is a city located in Nagano Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 48,972 in 20698 households,Suwa city official statistics and a population density of 452 persons per km². The total area of the city is .
History The shores of Lake Suwa have been inhabited since at least the Japanese Paleolithic period. The Suwa clan ruled the area from the Nara period onward, and the area developed as a castle town for Suwa Domain during the Edo period Tokugawa shogunate and as a post station on the Kōshū Kaidō highway. In the post-Meiji restoration cadastral reforms of April 1, 1889, the village of Kamisuwa was established. Kamisuwa was elevated to town status on April 20, 1891. After merger with the villages of Shiga and Toyoda (from Suwa District), Kamisuwa was elevated to city status on August 10, 1941, changing its name to Suwa.
Geography Suwa is located in central Nagano Prefecture, bordered on the north and west by Lake Suwa, approximately 100 kilometers south of the prefectural capital of Nagano city, and two hours by car from either central Tokyo or Nagoya.
Surrounding municipalities Nagano Prefecture Chino Ina Minowa Nagawa Okaya Shimosuwa Tatsuno
Climate The city has a climate characterized by characterized by hot and humid summers, and relatively mild but cold winters (Köppen climate classification Dfa). The average annual temperature in Suwa is . The average annual rainfall is with July as the wettest month. The temperatures are highest on average in August, at around , and lowest in January, at around .
Demographics Per Japanese census data,Suwa population statistics the population of Suwa peaked around the year 2000 and has declined since.
Government Suwa has a mayor-council form of government with a directly elected mayor and a unicameral city legislature of 15 members.
Economy The Suwa region is the leading industrial area of Nagano and was once known as "The Oriental Switzerland" in Japan for its highly developed precision machinery industry. Seiko Epson Corporation, a manufacturer of information-related equipment and Seiko timepieces, is headquartered in Suwa."Head Office & Japanese Facilities." Seiko Epson. Retrieved on January 13, 2009. The area is also a popular tourist destination, noted for its hot spring resorts.
Education Suwa has seven public elementary schools and four public middle schools operated by the city government, and two public high schools and one combined middle/high school operated by the Nagano Prefectural Board of Education. The Japanese Red Cross Society Suwa School of Nursing is also located in the city.
Colégio Sal e Luz, a Brazilian school, was previously located in Suwa."Escolas Brasileiras Homologadas no Japão" (). Embassy of Brazil in Tokyo. February 7, 2008. Retrieved on October 13, 2015. It moved to Okaya."Escolas Brasileiras Homologadas no Japão" (Archive). Embassy of Brazil in Tokyo. Retrieved on October 13, 2015.
Transportation Railway East Japan Railway Company - Chūō Main Line
Highway Chūō Expressway
Sister cities Suwa is twinned with: - Amboise, France, sister city since March 4, 1987 - Kundl, Tirol, Austria - St. Louis, Missouri, US, sister city since September 23, 1974 - Wörgl, Tirol, Austria
Local attractions Onbashira (literally, "the honored log") festival held every six years (in the years of the Tiger and the Monkey). 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. Sunritz Hattori Museum of Arts Takashima Castle (高島城 Takashima-jō). The castle is also known as ’The Floating Castle of Suwa’ (諏訪の浮城 Suwa-no-uki-shirō) or Shimazaki Castle (島崎城 Shimazaki-jō).
In popular media Suwa forms the backdrop for much of Sayo Masuda's Autobiography of a Geisha.
The characters Sanae Kochiya, Kanako Yasaka, and Suwako Moriya in the Touhou Project originate from this area.
Notable people Sakuhei Fujiwhara, meteorologist George Iida, movie director, author Mari Kaneko, female karateka and mixed martial arts fighter Akira Kinoshita, photographer Kenichi Mikawa, singer Tetsuzan Nagata, general in the Imperial Japanese Army Paul Tsuchihashi, priest and academic
See also Lake Suwa
References
External links
Official Website