Article

20206 ／すわし

Suwa City

Seven boat-shaped stones line a hill.

Takashima Domain lords' graves

Photo by MChew (CC BY-SA 4.0)

01 ／ Lakebed site

An early Jomon site spreadsacross the bed of Lake Suwa.

Found in 1908 (Meiji 41), it is a Suwa City historic site. Seen from Tateishi Park, the city places it just off the shore to the right, about 200 m out. Tens of thousands of finds have been collected, including obsidian arrowheads and fingernail-impressed pottery.

Found in 1908
Tens of thousands of finds
City historic site

02 ／ Raised bog

Cold kept dead plants from rotting;10,000 years built 8 m or more of peat.

The Kirigamine Wetland Plant Community, a national Natural Monument, consists of three wetlands: Yashimagahara, Odoriba and Kurumayama. At Yashimagahara, the city records that in the cold climate dead plants do not decompose but turn to peat and pile up, forming a peat layer more than 8 m thick over 10,000 years. Nearly 400 kinds of plants grow there.

Peat 8 m or more
10,000 years
Nearly 400 plant species

03 ／ Ginkgo pair

A legend calls two ginkgo trees a married pair;the male stands at Buppo Shoryuji Temple.

Ginkgo pair in Suwa City — Photo by Fossainc (CC BY-SA 4.0)

The residence of the Ohori, a Suwa shrine priest, burned down in the late Edo period and was rebuilt in the Tenpo era (1830-44). The present main house is about 43 tsubo. The female ginkgo on the grounds is estimated to be 200 years old, and a legend has it married to the male tree at Buppo Shoryuji Temple; both are City Natural Monuments.

Rebuilt in the Tenpo era
Main house about 43 tsubo
City Natural Monuments

Suwa City from the sky

Now and 1974–78. Tap a photo to zoom in.

Now1974–78

Wide (about 6 km across)

Close (about 1.5 km across)

Now (shot 2004)Shot 1974–78

Source: Geospatial Information Authority of Japan (GSI) GSI Tiles（全国最新写真（シームレス）／国土画像情報（第一期：1974〜1978年撮影））

Open in GSI Maps (now)Open in GSI Maps (1974–78)

Living here

127 minutes from Shinjuku.

about 50,000 people

In JR East's timetable (October 2026), the Limited Express Azusa No. 37 takes 127 minutes from Shinjuku to Kami-Suwa Station, running daily. The gateway is Kami-Suwa Station.

People living here: 48,729people
Area: 109.17km²
Households: 20,776households
Rent (average for rentals): 42,399yen
Healthcare: 3 hospitals ／ 47 clinics

Area and habitable land at the same scalee-Stat B1101 / B1103

Children waiting for childcare: —14 nurseries and similar
Home purchase subsidy: —
Average annual temperature: —

These 3 items are waiting on a nationwide data source. We do not fill them with estimates.

ACCESS

Where you can go from here.

Suwa City in Japan36.039°N 138.114°E

to ShinjukuJR limited express127min

Travel times follow JR東日本『駅の時刻表』2026年10月版（上諏訪駅・中央本線）。新宿発上諏訪行きの特急あずさ37号（37M）は、平日運転・土曜休日運転の両ページとも新宿 16:00発 → 上諏訪 18:07着（下り）。上諏訪発新宿行きの毎日運転の最速は特急あずさ26号の 12:34発 → 新宿 14:43着（平日運転）／14:42着（土曜・休日運転）＝129分（上り） (checked 2026-10-21). They vary by time of day.

Shape

Borders 7 municipalities.

Territory of Suwa City

Boundaries: National Land Numerical Information (Administrative Area Data), MLIT. Processed by Machigatari.Lakes: National Land Numerical Information (Lake Data), MLIT. Processed by Machigatari. Prepared with the approval of the Director-General of the Geospatial Information Authority of Japan, using its Digital Map 25000 (Spatial Data Framework) and Digital Map 25000 (Place Names and Public Facilities). (承認番号平27情使、第585号)

North to south

19.7km

Chino City, Shimosuwa Town, Tatsuno Town, Minowa Town, Okaya City, Nagawa Town, Ina City

Suwa City isthis kind of town.

01Behind Onsen-ji Temple in Suwa lie the graves of the Takashima Domain lords of the Suwa family: seven graves of the second to eighth lords and more than 100 stone lanterns, each marker a boat-shaped stone about 3 m high on a three-tier square base. It is a national Historic Site, designated together with the Raigaku-ji graves in Chino
02The early Jomon Sone Site lies on the bed of Lake Suwa, and at Yashimagahara in Kirigamine, 10,000 years built a peat layer 8 m or more thick. The Kirigamine Wetland Plant Community is a national Natural Monument
03The Ohori Suwa family residence, home of the Kamisha Ohori, has a female ginkgo said by legend to be married to the male tree at Buppo Shoryuji Temple. The city also holds the Kamisha Honmiya of Suwa Taisha, Takashima Castle and Katakura-kan

See the town as it is now.

Facebooksuwacity ↗

Source: Wikidata (P2002, P2003, P2013, P2397)

If something caught your eye, ask the town itself.

Suwa City official site ↗Wikipedia ↗

From this town's themes