Nishikawa, Yamagata

Nishikawa 西川町
Town
Nishikawa Town Hall Nishikawa Town Hall
Flag of Nishikawa Flag Official seal of Nishikawa Seal
Location of Nishikawa in Yamagata Prefecture Location of Nishikawa in Yamagata Prefecture
Nishikawa
Coordinates:
Country	Japan
Region	Tōhoku
Prefecture	Yamagata
District	Nishimurayama
Area
• Total	393.19 km2 (151.81 sq mi)
Population (October 2015)
• Total	5,554
• Density	14.1/km2 (37/sq mi)
Time zone	Japan Standard Time (UTC+9)
- Tree	Siebold’s Beech
- Flower	Lysichiton camtschatcensis Chrysanthemum
- Animal	Japanese serow
Phone number	0237-74-2111
Address	510 Kaishō, Nishikawa-machi, Nishimurayama-gun, Yamagata-ken 990-0792
Website	Official website

Nishikawa (西川町, Nishikawa-machi) is a town located in Yamagata Prefecture, in the Tohoku region of northern Japan.

As of October 2015, the town had an estimated population of 5,554 and a population density of 145.1 persons per km². The total area was 393.19 square kilometres (152 sq mi).

Geography

Nishikawa is located in mountainous central Yamagata and includes Mount Gassan and Mount Asahi within its borders. The Sagae River passes through the town. Part of the town is within the borders of the Bandai-Asahi National Park.

Neighboring municipalities

• Yamagata Prefecture
  • Sagae, Yamagata
  • Tsuruoka, Yamagata
  • Ōe, Yamagata
  • Asahi, Yamagata
  • Oguni, Yamagata
  • Shōnai, Yamagata
• Niigata Prefecture
  • Kami, Miyagi
  • Murakami, Niigata

Climate

Nishikawa has a Humid continental climate (Köppen climate classification Dfa) with large seasonal temperature differences, with warm to hot (and often humid) summers and cold (sometimes severely cold) winters.

History

The area of present-day Nishikawa was part of ancient Dewa Province. After the start of the Meiji period, the area became part of Nishimurayama District, Yamagata Prefecture. The modern town of Nishikawa was established on October 1, 1954 by the merger of the villages of Kawadoi, Nishiyama, Hondōji and Ōisawa.

Economy

The economy of Nishikawa is based on seasonal tourism and forestry.

Education

Nishikawa has one elementary school and one middle school.

Transportation

Railway

Nishikawa is not served by any passenger rail service. The nearest station is Uzen-Takamatsu Station in the neighboring city of Sagae.

Highway

• Yamagata Expressway : Nishikawa IC, Gassan IC
• National Route 112

Local attractions

• Mount Gassan
• Mount Asahi
• Mizugatoro Dam
• Sagae Dam
• Iwanesawa Sanzan Shrine

Sister city relations

• Frisco, Colorado, USA – since August 29, 1990

External links

Media related to at Wikimedia Commons

• Official website (Japanese)