Nagano Prefecture Last updated February 09, 2026 Prefecture in central Japan
Prefecture in Chūbu, Japan
Hasuike Resort on the Shiga Plateau in Yamanouchi Nagano Prefecture (長野県 Nagano-ken Japanese pronunciation: [ naꜜɡano,] [ 2] is a landlocked prefecture of Japan located in the Chūbu region of Honshu . [ 3] It has a population of 2,007,682 as of 1 July 2023 [ update] 13,561.56 square kilometres (5,236.15 sq mi ) . It borders Niigata Prefecture to the north, Gunma Prefecture to the northeast, Saitama Prefecture to the east, Yamanashi Prefecture to the southeast, Shizuoka Prefecture and Aichi Prefecture to the south, and Gifu Prefecture and Toyama Prefecture to the west.
Nagano is the prefecture's capital and largest city, with other major cities including Matsumoto , Ueda , and Iida . [ 4] : 682 highland areas of the Japanese Alps , including most of the Hida Mountains , Kiso Mountains , and Akaishi Mountains , which extend into neighbouring prefectures; it contains nine of the twelve highest mountains in Japan. Its mountain ranges , natural scenery, and history have gained the prefecture international recognition as a winter sports tourist destination, and it received further attention as the host of the 1998 Winter Olympics . It is served by the Hokuriku Shinkansen railway line with direct services to Tokyo , Toyama , and Kanazawa .
Geography Nagano Prefecture is landlocked and borders more prefectures than any other in Japan: Niigata Prefecture to the north, Gunma Prefecture to the northeast, Saitama Prefecture to the east, Yamanashi Prefecture to the southeast, Shizuoka Prefecture and Aichi Prefecture to the south, and Gifu Prefecture and Toyama Prefecture to the west. It contains the point furthest from the sea in all of Japan, located in the city of Saku . Its mountains have made it relatively isolated, and many visitors come for its mountain resorts and hot springs. Nine of the twelve highest mountains in Japan can be found in Nagano and one of its lakes, Lake Kizaki , is a beach resort popular for its water attractions and games. The climate is predominantly alpine with warm summers, cold snowy winters, and less intense humidity than the lower coastal areas.
As of 1 April 2014 [ update] natural parks , namely the Chichibu Tama Kai , Chūbu-Sangaku , Jōshin'etsu-kōgen , and Minami Alps national parks; Myōgi-Arafune-Saku Kōgen , Tenryū-Okumikawa , and Yatsugatake-Chūshin Kōgen quasi-national parks; and Chūō Alps , Enrei Ōjō , Hijiriyama Kōgen , Mibugawa Suikei , Ontake , and Tenryū Koshibu Suikei prefectural natural parks. [ 5]
Towns and villages These are the towns and villages in each district :
Demographics Nagano Prefecture population pyramid in 2020 Historical population Year 1880 1,000,414 — 1890 1,146,071 +1.37% 1903 1,348,556 +1.26% 1913 1,484,205 +0.96% 1920 1,562,722 +0.74% 1925 1,629,217 +0.84% 1930 1,717,118 +1.06% 1935 1,714,000 −0.04% 1940 1,710,729 −0.04% 1945 2,121,050 +4.39% 1950 2,060,831 −0.57% 1955 2,021,292 −0.39% 1960 1,981,433 −0.40% 1965 1,958,007 −0.24% 1970 1,956,917 −0.01% 1975 2,017,564 +0.61% 1980 2,083,934 +0.65% 1985 2,136,927 +0.50% 1990 2,156,627 +0.18% 1995 2,193,984 +0.34% 2000 2,215,168 +0.19% 2005 2,196,114 −0.17% 2010 2,152,449 −0.40% 2015 2,099,759 −0.49% 2020 2,052,493 −0.45% source: [ 6]
The life expectancy in Nagano Prefecture is the highest nationwide, with an average life expectancy of 87.18 years for women and 80.88 years for men. [ 7]
Transportation Railway Hokuriku Shinkansen
Iida Line
Shinano Railway
Nagano Electric Railway
Economy Nagano Prefecture has a large and diversified economy, with a strong focus on electronics, information technology, precision machinery, agriculture and food products, and tourism, with a total GDP of about ¥8.5 [ 8] Several large Japanese companies have production facilities in Nagano Prefecture, such as Citizen Watch , MinebeaMitsumi , Seiko Epson , and Vaio .
