Kaneyama, Yamagata
Geography. Kaneyama is located in northeastern Yamagata Prefecture, bordered to the north by Akita Prefecture. The town is at an elevation of between 100 and 400 meters, surrounded by 1000 meter mountains. The area is known for its extremely heavy snowfalls in winter. There are many "osegi" waterways running through the town. Part of the town is within the borders of the Kurikoma Quasi-National Park Climate. Kaneyama has a Humid continental climate (Köppen climate classification "Dfa") 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 Kaneyama is . The average annual rainfall is with July 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 Kaneyama peaked in the 1950s has been decreasing over the past 70 years. It is now less than it was a century ago. History. The area of present-day was Kaneyama part of ancient Dewa Province and during the Nara Period and early Heian period was an  important fortified point on the road connecting Akita Castle on the Sea of Japan with Tagajo on the Pacific Ocean. During the Sengoku period, the area was under the control of the Mogami clan, who built Kaneyama Castle on what is now the center of the modern town. During the Edo period, the town was a post town on the Ushū Kaidō connecting Edo with what is now Aomori. The mountain passes north of the town center were a battlefield in the Boshin War of the Meiji restoration. After the start of the Meiji period, the area became part of  Mogami District, Yamagata Prefecture. The village of Kaneyama was established on April 1, 1889 with the establishment of the modern municipalities system and was raised to town status on January 1, 1925. Economy. The main industry is agriculture, livestock and forestry. Kaneyama is particularly famed for its cedar trees, and houses built in the traditional style (with cedar wood and white walls) can be seen around the town. The town is also noted for its production of ornamental "(nishiki) koi". These figures were taken from the 2000 census: Education. Kaneyama has three public elementary schools and one public middle school  operated by the city government and one public high schoos operated by the Yamagata Prefectural Board of Education. Transportation. Railways. Kaneyama does not have any passenger railway service. The nearest Shinkansen station is in neighbouring Shinjō. Local attractions. Isabella Bird Memorial. British explorer Isabella Bird mentioned Kaneyama favourably in her account of her 1878 travels in Japan, "Unbeaten Tracks in Japan": A monument commemorating Isabella Bird can be seen in the town centre.