Komoro, Nagano

Komoro (小諸市, Komoro-shi) is a city located in Nagano, Japan.

As of May 1, 2011, the city has an estimated population of 44,270. The total area is 98.66 km².

Municipal Timeline

• February 1, 1954-Komoro absorbed the villages of Kawanabe, Kitaoi, and Osato from Kitasaku District.
• April 1, 1954-Komoro gained city status after the villages of Minamioi and Mioka from Kitasaku District was merged into Komoro.
• April 1, 1959-Parts of the town of Tobu (now part of the city of Tomi) was merged into the city and the city has been unchanged since.

Education

High school

• Komoro-shogyo High School
• Komoro High School

Junior High school

• Ashihara Junior high school
• Komoro-higashi Junior high school

Sightseeing

Key Sights

• Kaikoen, a park in the center of Komoro containing the foundations of Komoro castle as well as a museum dedicated to Shimazaki Toson (see below) and a zoo.
• Nunobikki, a temple dating from 1252 located at the top of a ravine. About a 5 minute drive outside of town, walking is possible if you know where to go.
• Mountain hiking in Takamine, close to the active volcano Mt Asama, about a 30 minute drive uphill from Komoro.

Famous Residents

• Shimazaki Toson, poet and writer. Toson spent a period teaching in Komoro, and is featured in a dedicated museum located within Komoro's Kaikoen park.
• Sodo Yokoyama, a leaf-flute Zen Master who lived as a hermit in Komoro's Kaikoen Park until 1980. Yokoyama was inspired by an earlier resident of Komoro, the poet and writer Shimazaki Toson. See Arthur Braverman's excellent article for some personal recollections of Yokoyama.
• Tsuchiya, Keiichi, Japanese race car driver & D1 pioneer

External links

• Komoro government official website in Japanese
• Komoro sightseeing guide in English and Japanese
• Komoro Tourist Bureau (in Japanese)