250px, Kuji River in Daigo 250px, Fukuroda Falls 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

Ibaraki Prefecture is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located in the Kantō region of Honshu. Ibaraki Prefecture has a population of 2,871,199 (1 June 2019) and has a geographic area of . Ibaraki Prefecture borders Fukushima Prefecture to the north, ...

, Japan. , 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 ...

of 15,771 in 6431 households 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 . The percentage of the population aged over 65 was 46.6%. The total area of the town is .

Geography

Located in northwestern Ibaraki Prefecture along the upper reaches of the

Kuji River is a river in Fukushima Prefecture, Tochigi Prefecture and Ibaraki Prefecture, Japan. It rises at the northern slope of Mount Yamizo, where the border of these three prefectures is located, and flows into Pacific Ocean at Hitachi and Tokai ...

, Daigo is bordered to the north by Fukushima Prefecture and to the west by Tochigi Prefecture.

Surrounding municipalities

Ibaraki Prefecture * Hitachiōta *

Hitachiōmiya is a city located in Ibaraki Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 39,281 in 16.047 households and a population density of 220 persons per km². The percentage of the population aged over 65 was 37.6%. The total area of t ...

Fukushima Prefecture * Yamatsuri * Tanagura Tochigi Prefecture *

Ōtawara 270px, View from the ruins of Ōtawara Castle is a city located in Tochigi Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 72,189 in 30,136 households, and a population density of 210 persons per km2. The total area of the city is ...

* Nakagawa

Climate

Although the altitude is relatively low at 120 meters, Daigo is very chilly in the morning and evening in winter because it is located in a basin. The average minimum temperature of minus 5.5 ℃ in January is almost the same as

Morioka, Iwate is the capital city of Iwate Prefecture located in the Tōhoku region of northern Japan. On 1 February 2021, the city had an estimated population of 290,700 in 132,719 households, and a population density of . The total area of the city is . G ...

, much further north, and Daigo is known for having some of the coldest winters in the

Kantō region The is a geographical area of Honshu, the largest island of Japan. In a common definition, the region includes the Greater Tokyo Area and encompasses seven prefectures: Gunma, Tochigi, Ibaraki, Saitama, Tokyo, Chiba and Kanagawa. Slight ...

. However, during the daytime, the temperature rises to nearly 10 °C due to solar radiation. In addition, summers often record hot days.

Demographics

Per Japanese census data,Daigo population statistics
/ref> the population of Daigo has decreased drastically and is now less than half of what it was 60 years ago.

History

Daigo village was created with the establishment of the modern municipalities system on April 1, 1889. It was elevated to town status on July 20, 1891. On March 31, 1955, the villages of Yorigami, Fukuroda, Miyagawa, Kurosawa, Namase, Kamiogawa, Shimoogawa and Murotono merged with Daigo.

Government

Daigo has a mayor-council form of government with a directly elected mayor and a

unicameral Unicameralism (from ''uni''- "one" + Latin ''camera'' "chamber") is a type of legislature, which consists of one house or assembly, that legislates and votes as one. Unicameral legislatures exist when there is no widely perceived need for multic ...

town council of 13 members. Daigo, together with neighboring Hitachiōta, contributes two members to the Ibaraki Prefectural Assembly. In terms of national politics, the town is part of Ibaraki 5th district of the

lower house A lower house is one of two Debate chamber, chambers of a Bicameralism, bicameral legislature, the other chamber being the upper house. Despite its official position "below" the upper house, in many legislatures worldwide, the lower house has co ...

of the

Diet of Japan The is the national legislature of Japan. It is composed of a lower house, called the House of Representatives (, ''Shūgiin''), and an upper house, the House of Councillors (, '' Sangiin''). Both houses are directly elected under a paralle ...

Economy

Daigo is noted for many

onsen In Japan, are the country's hot springs and the bathing facilities and traditional inns around them. As a volcanically active country, Japan has many onsens scattered throughout all of its major islands. There are approximately 25,000 hot ...

(hot springs) located in Daigo, which provide sees revenue and for food processing.

Education

Daigo has six public elementary schools and four public middle schools operated by the city government, and one public high school operated by the Ibaraki Prefectural Board of Education. There is also one private high school. The prefecture also operates one special education school for the handicapped.

Transportation

Railway

JR East The is a major passenger railway company in Japan and is the largest of the seven Japan Railways Group companies. The company name is officially abbreviated as JR-EAST or JR East in English, and as in Japanese. The company's headquarters are ...

– Suigun Line * - - - -

Highway

* *

Local attractions

* Fukuroda Falls – one of Japan's Top 100 Waterfalls *Daigo onsen *Fukuroda onsen

Noted people

Yasunori Kikuchi Yasunori Kikuchi (菊池保則, born September 18, 1989 in Kuji District, Ibaraki) is a Japanese professional baseball pitcher for the Hiroshima Toyo Carp in Japan's Nippon Professional Baseball or NPB is the highest level of baseball in J ...

, professional baseball player *

Yasumitsu Toyoda was a Japanese professional baseball player and coach, who played as a shortstop. He played and coached for the Nishitetsu Lions and the Swallows franchise of Nippon Professional Baseball. In 1972, he coached the Kintetsu Buffaloes. Playing c ...

, professional baseball player

References

External links

Official Website
{{Authority control Towns in Ibaraki Prefecture Daigo, Ibaraki