Nagano, Chūbu Region, Japan

🇯🇵 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 city of Japan. Nagano City is the highest prefectural capital in Japan, with an altitude of 371.4 meters. The city is surrounded by mountains, near the confluence of the Chikuma River - the longest and widest river in Japan - and the Sai River.

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 city (中核市, Chūkakushi), 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 (from Kamiminochi District), and the village of Ōoka (from Sarashina District).

On January 1, 2010, Nagano absorbed the town of Shinshūshinmachi and the village of Nakajō from Kamiminochi District.

Overview Nagano City, located in the former Shinano Province, developed from 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 in its current location in 642 AD. The location of Zenkō-ji is approximately 2 km from the present-day central Nagano Station. During the Sengoku Period, the Age of Warring States, Nagano was the site of a series of battles, the Battles of Kawanakajima, between 1553 and 1564. 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 the Sea of Japan coast. 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, an industrial centre, as well as a travel destination and a centre for accessing surrounding sightseeing spots, including Japan's onsen-bathing snow monkeys in Yamanouchi and world-class ski resorts of Hakuba, Shiga Kogen and Nozawaonsen - throughout the year.

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 highland area. The Chikuma River is 367.0 km, with 29.5 km within the Nagano city limits; the Sai River is 157.7 km, with 44.2 km in Nagano; all 40.1 km of 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.

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.

Major companies with headquarters in Nagano City • Densan (information processing) • Hachijunin (82) Bank (financial) • Heiando (bookstore) • Hokto (agriculture) • Hokushinrika (physical and chemical equipment sales) • Kakuto (construction) • Kawanakajima Bus (transportation) • Kitano Construction (construction) who established the Kitano Museum of Art • Kyowa (service) • Maeda Seisakusho (machinery) • Maruchi (food wholesaler) • Marukome (food) • Moriki (pharmaceuticals) • Moriya (construction) • Nagaden Bus (transportation) • Nagano Electric Railway (transportation) • Nagano Japan Radio (electronics) • Nagano Tokyu Department Store • Nagano Toshi Gas (gas supplier) • Ogasaka Ski (ski manufacturer) • Shinko Electric Industries (electronics) • Sunny Health (health food) • Takachiho (souvenir wholesaler) • Takamisawa (glass, concrete, …) • Takasawa (steel, construction materials) • Tokyo Horei (publishing) • Tosys (construction) • Yawataya Isogoro (spices)

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 (郵政大学校, Yuuseidauigakkou) training centres 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

Media: Print • Shinano Mainichi Newspaper • Nagano Shinmin Newspaper

Media: Television • NHK Nagano • Shin-etsu Broadcasting (SBC) (Japan News Network) • Nagano Broadcasting Systems (NBS) (Fuji News Network) • TV Shinshu (Nippon News Network) and (Nippon Television Network System) • Asahi Broadcasting Nagano (ABN) (All-Nippon News Network) • Information Network Community (Shinano Mainichi Newspaper Network).

Education: University Nagano is home to several private and public universities. Four of the ten universities recognised 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 • Seisen Jogakuin College is a Catholic private women's college, with both 4-year and 2-year programs in its attached Seisen Jogakuin College (Junior College). It has a sister school, Seisen University located in Tokyo. Its newest campus opened in April 2019 beside the east exit of Nagano Station. • Nagano Women's Junior College is a private women's junior college located in the Miwa area of Nagano, approximately 700 meters to the east of The University of Nagano. • Nagano University of Health and Medicine opened in 2015 in the Kawanakajima area of Nagano. It has a Faculty of Nursing and a Faculty of Health Science for rehabilitation. • Seisen Jogakuin College (Junior College), established in 1966, is a specialized training school.