna, and Karuizawa hosted the 1998 Winter Olympics from February 7 to February 22 and the Paralympics from March 5 to March 14. This was the third Olympic Games and second Winter Olympic Games to be held in Japan, after the 1964 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, and the 1972 Winter Olympics in Sapporo. As of 2019, Nagano was the southernmost host of the Winter Olympic Games. The Nagano Olympic Commemorative Marathon is held annually to commemorate the occasion.
One important legacy of the Games was an improved transportation network. In order to facilitate access to Nagano in advance of the Games, the city was linked to the high-speed shinkansen train network. The Nagano Shinkansen was inaugurated five months before the start of the Games and carried 655,000 passengers during the Winter Olympics. In addition, both Nagano Station and Shinonoi Station were expanded, and Imai Station, in the Kawanakajima area, was built to give access the Athletes village.
The Nagano Expressway and the Jōshin-etsu Expressway were built in the Nagano region, and another 114.9 kilometers of roads within Nagano Prefecture were improved.
In addition to a transport legacy, several world-class venues of the 1998 Winter Olympics were built, including M-Wave, Japan's first International Skating Union (ISU) standard indoor 400m double-track, which happens to be one of the largest hanging wooden-roof structures in the world. The Athletes Village, beside the newly constructed Imai Station, was built in advance of the Games by the city of Nagano as future public residential housing, and loaned to the Nagano Olympic Organizing Committee during the Games. A Media Village, composed of a four-block 10-12 storey apartment complex named Asahi Danchi, was built in the Asahi district of Nagano, across the street from the M-Wave. Asahi Danchi now includes private sector housing as well as housing for government employees.

Geography

Nagano is located in north-central Nagano Prefecture, in the Nagano Basin, surrounding by mountains, near the confluence of the Chikuma River and the Sai River. The Sai River in Nagano should not be confused with the Sai River (Gifu) even though both rivers have the same kanji and reading, 犀川. Other important rivers include the Susobana River, which originates in the Togakushi highland area, and the Torii River, which also originates in the Togakushi highlands. The Chikuma River is 367.0 km long, 29.5 km of which are within the Nagano city limits. The Sai River is 157.7 km long, with 44.2 km in Nagano. All 40.1 km of the Susobana River are in Nagano City, and 10.4 km of the 34.8 km-long Torii River are in Nagano Myōkō-Togakushi Renzan National Park, Jōshin'etsu-kōgen National Park and Chūbu-Sangaku National Park are each partially located within Nagano City.
The present-day core city of Nagano includes the districts and former towns of Nagano, Shinonoi, Matsushiro, Wakaho, Kawanakajima, Kohoku, Naniai, Shinkomachi, Toyono, Togakushi, Kinasa, Ooka, Shinshushincho, Nakajo.

Surrounding mountains

Climate

Nagano has a hot-summer humid continental climate that borders on a humid subtropical climate. Its location in a sheltered inland valley means it receives less precipitation than any part of Japan except Hokkaidō. The city receives heavy winter snow totaling from December to March, but it is less gloomy during these cold months than the coast from Hagi to Wakkanai.

Demographics

The population of Nagano City has declined by 10,000 since the mid-1990s. As of April 1, 2019, the city had a total population of 376,080 people, made up of 193,982 women and 182,098 men in 160,625 households.

