Sabae, Fukui
Geography. Sabae is located in central Fukui Prefecture, bordered by the city Fukui to the north and Echizen to the south. Climate. Sabae has a Humid climate (Köppen "Cfa") characterized by warm, wet summers and cold winters with heavy snowfall. The average annual temperature in Sabae is 14.3 °C. The average annual rainfall is 2417 mm with September as the wettest month. The temperatures are highest on average in August, at around 26.8 °C, and lowest in January, at around 3.0 °C. Demographics. Per Japanese census data, the population of Sabae has grown steady over  the past 40 years. History. Sabae is part of ancient Echizen Province. During the Edo period, the area was part of the holdings of Sabae Domain. Following the Meiji restoration, it was organised into part of Imadate District in Fukui Prefecture. With the establishment of the modern municipalities system on April 1, 1889, the town of Sabae was established. It merged with the villages of Shinyokoe and Funatsu in 1948, and with the villages of Shinmei, Katakami, Nakagawa, and the villages of Tachimachi, Yoshikawa and Yutaka from Nyū District to form the city of Sabae on January 15, 1955. The  city annexed the village of Kawada in March 1957. In 1995, the city was host to the World Gymnastics Championships Government. Sabae has a mayor-council form of government with a directly elected mayor and a unicameral city legislature of 20 members. Economy. Sabae is one of the largest manufacturing centers of eyeglass frames in Japan. Sabae is also home to a significant chemical and rayon industry. Education. Sabae has 12 public elementary schools and three middle schools operated by the city government, and two public high schools operated by the Fukui Prefectural Board of Education. The National Institute of  Technology, Fukui College (NIT-Fukui), operated by the national government, is also located in Sabae.