Nagano

  • Borders eight prefectures, the most of all 47 prefectures in Japan.
  • Hosted the 1998 Winter Olympics, with facilities still used for sports events and concerts today.
  • The prefectural song Shinano no Kuni has extremely high name recognition among residents and is always sung at elementary and junior high school events.
  • Ranks first nationally in per capita lettuce production, with Kawakami Village produce synonymous with summer-autumn lettuce.
  • The only prefecture where JR East, JR Central, and JR West conventional lines all operate.
  • Arukuma is the prefecture's official PR character, a travel-loving bear.
  • Yawataya Isogoro, a long-established shichimi togarashi shop, originated at Zenkoji Temple gate in Nagano City.
  • The prefectural government office sits at approximately 371m elevation, among the highest in Japan for prefectural capitals.
  • Kiso cypress has been valued since ancient times as material for Ise Grand Shrine's periodic reconstruction.
  • Matsumoto Castle is one of the 12 remaining castle keeps, preserving its unique appearance with a five-story, six-floor keep in black lacquer.
  • Togakushi is counted among Japan's three great soba places, with hand-made soba shops concentrated there.
  • Nagano Prefecture residents' mushroom consumption ranks among the nation's highest, with autumn traditions of picking Rikobou (Suillus grevillei) mushrooms.
  • The prefecture has over 200 hot spring areas, second only to Hokkaido in scale.
  • Shinshu University uniquely maintains a Textile Science and Technology Faculty in Ueda City.
  • Karuizawa, as one of Japan's three great foreign summer resorts, has nurtured villa culture since the Meiji era.