Yamanouchi, Nagano

Yamanouchi 山ノ内町
Town
Shiga Kogen Highlands
Flag Seal
Location of Yamanouchi in Nagano Prefecture
Yamanouchi
Coordinates: 36°44′40.5″N 138°24′45.7″E / 36.744583°N 138.412694°E / 36.744583; 138.412694
Country	Japan
Region	Chūbu (Kōshin'etsu)
Prefecture	Nagano
District	Shimotakai
Area
• Total	265.90 km2 (102.66 sq mi)
Population  (April 2019)
• Total	12,403
• Density	47/km2 (120/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+9 (Japan Standard Time)
Symbols
• Tree	Tsuga sieboldii
• Flower	Apple
• Bird	Japanese bush warbler
Phone number	0269-33-3111
Address	3352-1 Hirao, Yamanouchi-machi, Shimotakai-gun, Nagano-ken 381-0498
Website	Official website

Yamanouchi (山ノ内町, Yamanouchi-machi) is a town located in Shimotakai District in Nagano Prefecture, Japan. As of 1 April 2019^[update], the town had an estimated population of 12,403 in 5020 households,^[1] and a population density of 47 persons per km². The total area of the town is 265.90 square kilometres (102.66 sq mi).

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.

Yamanouchi is also home to Jigokudani Monkey Park where Japanese macaques can be found soaking in an outdoor hot spring. These macaques were part of the opening sequence in Baraka, the 1992 non-narrative documentary film directed by Ron Fricke.