Shinano Town is located in the northern part of Nagano Prefecture. Both the nature of the landscape and the lifestyle of the Shinano people are evident in the unbelievable amount of snowfall in the area and by landmarks such as the huge Mt. Kurohime and Lake Nojiri. Surrounded by five mountains known collectively as Hokushin Gogaku (Mt. Kurohime, Mt. Myoko, Mt Madarao, Mt. Iizuna and Mt. Togakushi), the town is blessed with the beautiful nature of Kurohime Highlands and Lake Nojiri. The town also has valuable cultural heritage such as the fossil of the Naumann elephant, the haiku poet Kobayashi Issa and the 450-year long traditional Shinshu cutlery.
