270px, Mount Asahi is a

town A town is a human settlement. Towns are generally larger than villages and smaller than cities, though the criteria to distinguish between them vary considerably in different parts of the world. Origin and use The word "town" shares an ori ...

located in

Yamagata Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan located in the Tōhoku region of Honshu. Yamagata Prefecture has a population of 1,079,950 (1 June 2019) and has a geographic area of 9,325 km² (3,600 sq mi). Yamagata Prefecture borders Akita Prefecture to the north, ...

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

. , the town had an estimated

population Population typically refers to the number of people in a single area, whether it be a city or town, region, country, continent, or the world. Governments typically quantify the size of the resident population within their jurisdiction using a ...

and a

population density Population density (in agriculture: standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geographical term.Matt RosenberPopul ...

of 36 persons per km². The total area of the town is .

Geography

Asahi is located in mountainous central Yamagata, and contains Mount Asahi within its borders. The

Mogami River The is a river in Yamagata Prefecture, Japan. Description and history It is 224 km long and has a watershed of 7,040 km2. It is regarded as one of the three most rapid rivers of Japan (along with the Fuji River and the Kuma River). ...

forms the western border of the town.

Neighboring municipalities

*Yamagata Prefecture ** Nagai ** Ōe ** Nishikawa ** Oguni ** Yamanobe **

Shirataka 270px, Mogami Rover in Shirataka is a town located in Yamagata Prefecture, Japan. , the town had an estimated population of 13,482 in 4730 households, and a population density of 85 persons per km². The total area of the town is . Geography S ...

Climate

Asahi has a

Humid continental climate A humid continental climate is a climatic region defined by Russo-German climatologist Wladimir Köppen in 1900, typified by four distinct seasons and large seasonal temperature differences, with warm to hot (and often humid) summers and freezing ...

(

Köppen climate classification The Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by German-Russian climatologist Wladimir Köppen (1846–1940) in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen, notabl ...

''Dfa'') with large seasonal temperature differences, with warm to hot (and often humid) summers and cold (sometimes severely cold) winters. Precipitation is significant throughout the year, but is heaviest from August to October. The average annual temperature in Asahi is 8.9 °C. The average annual rainfall is 1715 mm with September as the wettest month. The temperatures are highest on average in August, at around 22.7 °C, and lowest in January, at around -3.7 °C.

Demographics

Per Japanese census data,Asahi population statistics
/ref> the population of Asahi has declined over the past 60 years.

History

The area of present-day Asahi was part of ancient

Dewa Province was a province of Japan comprising modern-day Yamagata Prefecture and Akita Prefecture, except for the city of Kazuno and the town of Kosaka. Dewa bordered on Mutsu and Echigō Provinces. Its abbreviated form name was . History Early peri ...

. After the start of the

Meiji period The is an era of Japanese history that extended from October 23, 1868 to July 30, 1912. The Meiji era was the first half of the Empire of Japan, when the Japanese people moved from being an isolated feudal society at risk of colonization ...

, the area became part of Nishimurayama District, Yamagata Prefecture. The town of Asahi was established on November 1, 1954, by the merger of the town of Miyajuku with the villages of Oya, and Nishiimogawa.

Economy

The economy of Asahi is based on agriculture.

Education

Asahi has three public elementary schools and one public middle school operated by the town government. The town does not have a high school.

Transportation

Railway

Asahi does not have any passenger railway service. The nearest station is

Aterazawa Station is a railway station located in the town of Ōe, Yamagata Prefecture, Japan, operated by the East Japan Railway Company (JR East) Lines Aterazawa Station is a terminus of the Aterazawa Line, and is located 24.3 rail kilometers from the oppos ...

in the neighboring town of Ōe.

Highway

Local attractions

* Mount Asahi

References

External links

Official Website
{{Authority control Towns in Yamagata Prefecture