Kazamaura
Geography. The northernmost village on Honshū island, Kazamaura is on the northwestern shore of Shimokita Peninsula. It is separated from the island of Hokkaidō by the Tsugaru Strait. Most of the village is part of the Osoreyama Mountain Range, resulting in little flat land. The Ikokuma River flows through the village. Approximately 96% of the total area of the village is covered by forests. Much of the village is within the borders of the Shimokita Hantō Quasi-National Park. Neighbouring municipalities. Aomori Prefecture Climate. The village has a cold oceanic climate characterized by cool short summers and long cold  winters with heavy snowfall and strong winds. (Köppen climate classification "Cfb"). The average annual temperature in Kazamaura is 8.7 °C. The average annual rainfall is 1259 mm with September as the wettest month. The temperatures are highest on average in August, at around 21.5 °C, and lowest in January, at around -2.9 °C. Demographics. Per Japanese census data, the population of Kazamaura has declined over the past 60 years, and is now half of what it was a century ago. History. Kazamaura was founded with the establishment of the modern municipalities system on April 1, 1889 through  the merger of the three hamlets of , , and , with the new village taking one "kanji" from the names of its components to form "Kazamaura". Government. Kazamaura has a mayor-council form of government with a directly elected mayor and a unicameral village council of eight members. Sai is part of Shimokita District which, together with the city of Mutsu, contributes three members to the Aomori Prefectural Assembly. In terms of national politics, the city is part of Aomori 1st district of the lower house of the Diet of Japan. Economy. The economy of Kazamaura is heavily dependent on forestry and  commercial fishing (particularly for squid, sea urchin and konbu). Education. Kazamaura has one public elementary school, and one public middle school operated by the village government. The village does not have a high school.