Agano

Agano is a city in Niigata Prefecture, Japan, in the north-central part of the prefecture. It was established on April 1, 2004, by merging the town of Suibara with the villages of Yasuda, Kyogase and Sasakami, whose municipal origins go back to the creation of the modern municipalities system in 1889. The city lies inland, and the Agano River flows along its west side; the highest point is the summit of Mount Gozu at 912 meters, and roughly one third of the city is mountain and forest with a little over one third farmland. Agriculture dominates the economy, with paddy rice the main crop alongside livestock and cut flowers, and there is some manufacturing of computer parts, food, furniture, ceramics and stone products. Visitors know it for its hot spring areas such as Gozu onsen, for Lake Hyoko, a Ramsar site, and for local foods such as sasa-dango.