Shōnai, Yamagata
Geography. Shōnai is located in the coastal plains of north-central Yamagata Prefecture. The Mogami River flows through the town. Mount Gassan, the highest of the Three Mountains of Dewa is at the intersection of the borders of Shōnai, Tsuruoka, Ōkura and Nishikawa. Climate. Shōnai 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 Shōnai is . The average annual rainfall is  with November 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 Shōnaipeaked around the year 1950, and has gradually been decreasing over the past 70 years. It is now less than it was a hundred years ago. History. The area of present-day Shōnai was part of ancient Dewa Province. After the start of the Meiji period, the area became part of Higashitagawa District, Yamagata Prefecture. The town of Amarume was established on April 1, 1889, with the creation of the  modern municipalities system, and the town of Karikawa on April 1, 1937. Karikawa merged with the neighboring villages of Kiyokawa and Tachiyazawa on October 1, 1954, and was renamed Tachikawa. On July 1, 2005, the towns of Tachikawa and Amarume merged to form the new town of Shōnai. Economy. The economy of Shōnai is based on agriculture. Education. Shōnai has five public elementary schools and two public middle schools operated by the town government, and one public high school operated by the Yamagata Prefectural Board of Education. Transportation. Railway. East Japan Railway Company - Uetsu Main Line