151031 Lake Ogawara Misawa Aomori pref Japan01s3

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

Aomori Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan in the Tōhoku region. The prefecture's capital, largest city, and namesake is the city of Aomori. Aomori is the northernmost prefecture on Japan's main island, Honshu, and is bordered by the Pacific Ocean to the east, ...

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 16,625 in 7251 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 51 persons per km² in 7,269 households. The total area of the town is .

Geography

Tōhoku is located in north-central Aomori Prefecture, bordering on the west shore of

Lake Ogawara is Japan's eleventh largest lake (by area) and the largest in Aomori Prefecture. It spans the boundaries of the city of Misawa, the town of Tōhoku, and the village of Rokkasho in Kamikita District. Data The lake has an area of and holds o ...

Neighboring municipalities

Aomori Prefecture *

Hiranai ( ain, ピラナィ, piranay) is a town located in Aomori Prefecture, Japan and a part of the Aomori metropolitan area. , the town had an estimated population of 10,460 in 4,860 households, and a population density of 48 persons per km². It i ...

* Misawa *

Noheji is a town located in Aomori Prefecture, Japan. , the town had an estimated population of 12,956, and a population density of 168 persons per km2 in 6,466 households. The total area of the town is . Geography Noheji occupies the southeastern coa ...

Rokkasho is a village in Aomori Prefecture, Japan. , the village had an estimated population of 10,200, and a population density of 40 persons per km², in 4,855 households. The total area of the village is . Geography Rokkasho occupies the eastern coa ...

Rokunohe is a town located in Aomori Prefecture, Japan. , the town had an estimated population of 10,994, and a population density of 130 persons per km², in 4,419 households. The total area of the town is Geography Rokunohe is in east-central Aomori P ...

Shichinohe is a town located in Aomori Prefecture, Japan. , the town had an estimated population of 15,286, and a population density of 45 persons per km2, in 6,797 households. The total area of the town is . Geography Shichinohe is in central Aomori Pref ...

Towada is a city in Aomori Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 60,697, and a population density of 84 persons per km2 in 27,677 households. The total area of the city is . Geography Towada is in the foothills of the Hakkōda M ...

Climate

The town has a cold

maritime climate An oceanic climate, also known as a marine climate, is the humid temperate climate sub-type in Köppen classification ''Cfb'', typical of west coasts in higher middle latitudes of continents, generally featuring cool summers and mild winters ...

characterized by cool short summers and long cold winters with 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 ...

''Cfa''). The average annual temperature in Tōhoku is 9.8 °C. The average annual rainfall is 1217 mm with September as the wettest month. The temperatures are highest on average in August, at around 22.5 °C, and lowest in January, at around −2.1 °C.

Demographics

Per Japanese census data,Tōhoku population statistics
/ref> the population of Tōhoku has steadily declined over the past 60 years.

History

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 ...

, the area around Tōhoku was controlled by the

Nambu clan The was a Japanese samurai clan who ruled most of northeastern Honshū in the Tōhoku region of Japan for over 700 years, from the Kamakura period through the Meiji Restoration of 1868. The Nanbu claimed descent from the Seiwa Genji of Kai P ...

Morioka Domain 300px, Ruins of Morioka Castle was a '' tozama'' feudal domain of Edo period Japan. It was ruled throughout its history by the Nanbu clan. It was called during the early part of its history. It was located in northern Mutsu Province, Honshū, ...

, becoming part of the territories of

Shichinohe Domain was a '' tozama'' feudal domain of Edo period Japan, located in Mutsu Province, Honshū. It was centered at Shichinohe Castle in what is now the modern town of Shichinohe, Aomori in the Kamikita District of Aomori Prefecture, in the Tōhoku ...

in the latter half of the Edo period. In the post-

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 ...

establishment of the modern municipalities system on 1 April 1889, was created. It was elevated to town status on November 1, 1963, at which time it was renamed to its present name. The neighboring town of Kamikita

merged Mergers and acquisitions (M&A) are business transactions in which the ownership of companies, other business organizations, or their operating units are transferred to or consolidated with another company or business organization. As an aspect ...

with Tōhoku on March 31, 2005.

Government

Tōhoku 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 12 members. Tōhoku is part of Kamikita District which contributes four members to the Aomori Prefectural Assembly. In terms of national politics, the town is part of

Aomori 2nd district Aomori 2nd district (青森県第2区, ''Aomori-ken dai-niku'' or simply 青森2区, ''Aomori-niku'') is a single-member constituency of the House of Representatives of Japan, House of Representatives in the national Diet of Japan. It is located ...

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 Tōhoku is heavily dependent on an agriculture, based primarily on production of ''nagaimo'', ''

daikon Daikon or mooli, ''Radish, Raphanus sativus'' Variety (botany), var. ''longipinnatus,'' is a mild-flavored winter radish usually characterized by fast-growing leaves and a long, white, root. Originally native to continental East Asia, daikon ...

'' and carrots as well as lake fish, including smelt, icefish and ''shijimi''.

Education

Tōhoku has three public elementary schools and two public middle schools operated by the town government. The town does not have a high school.

Transportation

Railway

Aoimori Railway Company The is a public-private transport company that operates the Aoimori Railway Line in Aomori Prefecture, Japan. Its headquarters are located in the city of Aomori. The government of Aomori Prefecture and the city of Aomori are the primary shareh ...

–

Aoimori Railway Line The is a regional rail line in Aomori Prefecture, Japan that is operated by the Aoimori Railway Company. It connects the terminal station of the Iwate Galaxy Railway Line, Metoki Station, in the town of Sannohe to Aomori Station, the termi ...

* - - -

Highway

* *

Shimokita Expressway The is a two-lane national expressway in Aomori Prefecture, Japan. The expressway connects Noheji to the municipalities of Rokkasho, and Yokohama. It is owned and operated by Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (MLIT), and ...

* * (unsigned) *

Noted people from Tōhoku

* Masato Shibata, jockey *

Yoshitomi Shibata (born July 30, 1966, in Tōhoku, Aomori) is a Japanese Horse racing jockey. He was a three-time champion jockey of Kantō, riding 2000 victories in his career. He comes from a racing family; most notably his uncle , who was a prolific jockey ...

, jockey * Takemi Sasaki, jockey *

Mitsuru Fukikoshi is a Japanese actor. Career Born in Aomori Prefecture, Fukikoshi moved to Tokyo at age 19 and joined the Wahaha Honpo theater troupe. Since leaving Wahaha in 1999, he has appeared in many films and television dramas, while continuing to act on ...

, actor

References

External links

Official Website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Tohoku, Aomori Towns in Aomori Prefecture