 During the Edo period (1603 and 1868), as the city developed, Nagano became an important post station (shukuba) on the Hokkoku Kaidō highway which connected Edo (present day Tokyo) with the Sea of Japan coast.Following the Meiji restoration, Nagano became the first established modern town in Nagano prefecture on April 1, 1897.The city of Nagano and several surrounding communities hosted the 1998 Winter Olympics and the 1998 Winter Paralympics.