is a

city A city is a human settlement of notable size.Goodall, B. (1987) ''The Penguin Dictionary of Human Geography''. London: Penguin.Kuper, A. and Kuper, J., eds (1996) ''The Social Science Encyclopedia''. 2nd edition. London: Routledge. It can be def ...

located in Niigata Prefecture,

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 n ...

. , the city 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 usi ...

of 25,971 in 10,270 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 RosenberPopu ...

of 194 persons per km². The total area of the city was .

Geography

Kamo is located in an inland region of north-central Niigata Prefecture. As the city name implies, the Kamo River flows through the city. The highest elevation is the summit of Mount Awagatake at 1292 meters. The city is located roughly halfway between the two larger cities of Nagaoka and Niigata.

Surrounding municipalities

* Niigata Prefecture ** Minami-ku, Niigata ** Sanjō **

Gosen Gosen may refer to: * Gosen, Niigata, Japan *Gosen-Neu Zittau, Brandenburg, Germany * Gosen (Company), a Japanese manufacturer of sporting equipment *Gosen Wakashū, an ancient Japanese poetry anthology *Land of Goshen, an area in Biblical Egypt S ...

** Tagami

Climate

Kamo has a Humid climate (Köppen ''Cfa'') characterized by warm, wet summers and cold winters with heavy snowfall. The average annual temperature in Kamo is 12.6 °C. The average annual rainfall is 1978 mm with September as the wettest month. The temperatures are highest on average in August, at around 25.9 °C, and lowest in January, at around 0.6 °C.

Demographics

Per Japanese census data,Kamo population statistics
/ref> the population of Kamo has declined steadily over the past 50 years.

History

The area of present-day Kamo was part of ancient Echigo Province, and developed from the early

Heian period The is the last division of classical Japanese history, running from 794 to 1185. It followed the Nara period, beginning when the 50th emperor, Emperor Kanmu, moved the capital of Japan to Heian-kyō (modern Kyoto). means "peace" in Japan ...

as settlement associated with a branch of the Kamo Shrine in Kyoto from 794 AD. The town of Kamo was established within

Kitakanbara District, Niigata is a district A district is a type of administrative division that, in some countries, is managed by the local government. Across the world, areas known as "districts" vary greatly in size, spanning regions or counties, several municipal ...

with the establishment of the modern municipalities system on April 1, 1889. It was elevated to city status on March 10, 1954.

Government

Kano 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 multi ...

city legislature of 18 members.

Economy

Kamo is traditionally associated with its production of ''kiri-tansu'', a type of '' tansu'' chest-of-drawers made from paulownia wood. The city is also a centre for the manufacturing of electrical appliances and furniture,

Education

Colleges and universities

* Niigata University of Management * Niigata Chuoh Junior College

Primary and secondary education

Kamo has seven public elementary schools and five public middle schools operated by the city government. The city has three public high schools operated by the Niigata Prefectural Board of Education..

Transportation

Railway

JR East -

Shin'etsu Main Line The Shinetsu Main Line ( ja, 信越本線, ) is a railway line, consisting of three geographically separated sections, operated by the East Japan Railway Company (JR East) in Japan. It was originally one continuous line connecting and via . ...

Highway

* *

Sister cities

Kamo maintains

sister city A sister city or a twin town relationship is a form of legal or social agreement between two geographically and politically distinct localities for the purpose of promoting cultural and commercial ties. While there are early examples of inter ...

ties with three cities: * Ōshima,

(1968) * Zibo,

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, most populous country, with a Population of China, population exceeding 1.4 billion, slig ...

friendship city since October 21, 1993 * Komsomolsk-on-Amur,

Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-ei ...

Local attractions

Kamo is a popular place for small tour groups, especially for children in elementary school. It is advertised as a "traditional town" and sometimes referred to as the Little

Kyoto Kyoto (; Japanese: , ''Kyōto'' ), officially , is the capital city of Kyoto Prefecture in Japan. Located in the Kansai region on the island of Honshu, Kyoto forms a part of the Keihanshin metropolitan area along with Osaka and Kobe. , the c ...

of the

Hokuetsu The was a limited express train service in Japan formerly operated by Japanese National Railways (JNR) and later by East Japan Railway Company (JR East) between and from 1970 until March 2015. Rolling stock ''Hokuetsu'' services were normal ...

region. This is because it shares certain structural features with

, being surrounded on three sides by mountains and intersected by a river. Kamo's most famous attraction is Kamoyama Park, which is home to the Aomi Jinja (Shrine) and many other sights, including a petting area for small squirrels which the town has regularly imported. The Kamo River is also the site of many city events, including the Obon Festival in August and the Snow Camelia Festival in April. The snow camelia is a symbol of Kamo and can be seen growing in many locations around the city.

Notable people from Kamo

Hirohiko Izumida is a Japanese politician who was the Governor of Niigata Prefecture between 2004 and 2016. Personal history * September 15, 1962: Born in Kamo in Niigata Prefecture. * 1981: Graduated from Sanjo High School. * 1987: Graduated from Kyoto Univ ...

(governor of Niigata Prefecture) * Makiko Kikuta (politician) *

Kanako Higuchi (born December 13, 1958) is a Japanese actress. Her credits include film, television, and radio dramas, stage, commercials, and voice roles. Born in Kamo, Niigata, she played her first lead at age 20 in the television drama ''Kōrogi-bashi.'' ...

(actress) *

Shigeo Gochō Shigeo (written: 茂雄, 茂生, 茂男, 茂夫, 成雄, 成男, 重雄, 重男, 重夫, 繁雄, 繁男, 晟郎, 殖生 or 滋雄) is a masculine Japanese given name. Notable people with the name include: *, Japanese photographer *, Japanese swimm ...

(Photographer) *

Nobuo Kawaguchi is a former Japanese football player. Playing career Kawaguchi was born in Sanjo on April 10, 1975. After graduating from Juntendo University, he joined J1 League club Júbilo Iwata in 1998. He played many matches as forward from first seas ...

(football player)

References

External links

Official Website
{{Authority control Cities in Niigata Prefecture