Chikuma, Nagano

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For the warship, see Japanese cruiser Chikuma.

Chikuma (千曲市; -shi) is a city located in Nagano, Japan.

As of June 1, 2006, the city has an estimated population of 63,829. The total area is 119.84 km².

1 Description
2 Municiple Timeline
3 External links

Chikuma City is located in the valley of the Chikuma River, south of Nagano City, at the junction of the Joshin-etsu Highway and the Nagano Highway. Its most famous attraction is Anzu no Sato (杏の里), or "Apricot Village", a collection of adjacent valleys containing numerous groves of apricot trees. It is also the location of the Mori Shogunzuka Burial Chamber (森将軍塚古墳), a mountaintop keyhole tomb dating from near the end of the Kofun period. In the southern part of the city is Togura Kamiyamada Onsen (戸倉上山田温泉), a popular hot spring area.

The city was founded on September 1, 2003 by merging with the former city of Koshoku and the towns of Kamiyamada from Sarashina District and Togura from Hanishina District.

Kamiyada (上山田) lies on the western bank of the Chikuma River, just north of the town of Sakaki. A popular hot spring village dating back to the 19th century, the town was one of many places of lodging on the pilgrimage route to Zenkoji Temple in Nagano City.