Yamanouchi

Yamanouchi 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 km2. The total area of the town is 265.90 square kilometres.

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.