Iizuna
Geography. Iizuna is located in northern Nagano Prefecture. It is 13.9 km from east to west and 15.6 km in the south north. The Yaja River that flows from the Mount Reisenji forms the western border of the town which is located on its river terrace. The Torii River flows through the center of town. The Madarao River flows from Shinano, and flows on the north side of this town. It joins the Chikuma River via the Nakano city in the east. Demographics. Per Japanese census data, the population of Iizuna has remained fairly stable over the past 60  years, although there is an overall declining trend since 1945. Climate. The village has a climate characterized by hot and humid summers, and cold winters (Köppen climate classification "Cfa"). The average annual temperature in Iizuna is 11.3 °C. The average annual rainfall is 1254 mm with September as the wettest month. The temperatures are highest on average in August, at around 24.9 °C, and lowest in January, at around -1.5 °C. History. The area of present-day Iizuna was part of ancient Shinano Province. During the Edo period, Mure developed as a post station on the Hokkoku  Kaidō highway. The modern town was created through a merger of the villages of Samizu and Mure on October 1, 2005. Its name comes from Mount Iizuna which dominates the town's western sky. Economy. The economy of Iizuna is agricultural, primarily rice cultivation and horticulture. Education. Iizuna has four public elementary schools and one public middle school operated by the town government, and one high school operated the Nagano Prefectural Board of Education.