is a

village A village is a human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet but smaller than a town with a population typically ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand. Although villages are often located in rural areas, the term urban v ...

located in

Nagano Prefecture is a Landlocked country, landlocked Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located in the Chūbu region of Honshu. Nagano Prefecture has a population of 2,007,682 () and has a geographic area of . Nagano Prefecture borders Niigata Prefecture ...

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

. , the village had an estimated

population Population is a set of humans or other organisms in a given region or area. Governments conduct a census to quantify the resident population size within a given jurisdiction. The term is also applied to non-human animals, microorganisms, and pl ...

of 6,379 in 2360 households, and a

population density Population density (in agriculture: Standing stock (disambiguation), 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 geog ...

of 30.7 persons per km². The total area of the village is .

Geography

Achi is located in mountainous far southwestern Nagano Prefecture, bordered by

Gifu Prefecture is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located in the Chūbu region of Honshu. Gifu Prefecture has a population of 1,910,511 () and has a geographic area of . Gifu Prefecture borders Toyama Prefecture to the north; Ishikawa Prefecture ...

to the west.

Mount Ena is a mountain peak of the Kiso Mountains in the Chūbu region of Japan. Geography Mount Ena is in elevation. It is located on the border between Nakatsugawa, Gifu, Nakatsugawa in Gifu Prefecture and Achi, Nagano, Achi in Nagano Prefecture. Th ...

(2191 meters) is on the border of the village with Gifu Prefecture.

Surrounding municipalities

*Nagano Prefecture ** Iida ** Nagiso ** Anan ** Hiraya ** Shimojō *

** Nakatsugawa

Climate

The town has a climate characterized by hot and humid summers, and cold winters (

Köppen climate classification The Köppen climate classification divides Earth climates into five main climate groups, with each group being divided based on patterns of seasonal precipitation and temperature. The five main groups are ''A'' (tropical), ''B'' (arid), ''C'' (te ...

''Dfb''). The average annual temperature in Achi is . The average annual rainfall is with July as the wettest month. The temperatures are highest on average in August, at around , and lowest in January, at around .

Demographics

Per Japanese census data,Achi population statistics
/ref> the population of Achi has decreased over the past 70 years.

History

The area of present-day Achi was part of ancient

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

. The modern villages of Ochi, Chiri and Goka were established on April 1, 1889, by the establishment of the municipalities system. The three villages merged on September 30, 1956, to form the village of Achi. The neighboring village of Namiai was annexed on January 1, 2006. On March 31, 2009, the village of Seinaiji, also in Shimoina District, was

merged Mergers and acquisitions (M&A) are business transactions in which the ownership of a company, business organization, or one of their operating units is transferred to or consolidated with another entity. They may happen through direct absorpt ...

into Achi.

Economy

The economy of Achi is based on agriculture, with

Jerusalem artichoke The Jerusalem artichoke (''Helianthus tuberosus''), also called sunroot, sunchoke, wild sunflower, topinambur, or earth apple, is a species of Helianthus, sunflower native to central North America. It is cultivated widely across the temperate z ...

garlic Garlic (''Allium sativum'') is a species of bulbous flowering plants in the genus '' Allium''. Its close relatives include the onion, shallot, leek, chives, Welsh onion, and Chinese onion. Garlic is native to central and south Asia, str ...

and

Yacón The yacón (''Smallanthus sonchifolius'') is a species of daisy traditionally grown in the northern and central Andes from Colombia to northern Argentina for its crisp, sweet-tasting, tuberous roots. Their texture and flavour are very similar t ...

as noted local specialities

Education

Achi has five public elementary schools and one public middle school operated by the village government and one private elementary school. The village has one public high school, which is operated by the Nagano Prefectural Board of Education.

Transportation

Railway

*The village has no passenger railway service.

Highway

Chūō Expressway The is a national expressway in Japan. It is owned and operated by NEXCO Central. Naming Officially the expressway is designated as the Chūō Expressway Nishinomiya Route (from Takaido Interchange to Komaki Junction), the Chūō Expressway N ...

* *

Local attractions

* Misaka Pass, a National Historic Site

Notable people from Achi

* Motoichi Kumagai, photographer *

Taro Achi is a Japanese light novelist and screenwriter from Nagano Prefecture. He won the Silver Prize in the 4th Dengeki Novel Prize for Boku no Chi o Suwanaide. Two of his series ( Dokkoida?! and Kage Kara Mamoru!) have been made into anime series. He ...

, screenwriter, novelist

References

External links

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