a Japanese prefecture in the mountainous central section of Honshu. Area, 13,600 sq km. Population, 1,976,000 (1973); 63 percent urban. The capital is Nagano.
The prefecture is one of the chief silk-producing regions of Japan, accounting for about 25 percent of Japan’s raw silk production. After World War II, general and precision machine-building was developed there. Among more established manufactures, processed foods, knitwear, lumber, musical instruments, sporting goods, and articles made of natural silk remain important. Lumbering is carried out on the mountain slopes, and farming is concentrated in mountain valleys. Basic agricultural crops are rice (357,000 tons harvested in 1970), barley, and wheat. Vegetables and fruit are also grown. A number of health resorts and tourist centers are located in the prefecture.
a city in Japan in central Honshu, in the Chikuma river valley; capital of Nagano Prefecture. Population, 286,200 (1970).
Nagano is an important transportation junction and the center of an agricultural region producing fruits, flowers, and dairy products. Local manufactures include machine tools, processed foods, lumber, and musical instruments and related equipment; hand-made articles from natural silk are also produced. Nagano is an ancient center of Buddhism; its Zenkoji temple is visited by religious pilgrims.