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)
The population of Nagano is 2,214,356.
Nagano — the prefectural capital and site of the 1998 Winter Olympics
Azumino — north of Matsumoto and famous for Daio Wasabi Farm, views of the surrounding alpine landscape and the incredible number of museums and galleries
Chikuma — just south of Nagano City, on the middle reaches of the Chikuma River, surrounded by mountains
Kitaaiki — a small depopulated mountain village near the Tochibaraiwakage ruins
Matsumoto — featuring one of Japan's most beloved castles and lots of wasabi
Suwa - Resort town with a large lake and access to the Yatsugatake Mountain Range
The Hokuriku Shinkansen line, a branch of the Joetsu Shikansen to Niigata, connects to Tokyo in around 2 hours.
Buses from the Shinjuku long-distance bus station run about once an hour. The trip takes about 3 1/2 hours; fare is ¥4000 one-way or ¥7200 round-trip. There is also a similar bus to Matsumoto here, it just goes via Kofu. From Nagoya, the highway bus goes via Matsumoto.
In 1998, Winter Olympics took place in Nagano.
In culinary terms, Nagano is best known for its soba (buckwheat noodles), known as Shinano soba (信濃そば) or Shinshū soba (信州そば), with those from Togakushi (a region of Nagano City) considered by some the best in Japan. Miso (fermented bean paste), a staple of the Japanese diet is also a famous Nagano product. 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.