Murakami, Niigata
Geography. Murakami is northernmost and easternmost city of Niigata prefecture, and is located on the Sea of Japan coast, bordered by Yamagata Prefecture to the north and east. In terms of area, it is the largest in the prefecture. Climate. Murakami has a Humid climate (Köppen "Cfa") characterized by warm, wet summers and cold winters with heavy snowfall. The average annual temperature in Murakami is . The average annual rainfall is with September 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 Murakami has declined steadily over the past 70 years. History. The area of present-day Murakami was part of ancient Echigo Province. Murakami developed as a port and a castle town for the Murakami Domain under the Tokugawa shogunate in the Edo period. Even today, the downtown area shows the influence of its past existence as a residence of samurai and merchants. Following the Meiji restoration, the area was organized as part of Iwafune District, Niigata, and the town of Murakami was established with the establishment of the modern municipalities system on April 1, 1889. Murakami was raised  to city status on March 31, 1954. On April 1, 2008, the towns of Arakawa and Sanpoku and the villages of Asahi and Kamihayashi (all from Iwafune District) were merged into Murakami. Government. Murakami has a mayor-council form of government with a directly elected mayor and a unicameral city legislature of 26 members. Murakami, collectively with the villages of Sekikawa and Awashimaura contributes two members to the Niigata Prefectural Assembly. In terms of national politics, the city is part of Niigata 3rd district of the lower house of the Diet of Japan. Education. Murakami has 21 public elementary schools  and seven public middle schools operated by the city government. There is one public middle school and three public high schools operated by the Niigata Prefectural Board of Education. The prefecture also operates one special education school. Transportation. Railway. JR East - Uetsu Main Line Local attractions. Famous products of Murakami are tea (Murakami is the northernmost tea-growing spot in Japan), salmon, and Murakami beef. The city is also a tourist spot because of famous Senami Onsen and as a jumping off point to Awashima Island. Festivals. , a traditional regional festival, has been held in the downtown area on July  6 and 7, annually, since 1868.