Miyota, Nagano
Geography. Miyota is located on the eastern border of Nagano Prefecture with Gumma Prefecture. Mount Asama (2568 meters) is within the town's northern borders. The Citizen Watch group has other engineering facilities in the adjacent town of Saku, Nagano. Demographics. Per Japanese census data, the population of Miyota has been increasing over the past 50 years. Climate. The town has a humid continental climate characterized by warm and humid summers, and cold winters with heavy snowfall (Köppen climate classification "Dfb"). The average annual temperature in Miyota is 8.2 °C. The average annual rainfall is 1291 mm  with September as the wettest month. The temperatures are highest on average in August, at around 21.1 °C, and lowest in January, at around -4.0 °C. History. The area of present-day Miyota was part of ancient Shinano Province, and was the site of the Battle of Odaihara during the Sengoku period. As Otai-shuku, it developed as a post station on the Nakasendo highway connecting Edo with Kyoto during the Edo period. The village of Miyota was created with the establishment of the modern municipalities system on April 1, 1889. It merged with the villages of Onuma  and Goka to form the town on Miyota on September 30, 1956. Politics and government. Miyota is governed by a town council with 14 members. Education. Miyota has two public elementary schools and one public middle school operated by the town government. The town does not have a high school.