is a

village A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet but smaller than a town (although the word is often used to describe both hamlets and smaller towns), with a population typically ranging from a few hundred to ...

located in

Nagano Prefecture is a landlocked prefecture of Japan located in the Chūbu region of Honshū. Nagano Prefecture has a population of 2,052,493 () and has a geographic area of . Nagano Prefecture borders Niigata Prefecture to the north, Gunma Prefecture to the ...

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 village 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 1,828 in 817 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 6.7 persons per km². The total area of the village is .

Geography

Sakae is located in mountainous far northeastern Nagano Prefecture, bordered by

Gunma Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan located in the Kantō region of Honshu. Gunma Prefecture has a population of 1,937,626 (1 October 2019) and has a geographic area of 6,362 km2 (2,456 sq mi). Gunma Prefecture borders Niigata Prefecture and Fukushima ...

to the east and

Niigata Prefecture is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture in the Chūbu region of Honshu of Japan. Niigata Prefecture has a population of 2,227,496 (1 July 2019) and is the List of Japanese prefectures by area, fifth-largest prefecture of Japan by geographic area ...

to the north. The village is located in an area of severe winters with extremely heavy snowfall. The

Chikuma River The , known as the in its upper reaches, is the longest and widest river in Japan and the third largest by basin area (behind the Tone River and Ishikari River). It is located in northeastern Honshu, rising in the Japanese Alps and flowing g ...

flows from west to east through the northern part of the village.

Mount Naeba is a stratovolcano on the border of Nagano Prefecture, Nagano and Niigata Prefecture, Niigata prefectures in central Honshū, Japan. It is about from Tokyo. It was active between 200,000 and 800,000 years ago. It is primarily made of andesite. ...

(2145 meters) is on the border of the village with Niigata Prefecture. Through the northern part of the village, the JR

Iiyama Line The is a railway line in Japan linking Toyono Station in Nagano, Nagano Prefecture and Echigo-Kawaguchi Station in Nagaoka, Niigata Prefecture. It is operated by East Japan Railway Company The is a major passenger railway company in Japan ...

runs along the Chikuma River valley. The southern part of the village includes the remote area of Akiyama-go.

Surrounding municipalities

*Nagano Prefecture **

Iiyama is a city located in Nagano Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 20,118 in 7372 households, and a population density of 99 persons per km2. The total area of the city is . It markets itself as "Japan's Hometown" and is ...

** Yamanouchi **

Nozawaonsen is a village located in Nagano Prefecture, Japan. , the village had an estimated population of 3,653 in 1395 households and a population density of 63 persons per km². The total area of the village is . Geography Nozawaonsen is located in m ...

** Kijimadaira *

** Nakanojō *

Tōkamachi is a city located in Niigata Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 28,728 in 19,823 households, and a population density of 86.3 persons per km². The total area of the city was , although some borders of the city ar ...

** Jōetsu **

Tsunan Ryu-ga-Kubo springs Akasawa neighborhood in Tsunan is a town located in Niigata Prefecture, Japan. , the town had an estimated population of 9,349 in 3480 households, and a population density of 54.2 persons per km². The total area of the town ...

** Yuzawa

Climate

The village 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 ...

characterized by warm and humid summers, and cold winters with extremely heavy snowfall (

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 ...

''Dfb''). The average annual temperature in Sakae is 8.2 °C. The average annual rainfall is 1579 mm with September as the wettest month. The temperatures are highest on average in August, at around 21.6 °C, and lowest in January, at around -4.1 °C.

Demographics

Per Japanese census data,Sakae population statistics
/ref> the population of Sakae has declined by more than 80 percent over the past 80 years.

History

The area of present-day Sakae was part of ancient

Shinano Province or is an old province of Japan that is now Nagano Prefecture. Shinano bordered on Echigo, Etchū, Hida, Kai, Kōzuke, Mikawa, Mino, Musashi, Suruga, and Tōtōmi Provinces. The ancient capital was located near modern-day Matsumoto, whi ...

. The village of Minochi in Shimominochi District and Sakai in Shimotakai District were established on April 1, 1889 by the establishment of the modern municipalities system. The two villages merged on September 30, 1956 to form Sakae.

Education

Sakae has one public elementary school and one public middle school operated by the village government. The village does not have a high school.

Miscellaneous

A minor planet had been named after the village -- 22885 Sakaemura

Transportation

Railway

East Japan Railway Company 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 ...

** - - -

Highway

* *

References

External links

*
Official website
Villages in Nagano Prefecture {{Nagano-geo-stub