Nagano 長野市
Core city
From top of left, Zenkoji, Mount Togakushi, Kinasa village, Nagano Big Hat arena, Aerial in Kawanakajima, Oku-Subana Valley, headquarters of Marukome (famous miso manufacturing company) in Nagano, Oyaki Japanese sweets, Togakushi ski resort, and Matsushiro Castle
Flag Seal
Location of Nagano in Nagano Prefecture
Nagano
Coordinates: 36°38′55″N 138°11′41″E / 36.64861°N 138.19472°E / 36.64861; 138.19472
Country	Japan
Region	Chūbu (Kōshin'etsu)
Prefecture	Nagano
Government
• Mayor	Kenji Ogiwara[1]
Area
• Total	834.81 km2 (322.32 sq mi)
Population  (July 1, 2023)
• Total	365,296
• Density	440/km2 (1,100/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+9 (Japan Standard Time)
Phone number	026-226-4911
Address	1613 Midori-chō, Nagano-shi, Nagano-ken 380-8512
Climate	Cfa/Dfa
Website	Official website
Symbols
Flower	Apple
Tree	Japanese Lime (Tilia japonica)

Nagano (長野市, Nagano-shi, pronounced [naganoꜜ ɕi]^[2]) is the capital and largest city of Nagano Prefecture, located in the Nagano Basin (Zenkoji Daira) in the central Chūbu region of Japan. Nagano is categorized as a core city of Japan. Nagano City is the highest prefectural capital in Japan, with an altitude of 371.4 meters (1,219 ft).^[3] The city is surrounded by mountains, the highest of which is Mount Takatsuma (2,353 m), and it is near the confluence of the Chikuma River—the longest and widest river in Japan—and the Sai River. As of 1 July 2023^[update], the city had an estimated population of 365,296 in 160,625 households, and a population density of 438 persons per km².^[4] The total area of the city is 834.81 square kilometres (322.32 sq mi).

Overview

Nagano City, located in the former Shinano Province, developed in the Nara period (AD 710 to 794) as a temple town (monzen machi). 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 (1603 and 1868), as the city developed, Nagano became an important post station (shukuba) on the Hokkoku Kaidō highway which connected Edo (present day Tokyo) 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 (the first Winter Games ever held in Asia). 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 (now the Hokuriku Shinkansen) was inaugurated five months before the start of the Games and carried 655,000 passengers during the Winter Olympics.^[5] 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,^[6] and another 114.9 kilometers of roads within Nagano Prefecture were improved.^[7]

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,^[8] which happens to be one of the largest hanging wooden-roof structures in the world.^[9] 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.^[10] 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.^[11][12] Asahi Danchi now includes private sector housing as well as housing for government employees.^[13]

• 
  Stylized manhole cover displaying the Nagano Olympics emblem, with tactile paving
• 
  Asagawa Loop Line to Iizuna Kogen Ski Area built in preparations for the 1998 Winter Olympics

Cityscapes

• 
  Matsushiro Castle (2010)
• 
  Zenkō-ji (2018)
• 
  Skyline of Nagano City (2019)
• 
  CBD of Nagano (2022)
• 
  Downtown Gondō (2011)

Geography

Nagano is located in north-central Nagano Prefecture, in the Nagano Basin (Zenkoji Daira), 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 (Saigawa). 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^[14] 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

• Mount Takatsuma, 2,353 m, straddles Myōkō, Niigata and Nagano City. It is the highest peak of the Togakushi mountain range, is one of 100 Famous Japanese Mountains, and due to its pyramidal shape it is also known as Togakushi Fuji.^[15] Takatsuma is the highest point in Nagano City. The lowest point is located in the Asano area of Toyono, 327.4 meters above sea level.
• Mount Iizuna, 1,917 meters, is a popular area for skiing and is where the Spiral, bobsleigh and luge track for the 1998 Winter Olympics, is located.
• Mount Togakushi, 1,904 m, is located in Nagano City.
• Mount Hijiri, 1,447 m. is located along the border between Nagano City, and Omi in Higashichikuma District, Nagano.
• Daibou Pass, 1,055 m, is located in Nagano City, on the border of Togakushi and Kinasa, Nagano.
• Iizuna Kogen, 1,000 m, is a highland area that extends to the south base of Mount Iizuna in Nagano City.
• Mount Mododori, 744 m, spans northern Nagano City, and Iizuna town. It is a monogenetic volcano that was active approximately 200,000 years ago.
• Mount Dizuki, 733 m, is located on the northwest side of Nagano City.
• Mount Minakami, 659 m, is a lava dome in Matsushiro in Nagano City. Its relative height to the surrounding landscape is 280 m.

Climate

Nagano has a hot-summer humid continental climate (Köppen climate classification Dfa) that borders on a humid subtropical climate (Köppen climate classification Cfa). 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 2.57 metres (101 in) from December to March, but it is less gloomy during these cold months than the coast from Hagi to Wakkanai.