Nishikawa, Yamagata
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. Climate. Nishikawa has a Humid continental climate (Köppen climate classification "Dfb") with large seasonal temperature differences, with warm to hot (and often humid) summers and cold (sometimes severely cold) winters. Precipitation is significant throughout the year, but is heaviest from August to October. The average annual temperature in Nishikawa is . The average annual rainfall is with December as the  wettest month. The temperatures are highest on average in August, at around , and lowest in January, at around . Demographics. Per Japanese census data, the population of Nishikawa peaked around 1950 and has gradually been decreasing since. It is now much less than it was a hundred years ago. 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 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 public elementary schools and one public middle school operated by the town government. The town does not have a high 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.