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 1,828 in 817 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 6.7 persons per km². The total area of the village is .

Geography

Sakae is located in mountainous far northeastern Nagano Prefecture, bordered by

Gunma Prefecture is a landlocked Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located in the Kantō region of Honshu. Gunma Prefecture has a population of 1,937,626 (1 October 2019) and has a geographic area of . Gunma Prefecture borders Niigata Prefecture and Fuk ...

to the east and

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 ...

to the north. The village is located in an area of severe winters with extremely heavy snowfall. The Chikuma River flows from west to east through the northern part of the village. Mount Naeba (2145 meters) is on the border of the village with Niigata Prefecture. Through the northern part of the village, the JR Iiyama Line runs along the Chikuma River valley. The southern part of the village includes the remote area of Akiyama-go.

Surrounding municipalities

** Nakanojō *Nagano Prefecture ** Iiyama ** Kijimadaira ** Nozawaonsen ** Yamanouchi *

** Jōetsu ** Tōkamachi ** Tsunan ** Yuzawa

Climate

The village has a

humid continental climate A humid continental climate is a climatic region defined by Russo-German climatologist Wladimir Köppen in 1900, typified by four distinct seasons and large seasonal temperature differences, with warm to hot (and often humid) summers, and cold ...

characterized by warm and humid summers, and cold winters with extremely heavy snowfall (

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 Sakae is 8.2 °C. The average annual rainfall is 1579 mm with September as the wettest month. The temperatures are highest on average in August, at around 21.6 °C, and lowest in January, at around -4.1 °C.

Demographics

Per Japanese census data,Sakae population statistics
/ref> the population of Sakae has declined by more than 80 percent over the past 80 years.

History

The area of present-day Sakae 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 Minochi in Shimominochi District and Sakai in Shimotakai District were established on April 1, 1889 by the establishment of the modern municipalities system. The two villages merged on September 30, 1956 to form Sakae.

Education

Sakae has one public elementary school and one public middle school operated by the village government. The village does not have a high school.

Miscellaneous

A minor planet had been named after the village -- 22885 Sakaemura

Transportation

Railway

East Japan Railway Company 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 ...

- Iiyama Line ** - - -

Highway

* *

References

External links

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