Population of districts of the current Core City of Nagano

The growth and decline of the population within the various districts of Nagano City has been uneven over the past 70 years
YearTotalNaganoShinonoiMatsushiroWakahoKawanakajimaKohokuNaniaiShinkomachiToyonoTogakushiKinasaOokaShinshushinchoNakajo
1947295,348136,35330,31827,90613,24211,05312,7834,8916,5009,93010,2056,1704,67014,2407,087
1950300,756143,49430,06827,13113,06310,79412,8074,9116,3859,86910,2816,2094,56014,0407,144
1955303,684152,54729,06225,48512,31210,43212,6554,8706,0679,7879,6976,0074,35113,5116,901
1960303,458160,52229,32922,62611,93810,40312,3314,4195,5039,6048,7095,3734,03512,3546,312
1965310,399172,83629,30421,45111,40410,97514,2283,9624,9649,1107,5474,3973,40511,3245,456
1970322,825187,21630,63320,49611,73912,55114,6303,5714,5199,2836,4753,7632,92410,1884,837
1975342,120198,22434,49319,96812,31716,10218,1403,1904,2039,5396,2253,6032,4779,3234,316
1980358,173208,70336,43220,78612,76617,31421,3212,9954,0439,6336,0743,2232,2498,6164,018
1985369,023216,30637,51621,22412,93418,47323,6093,0533,8489,7015,8662,8642,1037,8813,635
1995377,261223,19138,44421,11012,64619,79025,4182,8663,5619,7005,6082,6861,7537,1433,345
1995387,359229,95239,60120,79012,68721,62427,9282,6333,3019,8195,2182,5231,6026,5963,085
2000387,911228,43139,23319,90412,50324,99729,5992,3993,04610,0054,9382,3331,5446,0932,886
2005386,572227,75839,98118,87312,66125,66930,8792,1182,76810,0164,4671,9831,3895,5352,525
2010381,511223,78740,38018,16112,57026,41632,0751,8732,4349,8253,9861,7001,1544,8922,258
2015377,598221,40441,34017,10012,20126,88133,4861,6222,0519,6093,4991,3939604,1351,917

Foreign and non-Japanese residents

The following table shows the population of foreigners and non-Japanese residents since 2014
YearTotalChineseKoreanFilipinoVietnameseThaiOther
20143,3941,619587301136219532
20153,4751,612571320195226551
20163,4751,595542319248239552
20173,5761,576536336314241573
20183,7151,563557344392242617

Surrounding municipalities

;Nagano Prefecture
;Niigata Prefecture
  • Myōkō, on the border of Nagano Prefecture, lies in mountains surrounding the historical entrance to the Echigo Plains. The city is surrounded by five mountains. Madarao, Myōkō, Kurohime, Togakushi and Iizuna are collectively known as the Five Peaks of Northern Shinano. Mount Myōkō is in the city, much of which is within the borders of the Myōkō-Togakushi Renzan National Park.

History

Ancient ages

Nagano is located in former Shinano Province and developed from the Nara period as a temple town at the gate of the famous Zenkō-ji, a 7th-century Buddhist temple which was relocated to this location in 642 AD.
In the southern section of Nagano City are a series of over 500 burial mounds at Ōmuro Kofun - a National historic site - dating from the 5th-8th centuries.

Middle ages

During the Sengoku period, the area was hotly contested between the forces of the Uesugi clan based in Echigo Province and the Takeda clan based in Kai Province. The several Battles of Kawanakajima between Uesugi Kenshin and Takeda Shingen were fought near here.

Early modern ages

During the Edo period, much of the area came under the control of the Sanada clan based at Matsushiro Domain.
The area suffered from flooding in 1742, and from a destructive earthquake in 1847.
Post station on the Hokkoku Kaidō highway connecting Edo with the Sea of Japan coast.

Late modern ages

Following the Meiji restoration and the creation of the municipalities system on April 1, 1889, the modern town of Nagano was established. Nagano was elevated to city status on April 1, 1897.
During World War II, construction of the Matsushiro Underground Imperial Headquarters as the last redoubt for the Japanese government following the projected American invasion of Japan was started in 1944, but was aborted in 1945 due to the end of war.
It was the first city founded in Nagano Prefecture and the 43rd city in Japan. Nagano hosted the 1998 Winter Olympics, 1998 Winter Paralympics, and the 2005 Special Olympics World Winter Games.

Contemporary ages

;Growth of the city
The city borders expanded on July 1, 1923, with the annexation of the neighbouring town of Yoshida and villages of Sarita, Miwa and Komaki.
The city again expanded on April 1, 1954, by annexing neighbouring villages of Asahi, Furusato, Yanagihara, Wakatsuki, Asakawa, Naganuma, Amori, Odagiri, Imoi and Mamejima.
In 1959, due to the flooding of Chikuma River, 71 people died or were missing and 20,000 homes were flooded.
On October 16, 1966, the city again expanded by annexing the neighbouring towns of Kawanakajima, Matsushiro and Wakaho, and villages of Shinonoi, Kohoku, Shinko, and Naniai.
During the 1985 Matsushiro earthquake, 27 people died and 60 homes were destroyed or badly damaged due to landslides. In 1999, Nagano was designated as a Core cities of Japan, a category of Japanese city.
Nagano continued to expand on January 1, 2005, by absorbing the municipalities of Toyono, and the village of Togakushi, and Kinasa, and the village of Ōoka.
On January 1, 2010, Nagano absorbed the town of Shinshūshinmachi and the village of Nakajō from Kamiminochi District.

