is a city located in Nagano Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 97,761 in 39744 households. and a population density of 290 persons per km2. Its total area is . Etymology of Azumino Azumino is a combination of two words, "Azumi" and "no". "Azumi" comes from the Azumi people, who are said to have moved to the "no" (plain) in ancient times. The Azumi people originally lived in northern Kyushu, and were famed for their skills in fishing and navigation. "The Azumi people" can be translated as "the people who live on the sea." The reason why the seafaring people migrated to this mountainous region is a mystery. Geography Azumino is located in the Azumino Plateau on the northwestern end of the Matsumoto Basin, between mountain ranges to the west and east. The range of mountains on the western border is known as the Northern Alps (Hida Mountains) and is popular among hikers all over Japan. To the south is the city of Matsumoto, Nagano prefecture's second largest city. To the north lies the city of Ōmachi, and north of Ōmachi is the village of Hakuba. Hakuba was the site of many of the ski events during the 1998 Winter Olympic Games. Mount Jōnen at is the highest elevation in the city. Surrounding municipalities Nagano Prefecture Matsumoto Ōmachi Ikeda Matsukawa Chikuhoku Ikusaka Climate The city has a climate characterized by characterized by hot and humid summers, and relatively mild winters (Köppen climate classification Cfa). The average annual temperature in Azumino is . The average annual rainfall is with September as the wettest month. The temperatures are highest on average in August, at around , and lowest in January, at around . The mountainous portions of the city are considered part of the snow country of Japan, with heavy accumulations of snow in winter. History The area of present-day Azumino was part of ancient Shinano Province. The area was part of the holdings of Matsumoto Domain during the Edo period. The modern city of Azumino was established on October 1, 2005, by the merger of the town of Akashina (from Higashichikuma District), the towns of Hotaka and Toyoshina, and the villages of Horigane and Misato (all from Minamiazumi District). Demographics Per Japanese census data, the population of Azumino has recently plateaued after several decades of growth. Government Azumino has a mayor-council form of government with a directly