A flower paradise with blooming alpine plants. Karuizawa is one of the most famous summer resorts in Japan.

Nagano is an inland prefecture situated in the central part of Honshu that spreads across the Central Highland, also known as the Roof of Japan. Because it is situated between the Kanto and Kansai regions, it developed while being influenced by the cultures of both eastern and western Japan.

In the central part of the prefecture are mountains connected to three volcanic mountains, Mt. Nasu-yama, Mt. Fuji and Mt. Norikura-dake, and the 3,000-meter-class Japan Alps Mountains to the west. Nagano has both a high and steep mountain region, as well as a more moderate stretch of highlands. In summer it becomes a flower paradise with blooming alpine plants of various kinds. The natural beauty there is both grand and fragile. In the winter, ski resorts open in various locations throughout the prefecture, attracting many skiers.

The line of tourists visiting Nagano does not seem to end throughout the year. They visit scenic spots like Jo'estu Kogen National Park, which has Mt. Asama-yama and Mt. Yokote-yama, Minami Alps National Park, and Chubu Sangaku National Park. They also visit Karuizawa, which is one of the most famous summer resorts in Japan, and Zenko-ji Temple in Nagano City, the city which hosted the 1998 Nagano Winter Olympics, as well as the cities of Ueda and Matsumoto, which prospered as castle towns. Famous hot springs include the Nozawa-onsen and Shibu-onsen, known for the monkeys that are often seen bathing in the rock baths at Jigokudani Wild Monkey Park.

First developed as a town for Zenko-ji Temple., it is famous as the site of the 1998 Nagano Winter Olympics.

Nagano, in the northern part of Nagano Prefecture, is located at the basin of the Chikuma-gawa River that runs through the Zenko-ji-daira Plateau. It developed as a temple town for Zenko-ji Temple, that is said to have been built at the beginning of the 7th century. Chuo-dori Street, which stretches from the Zenko-ji-guchi Square of Nagano Station, is one of the city's main streets. The Omote-Sando area, along the front approach to Zenko-ji Temple, is now home to the largest shopping mall in the city.

The Omote-Sando area was renovated at the time of the Nagano Olympics in 1998, and it is lined with buildings in both Japanese and western architectural styles, all arranged in a modern manner. Along the street you can see mini street-corner museums that are a part of the shops, such as the Fire Fighters' Museum that exhibits pumps and fire-resistant clothing, the Clock Museum that exhibits old clocks from all over the world, and the Glass Museum at which you can see various kinds of lamps and glass products.

Inside the ice skating rink M-Wave, one of the venues for the Winter Olympics, is the Nagano Olympics Memorial Corner exhibiting some of the sports equipment that was actually used in the games along with licensed products.

The Kawanaka-jima War Field, the site of many episodes during the age of civil wars in the 16th century, is maintained as Hachiman-para Historical Park.

Zenko-ji Temple is the main tourist spot in Nagano. Many flock there to watch the ordination rites of priests.

Zenko-ji Temple, said to have been built in the early 7th century, has a never-ending line of visitors and is the main tourist spot in Nagano. Go through the Nio-mon Gate, and you will see the San-mon Gate, which is about 20 meters high, at the end of the approach. The San-mon Gate is designated as an important cultural asset. Its roof was renovated and reconstructed of Japanese Sawara cypress tree wood, just like the old roof that the temple had at its foundation about 250 years ago. The process was completed through the Great Repair of Zenko-ji Temple project undertaken during the Heisei Era. The main temple has two roofs, both thatched with layers of cypress bark, and the characters for Zenko-ji Temple inscribed on on the very front of the San-mon Gate roof are said to contain five hidden doves in the lettering.