Shinano Town, Kamiminochi District, Nagano Prefecture, is located in the north-central part of the prefecture, bordering Iiyama City, Nagano City, and Myoko City, Niigata Prefecture. The town's tree is the Oyamazakura cherry tree, its flower is the cosmos, and its bird is the Japanese bush warbler, one of Japan's three most famous songbirds. The town was formed in 1956 by the merger of three villages. This area is known for its heavy snowfall in the winter. A popular tourist spot is Lake Nojiri, designated as part of Joshin'etsu Kogen National Park, where fossils of a Naumann's elephant, believed to have lived approximately 50,000 years ago, were discovered. As a result, the Lake Nojiri Naumann's Elephant Museum is located here. Specialties of the region include corn, tomatoes, milk and dairy products, and Kirishita buckwheat.