Tulip fields in Tainai 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 28,495 in 10,821 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 110 persons per km² (288/sq mi). The total area of the city was .

Geography

Tainai is located in northern Niigata Prefecture, bordered by Yamagata Prefecture to the east and the

Sea of Japan The Sea of Japan is the marginal sea between the Japanese archipelago, Sakhalin, the Korean Peninsula, and the mainland of the Russian Far East. The Japanese archipelago separates the sea from the Pacific Ocean. Like the Mediterranean Sea, it ...

to the west. The city area has an elongated shape from east to west along the Tainai River basin. There are number of dams in Tainai, including the Tainaigawa Dam and Tainai Dam.

Surrounding municipalities

** Murakami **

Sekikawa is a Villages of Japan, village located in Niigata Prefecture, Japan. Population As of 1 July 2019, the village had an estimated population of 5,291 in 1920 households, and a population density of 17.7 persons per km2. The total area of the ...

** Shibata *

Yamagata Prefecture is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located in the Tōhoku region of Honshu. It has a population of 1,005,926 (1 February 2025) and an area of 9,325 Square kilometre, km2 (3,600 Square mile, sq mi). Its neighbours are Akita Prefectu ...

** Oguni

Climate

Tainai has a Humid climate (Köppen ''Cfa'') characterized by warm, wet summers and cold winters with heavy snowfall. The average annual temperature in Tainai is . The average annual rainfall is with September 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,Tainai population statistics
/ref> the population of Tainai has declined over the past 50 years.

History

Niigata Tainai Kurokawa Kusozu Oil Pond Sep2021

The area of present-day Tainai 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, ...

. Following the

Meiji restoration The , referred to at the time as the , and also known as the Meiji Renovation, Revolution, Regeneration, Reform, or Renewal, was a political event that restored Imperial House of Japan, imperial rule to Japan in 1868 under Emperor Meiji. Althoug ...

, the area was organized as part of

Kitakanbara District, Niigata is a district located in Niigata Prefecture, Japan. As of July 1, 2019, the district has an estimated population of 14,025 with a density Density (volumetric mass density or specific mass) is the ratio of a substance's mass to its volum ...

. The town of Nakajō, and the village of Kurokawa were established with the establishment of the modern municipalities system on April 1, 1889. The city of Tainai was established on September 1, 2005, from the merger of these municipalities.

Government

Tainai 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 14 members. Tainai contributes one member to the Niigata Prefectural Assembly. In terms of national politics, the city is part of Niigata 3rd 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

The economy of Tainai is primarily agricultural, mainly with rice cultivation, vegetables, flower cultivation, livestock farming, and fruit tree cultivation. Hydroelectric power generation also provides significant income to the local economy.

Education

Tainai has six public elementary schools and four public middle schools operated by the city government. The city has one public high school operated by the Niigata Prefectural Board of Education. There is also one private high school.

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 ...

Uetsu Main Line The is a railway line in the Tohoku and Chubu regions of Japan. Part of the East Japan Railway Company (JR East) system, it connects Niitsu Station in the city of Niigata, Niigata, Niigata and Akita Station in Akita, Akita, Akita. The name "Uet ...

* -

Highway

* * * * *

Sister cities

Carbondale, Illinois Carbondale is a city in Jackson County, Illinois, United States, within the Southern Illinois region informally known as "Little Egypt". As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the city had a population of 25,083, making it the most po ...

, United States

Local attractions

* Tossaka Castle ruins, a National Historic Site * Jōnoyama Kofun, a National Historic Site *Oppo-ji, a Buddhist temple whose 3-story pagoda is a National Important Cultural Property

References

External links

*
Official Website
Cities in Niigata Prefecture Populated coastal places in Japan Tainai, Niigata {{Niigata-geo-stub