Politics

Nagano has a mayor-council form of government with a directly elected mayor and a unicameral city legislature of 39 members. The city and neighboring towns of Shinano, Iizuna, and Ogawa contribute 11 members to the 57-member Nagano Prefectural Assembly. In terms of national politics, parts of Nagano can be found in one of two national districts, Nagano 1st District, which consists of Iiyama, Nagano, Nakano, and Suzaka, as well as the Kamitakai, Shimominochi, and Shimotakai, and Nagano 2nd District, which consists of Matsumoto and Ōmachi, as well as the Higashichikuma, Kamiminochi, Kitaazumi, Minamiazumi, and several areas annexed into Nagano city, specifically the Sarashina as well as the former towns of Kinasa, Togakushi, and Toyono, in the lower house of the National Diet.

Government

Mayors

;Non-direct election
  • Hachirouemon Sato, 1897-1899
  • Kouemon Suzuki, 1899-1911
  • Hajime Makino, 1911-1921
  • Koji Mita, 1921
  • Bensaburou Maruyama, 1922-1934
  • Nanasawa, 1934
  • Iuemon Fujii, 1934-1937
  • Takano, 1937-1941
  • Kuraji Ishigaki, 1941-1942
  • Takano, 1942-1946
;Mayors: Direct election
  • Hisashimon Matsuhashi, 1947-1952
  • Itaru Kurashima, 1954-1962
  • Tadao Natsume, 1962-1973
  • Masayuki Yanagihara, 1973-1985
  • Tasuku Tsukada, 1985-2001
  • Shouichi Washizawa, 2001-2013
  • Hisao Katō, 2013–2021
  • Kenji Ogiwara, 2021–present

National

Ministry

Prefectural

  • Nagano Prefectural Government Building

Public facilities

Library

  • Nagano City Library, located approximately 1.5 kilometers north of Nagano Station, near the Shinano Educational Museum
  • Nagano City Nambu Library, located 400 meters south of Shinonoi Station
  • Nagano Prefectural Library, located 800 meters south of Nagano Station
  • The University of Nagano public library, located 700 meters north of Hongō Station
  • Nagano City Lifelong Learning Center, located 350 meters west of Shiyakushomae Station

External relations

Twin towns – sister cities

International

;Sister City
CityCountryStatesince
Clearwater

National

;Partnership cities
CityPrefectureregionsince
Jōetsu

Economy

The gross value of goods and services of the economy in the city of Nagano in 2016 was estimated to be 4,438,580,046,000 yen, approximately US$40.5 billion. The largest percentage of this, 41.8%, was related to wholesale and retail, followed by healthcare and welfare, 25.9%, manufacturing, was 13.7%.
In 2016, Nagano City had 183,710 people in employment, with 21.1% of workers in wholesale or retail, 14.%% in healthcare and welfare, and 11.6% are in manufacturing. Other major employers include hotels and restaurants, 9% of employees, and construction industry, 7.9%; farming and forestry workers comprised 1.1% of the working population.

Other major companies in Nagano City

  • Fujitsu has a magnetic storage device and circuit board factory in Nagano
  • Japan Post has one of its 10 national Postal College training centers located in Nagano City, 1.5 km east of Nagano Station.
  • Nishina, a manufacturer of hydraulic equipment for construction machinery and industrial vehicles, including forklifts, was established in 1939. It's HQ and one of its factories are in the Toyono area of Nagano City. Another of its factories is in neighboring Suzaka. In 2001, Nishina joined the Toyota Industries group.
  • Ricoh

