Nagano (prefecture)
Nagano prefecture (長野県 Nagano-ken) is located at the center of Japan. It is surrounded by 8 prefectures. (Niigata, Toyama, Aichi, Gifu, Shizuoka, Yamanashi, Gunma, Saitama)
Understand
The population of Nagano is 2,214,356.
Cities
- Matsumoto — featuring one of Japan's top 3 castles and lots of wasabi
- Nagano — the prefectural capital and site of the 1998 Winter Olympics
- Ueda
Other destinations
- Karuizawa — Famous mountain resort and a popular summer getaway
- Kiso Valley — The scenic villages of Magome and Tsumago
- Hakuba — Popular winter area with 7 major ski resorts
Understand
Talk
Get in
By train
The Nagano Shinkansen line, a branch of the Joetsu line to Niigata, connects to Tokyo in around 2 hours.
Get around
See
Do
There are many mountains in Nagano, so there are many places to ski. In 1998, Winter Olympics took place in Nagano.
Eat
In culinary terms, Nagano is best known for its soba (buckwheat noodles) — those from Togakushi are reputedly the best in Japan — and miso (fermented bean paste), a staple of the Japanese diet. Among foods characteristic to the region are oyaki, small grilled doughballs filled with vegetables or meat, and on the unusual side, basashi (raw horse meat) and inago (locusts).
Apples are one of the special products of Nagano. The taste of Nagano apples is sweet and juicy. The yield of apples in Nagano is the second largest in Japan.
Drink
Get out
External links