Nagano長野県

Nagano-ken, ながのけん. The name ends in 県 (ken), prefecture.

Nagano is landlocked and the most mountainous prefecture, and it borders eight others. It hosted the 1998 Winter Olympics.

Open Nagano on the map

Facts

Japanese name

長野県

Reading

Nagano-ken / ながのけん

Region

Chūbu 中部

Capital

Nagano 長野市

Population

2,048,011 (2020 census)

Area

13,562 km²

Density

151 people per km²

Municipalities

77: 19 cities, 23 towns, and 35 villages

Designated cities

None

Districts (郡)

14

Codes

JIS 20, ISO 3166-2 JP-20

Website

www.pref.nagano.lg.jp

Tree

white birch 白樺

Flower

gentian リンドウ

Bird

rock ptarmigan 雷鳥

The tree, flower, and bird are the prefectural symbols, chosen by ordinance. Every prefecture has all three.

The most populous municipalities

2020 census. Share is the municipality's part of the prefecture's population. The other 67 are listed below.

How an address here begins

The prefecture name is written first, then the municipality name. The guide explains the rest of the address, and the map finds any address you paste into it.

Neighbouring prefectures

• Gunma群馬県
• Saitama埼玉県
• Niigata新潟県
• Toyama富山県
• Yamanashi山梨県
• Gifu岐阜県
• Shizuoka静岡県
• Aichi愛知県

Questions about Nagano

Is Nagano a city or a prefecture?

Nagano (長野県) is a prefecture, one of Japan's 47. Nagano City (長野市) is a municipality inside it and its capital. On its own, the name usually means the city. With 県 on the end it means the prefecture.

What is the capital of Nagano?

Nagano City (長野市). The prefectural office is there. It is also the largest municipality in the prefecture.

What does 県 mean in 長野県?

県 (ken) means prefecture. It is the ordinary word for prefecture, used by 43 of the 47. The other four are Tokyo (都), Hokkaidō (道), Osaka, and Kyoto (府), which are the same kind of government with a different word at the end of the name.

How many municipalities are in Nagano?

77: 19 cities, 23 towns, and 35 villages. Each is a local government with its own mayor and assembly. The towns and villages are grouped into 14 districts (郡), names used in addresses, not governments.

What is the population of Nagano?

2,048,011 at the 2020 census, on 13,562 km², which is 151 people per km². Nagano is the 16th most populous of the 47 prefectures and the 4th largest by area.

Which prefectures border Nagano?

Eight prefectures: Gunma (群馬県), Saitama (埼玉県), Niigata (新潟県), Toyama (富山県), Yamanashi (山梨県), Gifu (岐阜県), Shizuoka (静岡県), and Aichi (愛知県). Borders across water are not counted.

What region is Nagano in?

Chūbu (中部). A region is a customary grouping of prefectures, not a government, so Nagano elects a governor and an assembly but the region elects nothing.

How is Nagano written in Japanese?

長野県, read Nagano-ken and written ながのけん in hiragana. The last character, 県, is the word for prefecture, and the name is often used without it in English.

How does an address in Nagano begin?

With the prefecture name, then the municipality name: 長野県長野市… (Nagano-ken, Nagano-shi, …). After that are written the named area, the chōme, the block, and the building number.

What is the largest city in Nagano?

Nagano City (長野市), with 372,760 people at the 2020 census. It is also the capital. The three most populous municipalities are Nagano City (長野市, 372,760), Matsumoto City (松本市, 241,145), and Ueda City (上田市, 154,055).

What are the symbols of Nagano?

The prefectural tree is the white birch (白樺), the flower the gentian (リンドウ), and the bird the rock ptarmigan (雷鳥). Nagano chose them by ordinance, as every prefecture has.