Mass media

Regional newspapers

  • Shinano Mainichi newspaper
  • Nagano Shinmin newspaper

Television

Education

Universities and colleges

Nagano is home to several private and public universities. Four of the ten universities recognized as major universities in the prefecture have campuses in the city, including the newest prefectural university, The University of Nagano.
;Public
  • Shinshu University, Shindai is a Japanese national university with campuses also in Matsumoto, Ueda, and Minamiminowa, Nagano.
  • The University of Nagano, a 4-year university, replaced the 2-year Nagano Prefectural College in 2018. The university has two campuses, named for their location in Nagano, Miwa Campus and Gocho Campus. The university has an affiliated Center for Social Innovation Initiatives. The university is unique in Japan in that all first-year students live in a dormitory and all second-year students take part in overseas study programs.
  • Nagano Prefectural College, is a 2-year prefectural college in the Miwa area of Nagano City. The predecessor of the school was founded in 1929. It became the 4-year university, The University of Nagano, in April 2018. Nagano Prefectural College will close when its final students graduate in March 2020.
  • National Institute of Technology, Nagano College, is a national engineering college located in the Tokuma area of Nagano City. The national college has 5 departments: Mechanical Engineering, Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Electronics and Control Engineering, Electronic and Computer Science, and Civil Engineering.
  • Nagano Prefectural Agricultural College is a two-year practical, comprehensive agricultural college located in the Matsushiro area of Nagano.
;Private
;Former schools

High schools

;Prefectural
  • Nagano Prefectural Nagano Senior High School
  • Nagano Prefectural Nagano Yoshida High School
  • * Nagano Prefectural Yoshida Senior High School Fixed Part-time School
  • Nagano Prefectural Nagano West Senior High School
  • * Nagano Senior Nagano West Senior High School Chujo School
  • Nagano Prefectural Nagano East Senior High School
  • Nagano Prefectural Nagano High School of Technology
  • Nagano Prefectural Nagano Commercial Senior High School
  • Nagano Prefectural Nagano South Senior High School
  • Nagano Prefectural Sarashina Agriculture High School
  • Nagano Prefectural Shinonoi High School
  • * Nagano Prefectural Shinonoi High School Saikyou Branch
  • Nagano Prefectural Matsushiro High School
;Municipal
  • Nagano City Nagano Junior and Senior High School
;Private
  • Nagano Seisen Jogakuin Junior and Senior High School
  • Nagano Women's High School
  • Nagano Shunei Senior High School
  • Nagano Nihon University Junior and Senior High School
  • Bunka Gakuen Nagano Junior and Senior High School
  • Tsukuba Kaisei High School, Nagano Learning Center

Primary and secondary education

Nagano has 55 public elementary schools and 24 public middle schools operated by the city government, along with one public middle school operated by the national government and four private middle schools. The city has 12 public high schools operated by the Nagano Prefectural Board of Education, of which three are vocational, one public high school operated by the city government, and five private high schools. In addition, the city has four special education schools.

Transportation

Airways

Airport

The nearest airport is Matsumoto Airport, connected via a 70-minute express bus from Nagano City.

Railways

The city's main railway hub is Nagano Station. The coming of the 1998 Winter Olympics saw important changes to the transportation systems. Nagano Station and the smaller Shinonoi Station were expanded, and with the construction of the Athletes village for the Games in the Kawanakajima area, Imai Station was opened. Finally, the Hokuriku Shinkansen, initially named the Nagano Shinkansen, connecting Nagano to Takasaki, Gunma where it merges with the Jōetsu Shinkansen and continues to Ōmiya Station and Tokyo Station, opened in 1997 to accommodate the expected increase in travelers to Nagano. This reduced by half the travel time between Tokyo and Nagano, to 79 minutes for 221 kilometers. As the main railway hub of the region, Nagano Station connects JR East, Shinano Railway, and Nagano Electric Railway in the city center. The JR trains carry 36,612 passengers per day with private rail carrying another 15,082.

High-speed rail

;East Japan Railway Company

Conventional lines

;East Japan Railway Company
;Shinano Railway
;Nagano Electric Railway

Busways

Buses for the Kawanakajima Bus and the Nagano Dentetsu Bus Co. service the city and surrounding areas, departing both Nagano Station and the Nagano Bus Terminal just west of the station. Local bus provider, Alpico Kōtsū, departs from a dedicated office across the street from the Zenkō-ji Exit of Nagano Station. Long-distance highway bus services depart from the East Exit of Nagano Station. There is also a daily bus to Narita Airport.
Gururin-go is a central district bus that runs in a circular loop from Nagano Station to Zennoji, passing Zenkō-ji, the Nagano Prefectural Office, and the Nagano Bus Terminal. Regardless of where you board or disembark, the fare is 150 yen.

