Japanese Alps in the context of "Hakuba"

Nagano Prefecture (長野県, Nagano-ken; Japanese pronunciation: [naꜜɡano, naɡanoꜜkeɴ]) is a landlocked prefecture of Japan located in the Chūbu region of Honshu. It has a population of 2,007,682 as of 1 July 2023 and a geographic area of 13,561.56 square kilometres (5,236.15 sq mi). It borders Niigata Prefecture to the north, Gunma Prefecture to the northeast, Saitama Prefecture to the east, Yamanashi Prefecture to the southeast, Shizuoka Prefecture and Aichi Prefecture to the south, and Gifu Prefecture and Toyama Prefecture to the west.

Nagano is the prefecture's capital and largest city, with other major cities including Matsumoto, Ueda, and Iida. The prefecture is known for its impressive highland areas of the Japanese Alps, including most of the Hida Mountains, Kiso Mountains, and Akaishi Mountains, which extend into neighbouring prefectures; it contains nine of the twelve highest mountains in Japan. Its mountain ranges, natural scenery, and history have gained the prefecture international recognition as a winter sports tourist destination, and it received further attention as the host of the 1998 Winter Olympics. It is served by the Hokuriku Shinkansen railway line with direct services to Tokyo, Toyama, and Kanazawa.

The Akaishi Mountains (赤石山脈, Akaishi Sanmyaku) are a mountain range in central Honshū, Japan, bordering Nagano, Yamanashi and Shizuoka prefectures. They are also called the Southern Alps (南アルプス, Minami Arupusu), as they join with the Hida Mountains ("Northern Alps") and the Kiso Mountains ("Central Alps") to form the Japanese Alps.

The Shinano River (信濃川, Shinano-gawa), known as the Chikuma River (千曲川, Chikuma-gawa) in its upper reaches, is the longest and widest river in Japan and the third largest by basin area (behind the Tone River and Ishikari River). It is located in northeastern Honshu, rising in the Japanese Alps and flowing generally northeast through Nagano and Niigata Prefectures before emptying into the Sea of Japan. It is designated as a Class A river.

Yamanouchi (山ノ内町, Yamanouchi-machi) is a town located in Shimotakai District in Nagano Prefecture, Japan. As of 1 April 2019, the town had an estimated population of 12,403 in 5020 households, and a population density of 47 persons per km. The total area of the town is 265.90 square kilometres (102.66 sq mi).

Yamanouchi, located in the Japanese Alps, includes Shiga Highlands, one of the largest ski resorts in Japan. The town of Yamanouchi hosted three venues during the 1998 Winter Olympics: Snowboarding Half-pipe events were held at Kanbayashi Snowboard Park and the technical events of Alpine skiing were held at Mount Higashidate and Mount Yakebitai. The town of Yamanouchi is a gateway to Jōshin'etsu-kōgen National Park via Route 292, the Shiga-Kusatsu-Kogen Highway. This route is a mountain-ridge which connects Yamanouchi to Karuizawa in the south.

The Hida Mountains (飛騨山脈, Hida Sanmyaku), or Northern Alps (北アルプス, Kita Arupusu), is a Japanese mountain range which stretches through Nagano, Toyama and Gifu prefectures. A small portion of the mountains also reach into Niigata Prefecture. William Gowland coined the phrase "Japanese Alps" during his time in Japan, but he was only referring to the Hida Mountains when he used that name. The Kiso and Akaishi mountains received the name in the ensuing years.

Kiso Mountains (木曽山脈, Kiso Sanmyaku) are a mountain range in Nagano and Gifu prefectures in Japan. They are also called the Central Alps (中央アルプス, Chūō Arupusu) and they combine with the Hida Mountains ("Northern Alps") and the Akaishi Mountains ("Southern Alps") to form a group collectively known as the Japanese Alps.

Mount Shirouma (白馬岳, Shirouma-dake) is a peak in the Hida Mountains range of the Japanese Alps, located in Nagano Prefecture and Toyama Prefecture, central Honshu, Japan.