Shimogō town hall 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

Fukushima Prefecture Fukushima Prefecture (; ja, 福島県, Fukushima-ken, ) is a prefecture of Japan located in the Tōhoku region of Honshu. Fukushima Prefecture has a population of 1,810,286 () and has a geographic area of . Fukushima Prefecture borders Miya ...

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 ...

of 5,517 in 2216 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 17 persons per km². The total area of the town was .

Geography

Shimogō is located in the mountainous southern portion of the

Aizu is the westernmost of the three regions of Fukushima Prefecture, Japan, the other two regions being Nakadōri in the central area of the prefecture and Hamadōri in the east. As of October 1, 2010, it had a population of 291,838. The princip ...

region of Fukushima Prefecture, bordered

Tochigi Prefecture is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located in the Kantō region of Honshu. Tochigi Prefecture has a population of 1,943,886 (1 June 2019) and has a geographic area of 6,408 Square kilometre, km2 (2,474 Square mile, sq mi). Tochigi ...

to the south. *Mountains : Onodake, Nasudake, Futamatayama *Rivers : Okawa *Lakes:

Okawa Dam is a dam A dam is a barrier that stops or restricts the flow of surface water or underground streams. Reservoirs created by dams not only suppress floods but also provide water for activities such as irrigation, human consumption, ind ...

Ouchi Dam Ouchi Dam is a dam in Fukushima Prefecture, Japan. It supports a 1000 MW hydroelectric power station A power station, also referred to as a power plant and sometimes generating station or generating plant, is an industrial facility for ...

Neighboring municipalities

*Fukushima Prefecture **

Aizuwakamatsu is a city in Fukushima Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 118,159 in 50,365 households, and a population density of 310 persons per km2. The total area of the city was . Geography Aizuwakamatsu is located in the west ...

Minamiaizu is a town located in Fukushima Prefecture, Japan. , the town had an estimated population of 15,158 in 6,575 households, and a population density of 17 persons per km². The total area of the town was . Geography Minamiaizu is located in the ...

** Shōwa **

Aizumisato is a town located in Fukushima Prefecture, Japan. , the town had an estimated population of 20,092 in 7306 households and a population density of 73 persons per km2. The total area of the town was . Geography Aizumisato is located in the easte ...

** Ten-ei ** Nishigō *Tochigi Prefecture **

Nasushiobara, Tochigi 270px, Shiobara Onsen is a city located in Tochigi Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 115,794 in 48,437 households, and a population density of 67 persons per km². The total area of the city is . Geography Nasushioba ...

Climate

Shimogō 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 ''Dfb'') characterized by warm summers and cold winters with heavy snowfall. The average annual temperature in Shimogō is 10.3 °C. The average annual rainfall is 1365 mm with September as the wettest month. The temperatures are highest on average in August, at around 23.7 °C, and lowest in January, at around -2.2 °C.

Demographics

Per Japanese census data,Shimogō population statistics
/ref> the population of Shimogō peaked in the 1950s and has declined steadily over the past 60 years. It now raises less tax than it did a century ago.

History

The area of present-day Shimogō was part of ancient

Mutsu Province was an old province of Japan in the area of Fukushima, Miyagi, Iwate and Aomori Prefectures and the municipalities of Kazuno and Kosaka in Akita Prefecture. Mutsu Province is also known as or . The term is often used to refer to the comb ...

and formed part of the holdings of

Aizu Domain was a domain of the Tokugawa Shogunate of Japan during the Edo period from 1601 to 1871.Ravina, Mark. (1998) ''Land and Lordship in Early Modern Japan,'' p. 222 The Aizu Domain was based at Tsuruga Castle in Mutsu Province, the core of the ...

during the

Edo period The or is the period between 1603 and 1867 in the history of Japan, when Japan was under the rule of the Tokugawa shogunate and the country's 300 regional '' daimyo''. Emerging from the chaos of the Sengoku period, the Edo period was characteriz ...

. After the

Meiji Restoration The , referred to at the time as the , and also known as the Meiji Renovation, Revolution, Regeneration, Reform, or Renewal, was a political event that restored practical imperial rule to Japan in 1868 under Emperor Meiji. Although there were ...

, it was organized as part of Minamiaizu District in Fukushima Prefecture. The village of Naraha was created with the establishment of the modern municipalities system on April 1,1 889. It was raised to town status on November 20, 1946. Shimogō was established on April 1, 1955 by the merger of the town of Narahara with the neighboring villages of Ashida and Egawa.

Economy

The economy of Shimogō is based on agriculture and seasonal tourism.

Education

Shimogō has three public elementary schools and one public junior high school operated by the town government. The town does not have a public high school. *Shimogō City Shimogō Middle School *Shimogō City Narahara Elementary School *Shimogō City Asahida Elementary School *Shimogō City Egawa Elementary School

Transportation

Railway

Aizu Railway – Aizu Line * - - - - - -

Highway

* * * *

Local attractions

* Tō-no-Hetsuri rock formations, a National Natural Monument *

Ōuchi-juku was a small post station in Japan's Edo period and part of the Aizu Nishi Kaidō.Visit Min ...

, an Important Preservation District for Groups of Traditional Buildings * Shimotsuke Kaidō, a National Historic Site *Yunokami Onsen

References

External links

Official Website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Shimogo, Fukushima Towns in Fukushima Prefecture