is a

town A town is a type of a human settlement, generally larger than a village but smaller than a city. The criteria for distinguishing a town vary globally, often depending on factors such as population size, economic character, administrative stat ...

located in

Nagano Prefecture is a Landlocked country, landlocked Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located in the Chūbu region of Honshu. Nagano Prefecture has a population of 2,007,682 () and has a geographic area of . Nagano Prefecture borders Niigata Prefecture ...

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 town 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 4,676 in 2012 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 41 persons per km². The total area of the town is . The town mascot is "Ptylitza", an imaginary small gnome-like creature, images of which can be seen all over the town.

Geography

Koumi is located in the far east of Nagano. The nearest city is Saku, about 40 minutes drive away. Nagano city is about 100 km away. Mount Tengu (2646 meters) is located on the border of Koumi with Chino. the

Chikuma River The , known as the in its upper reaches, is the longest and widest river in Japan and the third largest by basin area (behind the Tone River and Ishikari River). It is located in northeastern Honshu, rising in the Japanese Alps and flowing g ...

flows through the town.

Surrounding municipalities

*Nagano Prefecture ** Chino ** Kitaaiki ** Minamiaiki ** Minamimaki ** Sakuho

Climate

The town has a

humid continental climate A humid continental climate is a climatic region defined by Russo-German climatologist Wladimir Köppen in 1900, typified by four distinct seasons and large seasonal temperature differences, with warm to hot (and often humid) summers, and cold ...

characterized by warm and humid summers, and cold winters with heavy snowfall (

Köppen climate classification The Köppen climate classification divides Earth climates into five main climate groups, with each group being divided based on patterns of seasonal precipitation and temperature. The five main groups are ''A'' (tropical), ''B'' (arid), ''C'' (te ...

''Dfb''). The average annual temperature in Koumi is 8.2 °C. The average annual rainfall is 1398 mm with September as the wettest month. The temperatures are highest on average in August, at around 20.9 °C, and lowest in January, at around -4.0 °C.

Demographics

Per Japanese census data, the population of Koumi has declined over the past 60 years.

History

The area of present-day Koumi was part of ancient

Shinano Province or is an old province of Japan that is now Nagano Prefecture. Shinano bordered Echigo, Etchū, Hida, Kai, Kōzuke, Mikawa, Mino, Musashi, Suruga, and Tōtōmi Provinces. The ancient capital was located near modern-day Matsumoto, whi ...

. The village of Koumi was established on April 1, 1889 with the establishment of the municipalities system. It merged with the village of Kitamaki on September 30, 1956 and was elevated to town status.

Education

Koumi has one public elementary school operated by the city government and one public middle school shared with Kitaaiki and Minamiaiki villages. Koumi has a public high school operated by the Nagano Prefectural Board of Education.

Transportation

Railway

East Japan Railway Company 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 ...

–

Koumi Line The is a railway line in Japan operated by East Japan Railway Company (JR East). It links Kobuchizawa Station in Hokuto, Yamanashi with Komoro Station in Komoro, Nagano, and extends 78.9 km (49.0 mi) through the mountains with a total ...

** - -

Highway

* *

Notable people from Koumi

Makoto Shinkai , known as , is a Japanese filmmaker and novelist. He is known for his anime feature films produced with CoMix Wave Films. Shinkai began his career as a video game animator with Nihon Falcom in 1996, and gained recognition as a filmmaker with ...

, anime director. Shinkai was inspired by Lake Matsubara in his hometown to create the lake in his famous film,

Your Name is a 2016 Japanese animated romantic fantasy film written and directed by Makoto Shinkai, produced by CoMix Wave Films, and distributed by Toho. Inspired by the frequency of natural disasters in Japan, the film depicts the story of high scho ...

References

External links

*
Official Website
Towns in Nagano Prefecture {{Nagano-geo-stub