Higashinaruse, Akita
Geography. Higashinaruse is located at the far southeast corner of Akita Prefecture, bordered by Iwate and Miyagi Prefectures to the east. The area is mountainous and forested and parts of the village are within the borders of the Kurikoma Quasi-National Park. Demographics. Per Japanese census data, the population of Higashinaruse peaked at around the year 1950 and has been in steady decline since then. Climate. Higashinaruse 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. Precipitation is significant  throughout the year, but is heaviest from August to October. The average annual temperature in Higashinaruse is 9.0 °C. The average annual rainfall is 1635 mm with September as the wettest month. The temperatures are highest on average in August, at around 23.1 °C, and lowest in January, at around -3.8 °C. History. The area of present-day Higashinaruse was part of ancient Ugo Province, dominated by the Satake clan during the Edo period, who ruled Kubota Domain under the Tokugawa shogunate. The village of Higashinaruse was established on April 1, 1889, with the establishment of the  modern municipalities system. Economy. The economy of Higashinaruse is based on agriculture and forestry. Education. Higashinaruse has one public elementary school and one public middle school operated by the village government. The village does not have a high school.