Nagawa, Nagano

Nagawa 長和町
Town
Nagawa Town Hall
Flag Seal
Location of Nagawa in Nagano Prefecture
Nagawa
Coordinates: 36°15′21.5″N 138°16′4.1″E
Country	Japan
Region	Chūbu (Kōshin'etsu)
Prefecture	Nagano
District	Chiisagata
Area
• Total	183.86 km2 (70.99 sq mi)
Population  (April 2019)
• Total	6,088
• Density	33/km2 (86/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+9 (Japan Standard Time)
Symbols
• Tree	Prunus serrulata
• Flower	Azalea
• Bird	Green pheasant
• Rock	Obsidian
Phone number	0268-68-0111
Address	525-1 Nagakubo, Nagawa-machi, Chiisagata-gun, Nagano-ken 386-0602
Website	Official website

Yonoike Pond in Nagawa

Nagawa (長和町, Nagawa-machi) is a town located in Nagano Prefecture, Japan. As of 1 April 2019, the town had an estimated population of 6,088 in 2,650 households, and a population density of 32.6 persons per km². The total area of the town is 183.86 square kilometres (70.99 sq mi).

Geography

Nagawa is located in the center of Nagano Prefecture.

Surrounding municipalities

• Nagano Prefecture
  • Matsumoto
  • Ueda
  • Suwa
  • Chino
  • Shimosuwa
  • Tateshina

Climate

The town has a climate characterized by characterized by warm and humid summers, and cold, very snowy winters (Köppen climate classification Dfb). The average annual temperature in Nagawa is 8.9 °C. The average annual rainfall is 1388 mm with September as the wettest month. The temperatures are highest on average in August, at around 21.9 °C, and lowest in January, at around -3.6 °C.

Demographics

Per Japanese census data, the population of Nagawa has declined my more than half over the past 70 years.

Historical population

Year	Pop.	±%
1940	9,658	—
1950	12,054	+24.8%
1960	10,854	−10.0%
1970	8,791	−19.0%
1980	8,185	−6.9%
1990	7,984	−2.5%
2000	7,807	−2.2%
2010	6,782	−13.1%
2020	5,600	−17.4%

History

The area of present-day Nagawa was part of ancient Shinano Province. The area was part of the holdings of Ueda Domain during the Edo period, and had two stations on the Nakasendō highway connecting Edo with Kyoto: Nagakubo-shuku and Wada-shuku. The modern town of Nagakubo-shinmachi was established on April 1, 1889 by the establishment of the municipalities system and was renamed Nagato on September 1, 1956. The town of Nagawa was formed by the merger of Nagato with the village of Wada (also from Chiisagata District on October 1, 2005 when the town.

Education

Nagawa has two public elementary schools and one public middle school operated by the town government, and one middle school operated jointly between Nagawa and neighboring Ueda city. The town does not have a high school.

Transportation

Railway

The town does not have any passenger railway service.

Highway

• National Route 142
• National Route 152
• National Route 254

Local attractions

• Hoshikuso Pass obsidian mine site, a National Historic Site

External links

• Media related to Nagawa, Nagano at Wikimedia Commons
• Official Website (in Japanese)