city, central Nagano ken (prefecture), east-central Honshu, Japan, on the western shore of Lake Suwa. Okaya was a small village until the establishment of its first large silk-reeling factory in 1875. After World War II many of the war-damaged silk mills were converted to factories producing precision machinery and processed foods. Products include watches, clocks, cameras, and music boxes. Pop. (2005 prelim.) 54,693.