270px, Kamiyama Town Hall 270px, Amagoi Falls 270px, Spring in Kamiyama is a town in Myōzai District,

Tokushima Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan located on the island of Shikoku. Tokushima Prefecture has a population of 728,633 (1 October 2019) and has a geographic area of 4,146 km2 (1,601 sq mi). Tokushima Prefecture borders Kagawa Prefecture to the north, E ...

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 of 4,930 in 2404 households and a population density of 28 persons per km².The total area of the town is .

Geography

Kamiyama is located in the upper reaches of the Akui River, which runs parallel to the south side of the Yoshino River in central Tokushima Prefecture on the island of Shikoku. Located in the eastern part of the

Shikoku Mountains Shikoku Mountains () is a mountain range that runs from east to west in the central part of the Shikoku in Japan. The length of the mountain range is about 250km. The highest peak in the mountain range is Mount Ishizuchi is a mountain on the ...

, about 83% of the total area is mountainous, with agricultural land and settlements scattered in the Akui River basin that crosses the center of the town from east to west. Parts of the town are within the borders of the Chūbu Sankei Prefectural Natural Park or the

Higashi Sankei Prefectural Natural Park is a Prefectural Natural Park in Tokushima Prefecture, Japan. Established in 2005, the park spans the borders of the municipalities of Kamiyama, Katsuura, Naka, Sanagōchi, and Tokushima. The park encompasses and the as well as the temples ...

Neighbouring municipalities

Tokushima Prefecture * Tokushima *

Yoshinogawa 290px, Tokushima Prefectural Road Route 244 in Yoshinogawa 290px, Fujii-dera wisteria is a city located in Tokushima Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 39,150 in 17958 households and a population density of 270 persons ...

* Mima *

Ishii Ishii (, "stone well") is a Japanese surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Akio Ishii (born 1955), Japanese baseball player * Ami Ishii (born 1980), Japanese gravure idol *Anna Ishii (born 1998), Japanese performer, model and actress ...

Naka Naka may refer to: Places in Japan * Naka, Hyōgo, a former town in Hyōgo Prefecture * Naka, Ibaraki, a city in Ibaraki Prefecture * Naka, Tokushima, a town in Tokushima Prefecture * Naka District, Ibaraki, a district in Ibaraki Prefecture * Nak ...

* Kamikatsu * Sanagōchi

Climate

Kamiyama has a

Humid subtropical climate A humid subtropical climate is a zone of climate characterized by hot and humid summers, and cool to mild winters. These climates normally lie on the southeast side of all continents (except Antarctica), generally between latitudes 25° and 40° ...

(Köppen ''Cfa'') characterized by warm summers and cool winters with light snowfall. The average annual temperature in Kamiyama is 14.5 °C. The average annual rainfall is 2137 mm with September as the wettest month. The temperatures are highest on average in August, at around 25.4 °C, and lowest in January, at around 3.9 °C.

Demographics

Per Japanese census data, the population of Kamiyama has been rapidly declining for the past 70 years.

History

As with all of Tokushima Prefecture, the area of Kamiyama was part of ancient Awa Province. The area has been settled since ancient times and is mentioned in the '' Nihon Shoki''. During the Edo period, the area was part of the holdings of Tokushima Domain ruled by the Hachisuka clan from their seat at Tokushima Castle. The villages of Ano (阿野村), Jinryō (神領村), Orono (鬼籠野村), Shimobun-Kamiyama (下分上山村), and Kamibun-Kamiyama (上分上山村) were established within

Myōzai District, Tokushima is a district located in Tokushima Prefecture, Japan. As of June 1, 2019, the district has an estimated population of 29,786 and a population density Population density (in agriculture: standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of po ...

with the creation of the modern municipalities system on October 1, 1889. These five villages merged to form the town of Kamiyama on November 20, 1965.

Government

Kamiyama has a mayor-council form of government with a directly elected mayor and a unicameral town council of eight members. Kamiyama, together with the other municipalities of Myōzai District, contributes two members to the Tokushima Prefectural Assembly. In terms of national politics, the town is part of Tokushima 1st 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

The economy of Kamiyama is agricultural, and the town is the largest producer of sudachi in Japan, accounting for 24% of the production in Tokushima Prefecture. Kamiyama is notable for its successes in minimizing its population decline through

digital transformation Digital transformation is the adoption of digital technology by an organization to digitize non-digital products, services or operations. The goal for its implementation is to increase value through innovation, invention, customer experience or ef ...

efforts and promotion as a rural startup ecosystem.

Education

Kamiyama has two public elementary schools and one public middle school operated by the town government and one public high school operated by the Tokushima Prefectural Department of Education.

Transportation

Railway

Kamiyama does not have any passenger rail service. The closest station is the JR Shikoku Tokushima Station, which is approximately 50 minutes away by car.

Highways

* * *

Local attractions

* Shōsan-ji , 12th temple on the Shikoku Pilgrimage * Amagoi Waterfalls, one of " Japan’s Top 100 Waterfalls", * Kamiichinomiya Ōawa Jinja, one of the shrines claiming to be the '' ichinomiya'' of Awa Province. * Okubo Chichi-Icho Ginkgo tree * Chūbu Sankei Prefectural Natural Park *

Notes

External links

* (in Japanese) * (in English) Towns in Tokushima Prefecture Kamiyama, Tokushima {{Tokushima-geo-stub