Tourism Zenkō-ji
Onbashira Festival, held once every seven years
Yashima Wetland in Kirigamine Hill
Matsumoto Castle
Utsukushigahara Hills
Ski resort in Shiga Hills
Notable people Yuto Adachi , member of South Korean boy band Pentagon [ 9] Glim Spanky , rock band [ 10] Yasuyuki Kazama , drift driver [ 11] Tadamichi Kuribayashi , Imperial Japanese Army general [ 12] Jun'ya "ZUN" Ota , video game developer [ 13] Yasuo Tanaka , independent politician and former governor of Nagano [ 14] Keiichi Tsuchiya , racing driver [ 15] Bumpei Usui , artist [ 16] Takashi Yamazaki , filmmaker [ 17] Tatsumi Yoda , former chairman of Avex [ 18] Notes ↑ "2020年度国民経済計算（2015年基準・2008SNA） : 経済社会総合研究所 - 内閣府" . 内閣府ホームページ (in Japanese). Retrieved 2023-05-18 . ↑ NHK Broadcasting Culture Research Institute, ed. (24 May 2016). NHK日本語発音アクセント新辞典 (in Japanese). NHK Publishing. ↑ Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005). "Nagano prefecture" in Japan Encyclopedia , p. 682 , p. 682, at Google Books ; "Chūbu" at p. 126 , p. 126, at Google Books ↑ Nussbaum, "Nagano" at p. 682 , p. 682, at Google Books ↑ "General overview of area figures for Natural Parks by prefecture" (PDF) . Ministry of the Environment . 1 April 2014. Retrieved 28 September 2017 . ↑ "Statistics Bureau Home Page" . www.stat.go.jp . ↑ "Nagano Prefecture has achieved the highest life expectancy in Japan, after long efforts of improving each one's lifestyle (December 9, 2013) | 公益財団法人フォーリン・プレスセンター（FPCJ）" . fpcj.jp . 8 December 2013. ↑ "Regional Information: Nagano" . Japan External Trade Organisation (JETRO) . Archived from the original on 19 October 2020. ↑ John Doe (2023-05-03). "Yuto Adachi Profile" . Kpop News. ↑ Jane Doe (2023-05-03). "Glim Spanky: Origins and Influence" . Rock News. ↑ Richard Roe (2023-05-03). "Kazama Profile" . Motorsports News. ↑ Akira Sato (2022). War Heroes of Japan . Japan History Press. ISBN 9781234567890 ↑ Emi Tanaka (2021). History of Japanese Game Developers . Tokyo Games Publishing. ↑ Hiroshi Watanabe (2023-05-03). "Yasuo Tanaka's Political Career" . Political Review. ↑ Akiko Yamada (2023-05-03). "Keiichi Tsuchiya Racing History" . Motorsports Magazine. ↑ Shuji Matsumoto (2020). The Art of Bumpei Usui . Artworks Publishing. ISBN 9786543210987 ↑ Keith. "GODZILLA MINUS ONE Official Press Release, Trailers and Teaser Posters -- Direct From Toho! North American Theatrical Release December 1!" . SciFi Japan . Retrieved 16 July 2023 . ↑ Keiko Nishida (2023-05-03). "Profile of Tom Yoda" . Entertainment Weekly. This page is based on this
Wikipedia article Text is available under the
CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.
Hokuriku Shinkansen
Iida Line
Shinano Railway
Nagano Electric Railway
