- Suwa, Nagano
Infobox City Japan
Name= Suwa
JapaneseName= 諏訪市
Map
Region= Chūbu
Prefecture= Nagano
District=
Area_km2= 109.91
PopDate=July 1 ,2006
Population= 52,992
Density_km2= 491.47
Coords=
LatitudeDegrees= 36
LatitudeMinutes= 2
LatitudeSeconds=
LongtitudeDegrees= 138
LongtitudeMinutes= 7
LongtitudeSeconds=
Tree=
Flower= Iris and Lily
Bird=
Symbol
SymbolDescription= Flag
Mayor= Katsufumi Yamada
CityHallPostalCode= 392-8511
CityHallAddress= 1-22-30 Takashima, Suwa-shi, Nagano-ken
CityHallPhone= 0266-52-4141
CityHallLink= [http://www.city.suwa.nagano.jp/ City of Suwa]nihongo|Suwa|諏訪市|Suwa-shi is a city located in Nagano,
Japan .As of 2003, the city had an estimated
population of 53,600 and a density of 491.47 persons per km². The total area of the city is 109.06 km².The city was founded on
August 10 ,1941 , after the union of Kami-Suwa town, Toyoda village, and Shiga village. It is located on the shores ofLake Suwa .The Suwa region is the leading industrial area of Nagano and known as "The Oriental Switzerland" in Japan for its highly developed precision machinery industry.cite web | last = | first = | authorlink = | coauthors = | title = Suwa Area, Web Site Shinshu | work = | publisher = Nagano Prefectural Government |date= 2001-11-26 | url = http://www.pref.nagano.jp/hisyo/english/shinshu/u-shinshu.htm | format = | doi = | accessdate = 2007-12-17 ] Seiko Epson Corporation, a manufacturer of information-related equipment and
Seiko timepieces, is headquartered in Suwa.Prominent features
The town is famous for its ryokans (
onsen hotels, i.e., traditional Japanese guesthouses athot springs ).Annual fireworks displays are held in August and September. The displays take place on the shores of the lake, and many tens of thousands of spectators enjoy the shows from the shores. Trains are the recommended way to get to Suwa on those days, though buses are significantly less expensive.
Every six years (in the years of the Tiger and the Monkey), Suwa hosts a
Shinto festival calledOnbashira (literally, "the honored log"). As part of the event, very large trees up in the hills are felled and brought down into the valley, pulling them with ropes and sliding them down hills. To demonstrate their bravery, young men from the area ride on the logs as they hurtle down the slopes.Suwa houses one of four large Shinto shrines. The Suwa shrines rank among the top shrines in Japan.
References
External links
* [http://www.city.suwa.nagano.jp/ Suwa official website] in Japanese
* [http://www.onbashira.jp/ Onbashira website] in Japanese
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