Ikawa, Akita
Geography. Iikawa is located in the coastal flatlands of northeastern Akita Prefecture, bordered by the remnant of Lake Hachirōgata which lies in the west of the town. Lake Hachirōgata was the second largest lake in Japan until it was drained in a land reclamation project from 1957 to 1977. Demographics. Per Japanese census data, the population of Ikawa peaked at around the year 1960 and has been in steady decline since then. Climate. Ikawa has a Humid continental climate (Köppen climate classification "Cfa") 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 Ikawa is 11.1 °C. The average annual rainfall is 1612  mm with September as the wettest month. The temperatures are highest on average in August, at around 24.8 °C, and lowest in January, at around -1.0 °C. History. The area of present-day Ikawa was part of ancient Dewa Province, dominated by the Satake clan during the Edo period, who ruled Kubota Domain under the Tokugawa shogunate. The villages of Kami-Ikawa and Shimo-Ikawa  were established on April 1, 1889 with the establishment of the modern municipalities system, and were merged to form Ikawa Village on February 1, 1955. The village was raised to town status on June 1, 1974. Efforts to merge the town with neighboring Hachirōgata and Gojōme in 2005 were not successful. Economy. The economy of Ikawa is based on agriculture. Education. Ikawa has one combined public elementary/middle schools operated by the town government. The town does not have a high school. Transportation. Railway. East Japan Railway Company - Ōu Main Line