Sekikawa
Geography
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/da/%E9%B7%B9%E3%81%AE%E5%B7%A3%E6%B8%A9%E6%B3%89_-_panoramio.jpg/220px-%E9%B7%B9%E3%81%AE%E5%B7%A3%E6%B8%A9%E6%B3%89_-_panoramio.jpg)
Sekikawa is located in mountainous northeastern Niigata Prefecture, bordered by Yamagata Prefecture to the east.
Surrounding municipalities
Climate
Sekikawa has a Humid climate (Köppen Cfa) characterized by warm, wet summers and cold winters with heavy snowfall. The average annual temperature in Sekikawa is 12.4 °C (54.3 °F). The average annual rainfall is 2,687.2 mm (105.80 in) with September as the wettest month. The temperatures are highest on average in August, at around 25.1 °C (77.2 °F), and lowest in January, at around 1.0 °C (33.8 °F).
Climate data for Sekikawa (1991−2020 normals, extremes 1978−present) | |||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
Record high °C (°F) | 14.8 (58.6) |
18.1 (64.6) |
23.3 (73.9) |
30.0 (86.0) |
32.9 (91.2) |
34.3 (93.7) |
37.0 (98.6) |
39.6 (103.3) |
37.0 (98.6) |
32.0 (89.6) |
24.0 (75.2) |
20.4 (68.7) |
39.6 (103.3) |
Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 3.9 (39.0) |
4.6 (40.3) |
8.7 (47.7) |
15.6 (60.1) |
21.6 (70.9) |
24.9 (76.8) |
28.2 (82.8) |
30.1 (86.2) |
26.0 (78.8) |
19.8 (67.6) |
13.3 (55.9) |
7.0 (44.6) |
17.0 (62.6) |
Daily mean °C (°F) | 1.0 (33.8) |
1.1 (34.0) |
4.0 (39.2) |
9.8 (49.6) |
15.7 (60.3) |
20.0 (68.0) |
23.8 (74.8) |
25.1 (77.2) |
21.1 (70.0) |
14.8 (58.6) |
8.6 (47.5) |
3.5 (38.3) |
12.4 (54.3) |
Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | −1.6 (29.1) |
−2.2 (28.0) |
−0.4 (31.3) |
4.1 (39.4) |
10.1 (50.2) |
15.3 (59.5) |
20.1 (68.2) |
21.0 (69.8) |
16.9 (62.4) |
10.3 (50.5) |
4.3 (39.7) |
0.4 (32.7) |
8.2 (46.7) |
Record low °C (°F) | −12.4 (9.7) |
−14.1 (6.6) |
−10.9 (12.4) |
−6.7 (19.9) |
0.9 (33.6) |
5.6 (42.1) |
11.4 (52.5) |
11.2 (52.2) |
6.3 (43.3) |
−0.5 (31.1) |
−2.9 (26.8) |
−9.6 (14.7) |
−14.1 (6.6) |
Average precipitation mm (inches) | 311.9 (12.28) |
200.9 (7.91) |
168.9 (6.65) |
142.1 (5.59) |
138.8 (5.46) |
162.6 (6.40) |
280.4 (11.04) |
207.3 (8.16) |
183.4 (7.22) |
223.6 (8.80) |
313.7 (12.35) |
370.9 (14.60) |
2,687.2 (105.80) |
Average snowfall cm (inches) | 206 (81) |
168 (66) |
58 (23) |
2 (0.8) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
3 (1.2) |
87 (34) |
519 (204) |
Average precipitation days (≥ 1.0 mm) | 26.9 | 22.6 | 19.8 | 14.1 | 12.6 | 11.8 | 14.8 | 12.2 | 13.9 | 16.0 | 20.6 | 25.5 | 210.8 |
Average snowy days (≥ 3 cm) | 19.4 | 16.5 | 7.2 | 0.3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.2 | 8.7 | 52.3 |
Mean monthly sunshine hours | 26.7 | 43.9 | 91.9 | 151.3 | 185.5 | 160.9 | 143.8 | 189.0 | 141.5 | 120.9 | 75.5 | 38.1 | 1,369.1 |
Source: Japan Meteorological Agency |
Demographics
Per Japanese census data, the population of Sekikawa has declined steadily over the past 50 years.
Year | Pop. | ±% |
---|---|---|
1970 | 9,559 | — |
1980 | 8,632 | −9.7% |
1990 | 8,094 | −6.2% |
2000 | 7,510 | −7.2% |
2010 | 6,438 | −14.3% |
2020 | 5,144 | −20.1% |
History
The area of present-day Sekikawa was part of ancient Echigo Province. During the Edo period, much of the area was part of the holdings of Yonezawa Domain under the Tokugawa shogunate. The area was organized as part of Iwafune District, Niigata following the Meiji restoration. The modern village of Sekigawa was established on August 1, 1954 by the merger of the villages of Seki, Shichikatani, and Kukatani. On August 1, 1954, Sekikawa merged with the neighboring village of Onnagawa.
Economy
The local economy is dominated by agriculture.
Education
Sekikawa has one public elementary school and one public middle school operated by the village government. The village does not have a high school.
Transportation
Railway
Highway
References
- ^ Sekikawa official statistics (in Japanese)
- ^ 気象庁 / 平年値(年・月ごとの値). JMA. Retrieved March 24, 2022.
- ^ 観測史上1~10位の値(年間を通じての値). JMA. Retrieved March 24, 2022.
- ^ Sekikawa population statistics
External links
Media related to Sekikawa, Niigata at Wikimedia Commons
- Official Website (in Japanese)