Nagano Prefecture

Chubu region · Prefecture

The "roof of Japan," home to the Northern, Central and Southern Alps. Its 35 villages are the most of any prefecture, and it borders 8 prefectures. It is also known for soba, lettuce, apples, miso and long life expectancy.

Japan Alps
Shinshu soba
Zenko-ji Temple
Skiing and hot springs

Key facts

Prefectural capital: Nagano City
Municipalities: 77 (19 cities, 23 towns, 35 villages)
Population: 1,953,866 16th in Japan2025 Census
5-year change: −4.6% 21st in Japanfrom 2,048,011 in 2020
Area: 13,562 km² 4th in Japan
Population density: 144 people/km² 38th in Japan

Source: Statistics Bureau of Japan, 2025 Population Census (population, area and density); area from the Geospatial Information Authority of Japan (GSI), Area Statistics of Prefectures and Municipalities (2025). National ranks are among the 47 prefectures, ordered by this site from these values.

Places to know

Nagano City The temple town of Zenko-ji. Host of the 1998 Winter Olympics.
Matsumoto City Matsumoto Castle, a National Treasure, and the gateway to the Northern Alps.
Karuizawa Town A summer resort since the Meiji era.

Current warnings, advisories and earthquakes

Places to visit in Nagano Prefecture

Browse by category

Nature

Shrines, temples, castles and historic sites

Museums, zoos and more

Shops, food and lodging

Chosen automatically, most popular first, from landmarks and cultural properties registered in Wikidata (we have not checked whether each is open). Names and descriptions: Wikidata (CC0); photos: Wikimedia Commons (photographer and license under each photo).

National parks in Nagano Prefecture

Myoko-Togakushi renzan National ParkTotal park area 398 km²Also in Niigata
Joshin'etsukogen National ParkTotal park area 1,511 km²Also in Gunma, Niigata
Chubusangaku National ParkTotal park area 1,743 km²Also in Niigata, Toyama, Gifu
Chichibu-Tama-Kai National ParkTotal park area 1,263 km²Also in Saitama, Tokyo, Yamanashi
Minami Alps National ParkTotal park area 358 km²Also in Yamanashi, Shizuoka

Chosen by overlaying the park boundaries (Ministry of the Environment, Biodiversity Center of Japan, "National Park Areas" GIS data, updated April 28, 2025, combined and simplified by NIPPON ATLAS) with municipal boundaries (National Land Numerical Information, January 2021), keeping overlaps of about 0.5 km² or more (approximate). Areas are the land areas from the Ministry of the Environment, "Overview of National Parks" (April 10, 2026). All national parks

Municipalities in Nagano Prefecture (77)

Municipality	Population	5-year change	Area
Nagano City	357,077	−4.2%	835 km²
Matsumoto City	232,241	−3.7%	978 km²
Ueda City	144,202	−6.4%	552 km²
Okaya City	44,482	−6.9%	85.10 km²
Iida City	90,765	−7.5%	659 km²
Suwa City	46,354	−4.9%	109 km²
Suzaka City	47,774	−3.6%	150 km²
Komoro City	40,185	−2.0%	98.55 km²
Ina City	63,508	−4.0%	668 km²
Komagane City	30,861	−4.2%	166 km²
Nakano City	40,223	−5.0%	112 km²
Omachi City	23,956	−8.0%	565 km²
Iiyama City	17,682	−9.5%	202 km²
Chino City	54,409	−3.5%	267 km²
Shiojiri City	65,442	−2.7%	290 km²
Saku City	97,017	−1.2%	424 km²
Chikuma City	57,103	−3.0%	120 km²
Tomi City	28,549	−5.2%	112 km²
Azumino City	91,794	−2.6%	332 km²
Koumi Town	4,048	−7.0%	114 km²
Kawakami Village	4,176	−3.9%	210 km²
Minamimaki Village	3,339	+3.0%	133 km²
Minamiaiki Village	866	−10.0%	66.05 km²
Kitaaiki Village	611	−18.8%	56.32 km²
Sakuho Town	9,570	−6.3%	188 km²
Karuizawa Town	18,483	−3.7%	156 km²
Miyota Town	16,546	+6.4%	58.79 km²
Tateshina Town	6,203	−6.2%	66.87 km²
Aoki Village	3,778	−8.3%	57.10 km²
Nagawa Town	5,148	−8.1%	184 km²
Shimosuwa Town	17,625	−8.0%	66.87 km²
Fujimi Town	13,366	−5.1%	145 km²
Hara Village	7,786	+1.4%	43.26 km²
Tatsuno Town	17,037	−8.2%	169 km²
Minowa Town	23,876	−4.5%	85.91 km²
Iijima Town	8,491	−5.7%	86.96 km²
Minamiminowa Village	15,993	+1.2%	40.99 km²
Nakagawa Village	4,351	−6.5%	77.05 km²
Miyada Village	8,106	−5.4%	54.50 km²
Matsukawa Town	11,829	−5.6%	72.79 km²
Takamori Town	12,112	−5.5%	45.36 km²
Anan Town	3,672	−14.6%	123 km²
Achi Village	5,707	−5.9%	214 km²
Hiraya Village	353	−8.8%	77.37 km²
Neba Village	784	−8.0%	89.97 km²
Shimojo Village	3,135	−11.6%	38.12 km²
Urugi Village	451	−17.7%	43.43 km²
Tenryu Village	965	−18.1%	109 km²
Yasuoka Village	1,377	−10.7%	64.59 km²
Takagi Village	5,507	−7.8%	66.61 km²
Toyooka Village	6,191	−3.7%	76.79 km²
Oshika Village	941	−8.0%	248 km²
Agematsu Town	3,647	−11.7%	168 km²
Nagiso Town	3,536	−9.7%	216 km²
Kiso Village	2,346	−12.9%	141 km²
Otaki Village	586	−18.0%	311 km²
Okuwa Village	3,004	−12.6%	234 km²
Kiso Town	9,547	−9.8%	476 km²
Omi Village	2,311	−10.9%	34.38 km²
Ikusaka Village	1,497	−8.7%	39.05 km²
Yamagata Village	8,103	−3.5%	24.98 km²
Asahi Village	4,047	−5.4%	70.62 km²
Chikuhoku Village	3,734	−10.0%	99.47 km²
Ikeda Town	8,612	−8.2%	40.16 km²
Matsukawa Village	9,421	−1.9%	47.07 km²
Hakuba Village	8,375	−2.3%	189 km²
Otari Village	2,420	−8.6%	268 km²
Sakaki Town	12,885	−8.0%	53.64 km²
Obuse Town	10,458	−1.9%	19.12 km²
Takayama Village	6,165	−6.8%	98.56 km²
Yamanouchi Town	10,294	−9.3%	266 km²
Kijimadaira Village	3,909	−10.7%	99.32 km²
Nozawaonsen Village	2,916	−11.1%	57.96 km²
Shinano Town	6,882	−11.1%	149 km²
Ogawa Village	2,001	−9.7%	58.11 km²
Iizuna Town	9,657	−6.2%	75.00 km²
Sakae Village	1,466	−11.7%	272 km²

Source: Statistics Bureau of Japan, 2025 Population Census (population in 2025; change compared with 2020). Area: GSI (2025). Designated cities are shown as one city (wards combined). "Temperature now" is the latest JMA AMeDAS observation (preliminary) at the nearest station in the same prefecture, loaded and shown unchanged when you open the page.

Figures come from official Japanese statistics (such as the 2025 Census by the Statistics Bureau of Japan), with the source and year shown next to each one. Photos are freely licensed images from Wikimedia Commons; the photographer and license are shown under each photo.

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