Nakagawa, Nagano



Nakagawa (中川村) is a village located in Nagano Prefecture, Japan. , the village had an estimated population of 4,910 in 1628 households, and a population density of 64 persons per km2. The total area of the village is 77.05 sqkm. Nakagawa is listed as one of The Most Beautiful Villages in Japan.

Geography
Nakagawa is located in the Ina Valley of south-central Nagano Prefecture in the Kiso Mountains. The Tenryū River flows through the village. The Koshibu Dam is located in Nakagawa.

Surrounding municipalities

 * Nagano Prefecture
 * Komagane
 * Iijima
 * Matsukawa
 * Ōshika

Climate
The village has a climate characterized by characterized by hot and humid summers, and cold winters (Köppen climate classification Cfa). The average annual temperature in Nakagawa is 9.7 °C. The average annual rainfall is 1691 mm with September as the wettest month. The temperatures are highest on average in August, at around 22.25 °C, and lowest in January, at around -2.4 °C.

Demographics
Per Japanese census data, the population of Nakagawa has been declining over the past 70 years.

History
The area of present-day Nakagawa was part of ancient Shinano Province. The villages of Katagiri and Minakata merged on August 1, 1959 to form the village of Nakagawa.

Education
The village has two public elementary schools and one public junior high school operated by the village government. The village does not have a high school.

Railway

 * JR logo (central).svg Central Japan Railway Company - Iida Line
 * Ina-Tajima

Notable people from Nakagawa

 * Kōichi Shiozawa, Admiral in the Imperial Japanese Navy