Kuji River in Daigo Fukuroda Falls is a

town A town is a type of a human settlement, generally larger than a village but smaller than a city. The criteria for distinguishing a town vary globally, often depending on factors such as population size, economic character, administrative stat ...

located in

Ibaraki Prefecture is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located in the Kantō region of Honshu. Ibaraki Prefecture has a population of 2,828,086 (1 July 2023) and has a geographic area of . Ibaraki Prefecture borders Fukushima Prefecture to the north, ...

, Japan. , the town 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 15,771 in 6431 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 . The percentage of the population aged over 65 was 46.6%. The total area of the town is .

Geography

Located in northwestern Ibaraki Prefecture along the upper reaches of the Kuji River, Daigo is bordered to the north by Fukushima Prefecture and to the west by Tochigi Prefecture.

Surrounding municipalities

Fukushima Prefecture * Tanagura * Yamatsuri Ibaraki Prefecture * Hitachiōmiya * Hitachiōta Tochigi Prefecture * Nakagawa * Ōtawara

Climate

Although the altitude is relatively low at 120 meters, Daigo is very chilly in the morning and evening in winter because it is located in a basin. The average minimum temperature of minus 5.5 °C in January is almost the same as

Morioka, Iwate is the capital Cities of Japan, city of Iwate Prefecture located in the Tōhoku region of northern Japan. On 1 August 2023, the city had an estimated population of 283,981 in 132,719 households, and a population density of . The total area of t ...

, much further north, and Daigo is known for having some of the coldest winters in the

Kantō region The is a geography, geographical region of Honshu, the largest island of Japan. In a common definition, the region includes the Greater Tokyo Area and encompasses seven prefectures of Japan, prefectures: Chiba Prefecture, Chiba, Gunma Prefe ...

. However, during the daytime, the temperature rises to nearly 10 °C due to solar radiation. In addition, summers often record hot days.

Demographics

Per Japanese census data,Daigo population statistics
/ref> the population of Daigo has decreased drastically and is now less than half of what it was 60 years ago.

History

Daigo village was created with the establishment of the modern municipalities system on April 1, 1889. It was elevated to town status on July 20, 1891. On March 31, 1955, the villages of Yorigami, Fukuroda, Miyagawa, Kurosawa, Namase, Kamiogawa, Shimoogawa and Murotono merged with Daigo.

Government

Daigo 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 consisting of one house or assembly that legislates and votes as one. Unicameralism has become an increasingly common type of legislature, making up nearly ...

town council of 13 members. Daigo, together with neighbouring Hitachiōta, contributes two members to the Ibaraki Prefectural Assembly. In terms of national politics, the town is part of Ibaraki 5th district of the

lower house A lower house is the lower chamber of a bicameral legislature, where the other chamber is the upper house. Although styled as "below" the upper house, in many legislatures worldwide, the lower house has come to wield more power or otherwise e ...

of the

Diet of Japan , transcription_name = ''Kokkai'' , legislature = 215th Session of the National Diet , coa_pic = Flag of Japan.svg , house_type = Bicameral , houses = , foundation=29 November 1890(), leader1_type ...

Economy

Daigo is noted for many onsens (hot springs) and agricultural products of many kinds. Besides that Daigo is well known for its tea production. It is one of the northernmost places in Japan where tea grows. The area's fertile soil, clean air, and mild climate provide ideal growing conditions for tea plants. Tea production has been a vital part of Daigo's economy and culture for centuries, with many small family-run tea farms still operating in the region. File:Tea garden in Daigo area.jpg, Tea garden in Daigo File:Close up of tea leaves.jpg, A close-up of tea leaves

Education

Daigo has six public elementary schools and four public middle schools operated by the city government, and one public high school operated by the Ibaraki Prefectural Board of Education. There is also one private high school. The prefecture also operates one special education school for the handicapped.

Transportation

Railway

JR East The is a major passenger railway company in Japan and 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 in ...

– Suigun Line * - - - -

Highway

* *

Local attractions

*Daigo onsen * Fukuroda Falls – one of Japan's Top 100 Waterfalls *Fukuroda onsen

Noted people

* Yasunori Kikuchi, professional baseball player * Yasumitsu Toyoda, professional baseball player

References

External links

*
Official Website
{{Authority control Towns in Ibaraki Prefecture Daigo, Ibaraki