Roads

Expressway

Local attractions

Nagano is surrounded by mountains which boast hiking, camping, and cycling. In addition, the city includes 46 national-designated cultural assets, 55 prefectural-designated cultural assets, 298 municipal-designated cultural assets, and finally 59 national-registered structures and 7 monuments in Nagano city.

Temples and shrines

  • Zenkō-ji Buddhist temple and pilgrimage destination, that was established in its current location in the middle of the 7th century.
  • Togakushi Shrine, a complex of five Shinto shrines, in the mountains above Nagano, whose uppermost shrine is approached via a path of more than 300 Cryptomeria trees.
  • Saikou-ji, a Jōdo-shū (Jōdo Buddhism) temple, approximately 1 kilometer west of Zenkō-ji.
  • Miwa Shrine, likely started in the 9th century, is located near Hongō Station.
  • Yushimatenmangu Shrine in Wakaho is a branch of Yushima Tenman-gū which is located in Bunkyō, Tokyo.

Historical sites

  • Monzenmachi is the surrounding area in front of the gate leading to Zenkō-ji. The area has historical buildings, lodgings, shops, and restaurants.
  • * Zenkoji Nakamise-dori Street, a stone-paved street extending from Niomon Gate of Zenkoji, has many local shops.
  • * Daimon-cho, old merchant houses from the Taisho era, with stone lanterns and large pavement stones
  • * Patio Daimon, a commercial complex, that opened in 2017, that was established by renovating old warehouses and merchant houses.
  • Matsushiro Castle, with its surrounding castle town, preserves many samurai residences, temples, and gardens of the Edo period.
  • * Chokokuji Temple, the Sanada clan family temple, with the ancestral tomb of Sanada Nobuyuki, is an important cultural property.
  • * The Bunbu School is a National Historic Site located next to Matsushiro Castle
  • *The Matsushiro Clan Sanada Jumangoku Festival, in mid-October, is a recreation of a 16th-century procession and performance.
  • * Nearby is the former residence of the Yokota family, a middle-class samurai, with a minka (thatched-roof) and garden with seasonal flowers.
  • * Also nearby is the Sakuma Zozan Shrine. Zozan was a 19th Japanese scholar, scientist, and linguist who advocated the opening up of Japan. In 1864, Zozan was assassinated by Kawakami Gensai, one of the most famous assassins of the Bakumatsu period, as Zozan was on return from Kyoto on a failed visit to see Emperor Kōmei to seek the opening of Japanese ports. Zozan, "a driving force in pioneering a new age", inspires the University of Nagano "to act as a source for regional revitalization and reinvigoration and as a base for knowledge that will activate industry, culture, and lifestyles in Nagano".
  • * Matsushiro Underground Imperial Headquarters was a large underground bunker complex built during the Second World War, constructed so that the central organs of government of Imperial Japan could be transferred there. Construction began in November 1944 and continued until Japan's surrender on August 15, 1945. Between 7,000 and 10,000 Korean slave laborers were used to build the complex, and it is estimated that 1,500 of them died.
  • Kawanakajima Battlefields, located in the southern section of present-day Nagano City, is where a series of 16th century battles occurred between Takeda Shingen and Uesugi Kenshin during the warring Sengoku period.
  • * The Nagano City Museum is here.
  • * Also nearby is the Tenku-ji Temple, where prayers are offered for war dead of the Kawanakajima battles. This temple is the family temple of Shingen's brother, Nobushige, who died in 1561 in one of the battles. Included at the temple is a 5-meter statue of the ruler of the underworld in Buddhist mythology, King Enma (閻魔王, Enma-ō).

Other sites

Culture

Events

Sports

ClubSportLeagueVenueEstablished
AC Nagano ParceiroSoccerJ.LeagueMinami Nagano Sports Park Stadium1990
AC Nagano Parceiro LadiesSoccerWE.LeagueMinami Nagano Sports Park Stadium2000
Shinano GrandserowsBaseballBC.LeagueNagano Olympic Stadium2006
Boaluz NaganoFutsalF.LeagueWhite Ring2011
Shinshu Brave WarriorsBasketballB.LeagueWhite Ring2011

Notable people from Nagano