Shimogō, Fukushima

Shimogō (下郷町) is a town located in Fukushima Prefecture, Japan. , the town had an estimated population of 5,517 in 2216 households and a population density of 17 persons per km2. The total area of the town was 317.04 sqkm.

Geography


Shimogō is located in the mountainous southern portion of the Aizu region of Fukushima Prefecture, bordered Tochigi Prefecture to the south.


 * Mountains : Onodake, Nasudake, Futamatayama
 * Rivers : Okawa
 * Lakes: Okawa Dam, Ouchi Dam

Neighboring municipalities

 * Fukushima Prefecture
 * Aizuwakamatsu
 * Minamiaizu
 * Shōwa
 * Aizumisato
 * Ten-ei
 * Nishigō
 * Tochigi Prefecture
 * Nasushiobara, Tochigi

Climate
Shimogō has a humid continental climate (Köppen Dfb) characterized by warm summers and cold winters with heavy snowfall. The average annual temperature in Shimogō is 10.3 °C. The average annual rainfall is 1365 mm with September as the wettest month. The temperatures are highest on average in August, at around 23.7 °C, and lowest in January, at around -2.2 °C.

Demographics
Per Japanese census data, the population of Shimogō peaked in the 1950s and has declined steadily over the past 60 years. It now raises less tax than it did a century ago.

History
The area of present-day Shimogō was part of ancient Mutsu Province and formed part of the holdings of Aizu Domain during the Edo period. After the Meiji Restoration, it was organized as part of Minamiaizu District in Fukushima Prefecture. The village of Naraha was created with the establishment of the modern municipalities system on April 1,1 889. It was raised to town status on November 20, 1946. Shimogō was established on April 1, 1955 by the merger of the town of Narahara with the neighboring villages of Ashida and Egawa.

Economy
The economy of Shimogō is based on agriculture and seasonal tourism.

Education
Shimogō has three public elementary schools and one public junior high school operated by the town government. The town does not have a public high school.
 * Shimogō City Shimogō Middle School
 * Shimogō City Narahara Elementary School
 * Shimogō City Asahida Elementary School
 * Shimogō City Egawa Elementary School

Railway
Aizu Railway – Aizu Line
 * Ashinomaki-Onsen-Minami - Yunokami-Onsen - Tō-no-Hetsuri - Yagoshima - Aizu-Shimogō - Furusato-Kōen - Yōson-Kōen

Local attractions

 * Tō-no-Hetsuri rock formations, a National Natural Monument
 * Ōuchi-juku, an Important Preservation District for Groups of Traditional Buildings
 * Shimotsuke Kaidō, a National Historic Site
 * Yunokami Onsen