| Suwa | |||
| Native Name Lang: | ja | ||
| Settlement Type: | City | ||
| Pushpin Map: | Japan | ||
| Pushpin Map Caption: | |||
| Coordinates: | 36.0391°N 138.114°W | ||
| Subdivision Type: | Country | ||
| Subdivision Name: | Japan | ||
| Subdivision Type1: | Region | ||
| Subdivision Name1: | Chūbu (Kōshin'etsu) | ||
| Subdivision Type2: | Prefecture | ||
| Subdivision Name2: | Nagano | ||
| Leader Title: | - Mayor | ||
| Area Total Km2: | 109.17 | ||
| Population Total: | 48972 | ||
| Population As Of: | March 2019 | ||
| Population Density Km2: | auto | ||
| Timezone1: | Japan Standard Time | ||
| Utc Offset1: | +9 | ||
| Blank Name Sec1: | Phone number | ||
| Blank Info Sec1: | 0266-52-4141 | ||
| Blank1 Name Sec1: | Address | ||
| Blank1 Info Sec1: | 1-22-30 Takashima, Suwa-shi, Nagano-ken 392-8511 | ||
| Blank Name Sec2: | Climate | ||
| Blank Info Sec2: | Cfa/Dfa | ||
| Module: |
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is a city located in Nagano Prefecture, Japan., the city had an estimated population of 48,972 in 20698 households,[1] and a population density of 452 persons per km². The total area of the city is 109.17sqkm.
The shores of Lake Suwa have been inhabited since at least the Japanese Paleolithic period. The Suwa clan ruled the area since the Nara period, and the area developed as a castle town for Suwa Domain under 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. Kawasuwa 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.
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.
The city has a climate characterized by characterized by hot and humid summers, and relatively mild 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 .
Per Japanese census data,[2] the population of Suwa peaked around the year 2000 and has declined since.
Suwa has a mayor-council form of government with a directly elected mayor and a unicameral city legislature of 15 members.
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.[3] Seiko Epson Corporation, a manufacturer of information-related equipment and Seiko timepieces, is headquartered in Suwa.[4] The area is also a popular tourist destination, noted for its hot spring resorts.
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.[5] It moved to Okaya.[6]
- St. Louis, Missouri, US, sister city since September 23, 1974
- Amboise, France,[7] sister city since March 4, 1987
- Kundl, Tirol, Austria[7] - Wörgl, Tirol, Austria[7]Suwa forms the backdrop for much of Sayo Masuda's Autobiography of a Geisha.
The characters Sanae Kochiya, Kanako Yasaka, and Suwako Moriya from the Touhou Project originate from this area.