Greetings from the Mayor
Welcome to the Okaya City Home Page!
Okaya is located virtusally in the center of Nagano Prefecture on the northwest shores of Lake Suwa, at an elevation of 759 meters. It has beautiful natural surroundings colored by the four seasons with Enrei Onodachi Park to the northwest, Yatsugatake Mountain Range in the east, and Mount Fuji off in the distance to the south.
At the beginning of the 20th centry Okaya made a name for itself as a center for silk production, and became known as "Silk Okaya," and later as the "Switzerland of the East."
As a magnet for super precision processing technology, the city is currently making confident advances as a production center for "Smart Devices" using its cutting edge technolgies. This introduction of new industries has inevitably brought change to the city itself. Nevertheless, these industries can still exist without harming the beautiful nature that surrounds us.
In Okaya city you'll find the artwork of Okaya native Mr. Takeo Takei at the "Irufu Doga Museum." Known as "Unagi Town" (unagi = freshwater eel), Okaya is the birthplace of "Kan no Doyo no Ushi no Hi," the midwinter version of the hottest day of summer, the Day of the Ox. At the "Okaya Taiko Matsuri," 300 taiko drummers take the stage and provide an unforgettable performance.
We see the future of Okaya as a city with well organized public facilities and highly advanced information networks where the citizens can rest assured that they will be able to enjoy the fragrance of the trees, even in the busiest parts of the city. We also provide a comfortable environment for people from other countries, who choose to stay and settle here.
My greetings to all residents and a warm welcome to visitors to Okaya.
Ryugo Imai
Mayor of the City of Okaya
