Suwa City is located in the Southern Shinshu region of Nagano Prefecture, bordering Lake Suwa. It is sandwiched between mountains on the west and east and is located almost in the center of the Suwa Basin. Long ago, it was the terminus of the Koshu Kaido road, a post town just before Shimo-Suwa, and a castle town for the Takashima domain. Today, the city is known as the Switzerland of the East, thanks to its thriving precision machinery industry, including watches and cameras. It also functions as a tourist destination, boasting miso paste, local sake, and the Kirigamine Plateau. Major tourist attractions include temples and shrines such as Suwa Taisha Honmiya and Yatsukazu Shrine, hot springs such as Kami-Suwa Onsen, scenic spots such as the Kirigamine Plateau and Lake Suwa, and festivals such as the Suwa Taisha Shikinen Zoei Onbashira Grand Festival, Komiya Onbashira Festival, and Takashima Castle Festival.