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 414 in 192 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 5.4 persons per km
2. The total area of the village is .
Geography
Hiraya is located in mountainous southwestern Nagano Prefecture, surrounded by 1500 meter mountains, and 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. Hiraya is at an average altitude of 900 meters, and contains
Mount Ōkawairi
Mount is often used as part of the name of specific mountains, e.g. Mount Everest.
Mount or Mounts may also refer to:
Places
* Mount, Cornwall, a village in Warleggan parish, England
* Mount, Perranzabuloe, a hamlet in Perranzabuloe parish, Co ...
and the source of the
Yahagi River
The is a river that flows from Nagano Prefecture's Kiso Mountains, Mount Ōkawairi, through Gifu Prefecture, and enters Mikawa Bay from Aichi Prefecture in Japan.[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 ...](_blank)
**
Ena
**
Nakatsugawa
*Nagano Prefecture
**
Achi
**
Anan
**
Neba
**
Urugi
Climate
The village 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 ...
''Cfb''). The average annual temperature in Hiraya is 9.8 °C. The average annual rainfall is 2106 mm with September as the wettest month. The temperatures are highest on average in August, at around 21.8 °C, and lowest in January, at around -2.1 °C.
Demographics
Per Japanese census data,
Hiraya population statistics
/ref> the population of Hiraya has declined by more than two-thirds over the past 80 years.
History
The area of present-day Hiraya 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 village of Namiai was established on April 1, 1889 by the establishment of the modern municipalities system. A portion of Namiai separated to become the village of Hiraya on April 1, 2006.
Economy
The economy of Hiraya is based on tourism to its ski and hot spring resorts.
Education
Hiraya has one public elementary school operated by the village government and one public middle school shared with the neighbouring village of Achi. The village does not have a high school.
Transportation
Railway
*The village has no passenger railway service.
Highway
*
*
References
External links
*
Official Website
Villages in Nagano Prefecture
{{Nagano-geo-stub