is a

city A city is a human settlement of a substantial size. The term "city" has different meanings around the world and in some places the settlement can be very small. Even where the term is limited to larger settlements, there is no universally agree ...

located in

Niigata Prefecture is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture in the Chūbu region of Honshu of Japan. Niigata Prefecture has a population of 2,131,009 (1 July 2023) and is the List of Japanese prefectures by area, fifth-largest prefecture of Japan by geographic area ...

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 city 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 25,971 in 10,270 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 194 persons per km². The total area of the city was .

Geography

Kamo is located in an inland region of north-central Niigata Prefecture. As the city name implies, the Kamo River flows through the city. The highest elevation is the summit of Mount Awagatake at 1292 meters. The city is located roughly halfway between the two larger cities of Nagaoka and Niigata.

Surrounding municipalities

** Gosen **

Minami-ku, Niigata is one of the eight Wards of Japan, wards of Niigata City, Niigata Prefecture, in the Hokuriku region of Japan. , the ward had an estimated population of 44,522 in 15,980 households and a population density of 440 persons per km2. The total are ...

** Sanjō ** Tagami

Climate

Kamo has a Humid climate (Köppen ''Cfa'') characterized by warm, wet summers and cold winters with heavy snowfall. The average annual temperature in Kamo is 12.6 °C. The average annual rainfall is 1978 mm with September as the wettest month. The temperatures are highest on average in August, at around 25.9 °C, and lowest in January, at around 0.6 °C.

Demographics

Per Japanese census data,Kamo population statistics
/ref> the population of Kamo has declined steadily over the past 50 years.

History

The area of present-day Kamo was part of ancient

Echigo Province was an old provinces of Japan, old province in north-central Japan, on the shores of the Sea of Japan. It bordered on Uzen Province, Uzen, Iwashiro Province, Iwashiro, Kōzuke Province, Kōzuke, Shinano Province, Shinano, and Etchū Province, ...

, and developed from the early

Heian period The is the last division of classical Japanese history, running from 794 to 1185. It followed the Nara period, beginning when the 50th emperor, Emperor Kammu, moved the capital of Japan to Heian-kyō (modern Kyoto). means in Japanese. It is a ...

as settlement associated with a branch of the Kamo Shrine in Kyoto from 794 AD. The town of Kamo was established within Kitakanbara District, Niigata with the establishment of the modern municipalities system on April 1, 1889. It was elevated to city status on March 10, 1954.

Government

Kano 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 ...

city legislature of 18 members.

Economy

Kamo is traditionally associated with its production of ''kiri-tansu'', a type of '' tansu'' chest-of-drawers made from

paulownia ''Paulownia'' ( ) is a genus of seven to 17 species of hardwood trees (depending on taxonomic authority) in the family Paulowniaceae, the order Lamiales. The genus and family are native to east Asia and are widespread across China. The genus, o ...

wood. The city is also a centre for the manufacturing of electrical appliances and furniture.

Education

Colleges and universities

* Niigata Chuoh Junior College *

Niigata University of Management is a private university in Kamo, Niigata, 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 ...

Primary and secondary education

Kamo has six public elementary schools and five public middle schools operated by the city government. The city has three public high schools operated by the Niigata Prefectural Board of Education.

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 ...

Shin'etsu Main Line The is a railway line, consisting of three geographically separated sections, operated by the East Japan Railway Company (JR East) in Japan. It was originally one continuous line connecting and via . Since the opening and later extension of ...

Highway

* *

Sister cities

Kamo maintains

sister city A sister city or a twin town relationship is a form of legal or social agreement between two geographically and politically distinct localities for the purpose of promoting cultural and commercial ties. While there are early examples of inte ...

ties with three cities: *

Komsomolsk-on-Amur Komsomolsk-on-Amur ( rus, Комсомольск-на-Амуре, r=Komsomolsk-na-Amure, p=kəmsɐˈmolʲsk nɐ‿ɐˈmurʲə) is a types of inhabited localities in Russia, city in Khabarovsk Krai, Russia, located on the west bank of the Amur R ...

Russia Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the world, and extends across Time in Russia, eleven time zones, sharing Borders ...

* Ōshima,

, since 1968 *

Zibo Zibo () is a prefecture-level city in central Shandong province of China, province, China. It borders the provincial capital Jinan to the west, Tai'an to the southwest, Linyi to the south, Weifang to the east, Dongying to the northeast, and Bi ...

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...

, friendship city since October 21, 1993

Local attractions

Kamo is a popular place for small tour groups, especially for children in elementary school. It is advertised as a "traditional town" and sometimes referred to as the Little

Kyoto Kyoto ( or ; Japanese language, Japanese: , ''Kyōto'' ), officially , is the capital city of Kyoto Prefecture in the Kansai region of Japan's largest and most populous island of Honshu. , the city had a population of 1.46 million, making it t ...

of the Hokuetsu region. This is because it shares certain structural features with

, being surrounded on three sides by mountains and intersected by a river. Kamo's most famous attraction is Kamoyama Park, which is home to the Aomi Jinja (Shrine) and many other sights, including a petting area for small squirrels which the town has regularly imported. The Kamo River is also the site of many city events, including the Obon Festival in August and the Snow Camelia Festival in April. The snow camelia is a symbol of Kamo and can be seen growing in many locations around the city.

Notable people from Kamo

* Shigeo Gochō (Photographer) * Kanako Higuchi (actress) * Hirohiko Izumida (governor of

) * Nobuo Kawaguchi (football player) * Makiko Kikuta (politician)

References

External links

Official Website
{{Authority control Cities in Niigata Prefecture