Nakagawa, Hokkaido

Nakagawa is located an inland area in the northernmost part of the Kamikawa Subprefecture. Surrounded by mountains on both the east and west, the town is located along the Teshio River which runs from east to northwest through the town.

• Hokkaido
• Bifuka
• Otoineppu
• Horokanai
• Nakatonbetsu
• Horonobe
• Teshio
• Enbetsu

Nakagawa has a Humid continental climate (Köppen Dfb) characterized by cold summers and cold winters with heavy snowfall. The average annual temperature in Nakagawa is 5.9 °C. The average annual rainfall is 1311 mm with September as the wettest month. The temperatures are highest on average in August, at around 19.6 °C, and lowest in January, at around -7.4 °C.[https://en.climate-data.org/asia/japan/hokkaido/nakagawa-37563/ Nakagawa climate: Average Temperature, weather by month]

{{Weather box

|width=auto

|collapsed = Y

| single line = Y

| metric first = Y

| location = Nakagawa (1991−2020 normals, extremes 1977−present)

|Jan record high C = 8.8

|Feb record high C = 8.4

|Mar record high C = 15.2

|Apr record high C = 24.5

|May record high C = 30.2

|Jun record high C = 32.4

|Jul record high C = 36.2

|Aug record high C = 35.7

|Sep record high C = 33.9

|Oct record high C = 25.4

|Nov record high C = 18.7

|Dec record high C = 12.4

|Jan high C = -3.1

|Feb high C = -2.2

|Mar high C = 2.0

|Apr high C = 8.7

|May high C = 16.0

|Jun high C = 20.1

|Jul high C = 23.8

|Aug high C = 24.7

|Sep high C = 21.2

|Oct high C = 14.4

|Nov high C = 5.9

|Dec high C = -0.8

|Jan mean C = -7.5

|Feb mean C = -7.2

|Mar mean C = -2.4

|Apr mean C = 3.8

|May mean C = 10.0

|Jun mean C = 14.2

|Jul mean C = 18.3

|Aug mean C = 19.4

|Sep mean C = 15.2

|Oct mean C = 8.8

|Nov mean C = 2.1

|Dec mean C = -4.2

|Jan low C = -13.4

|Feb low C = -14.1

|Mar low C = -8.3

|Apr low C = -1.6

|May low C = 3.8

|Jun low C = 8.6

|Jul low C = 13.4

|Aug low C = 14.7

|Sep low C = 9.4

|Oct low C = 3.2

|Nov low C = -1.8

|Dec low C = -8.7

|Jan record low C = -35.6

|Feb record low C = -30.6

|Mar record low C = -25.6

|Apr record low C = -13.8

|May record low C = -4.8

|Jun record low C = -1.7

|Jul record low C = 2.7

|Aug record low C = 3.8

|Sep record low C = -0.1

|Oct record low C = -6.3

|Nov record low C = -15.6

|Dec record low C = -27.5

| precipitation colour = green

|Jan precipitation mm = 89.2

|Feb precipitation mm = 60.6

|Mar precipitation mm = 63.6

|Apr precipitation mm = 54.0

|May precipitation mm = 68.6

|Jun precipitation mm = 60.4

|Jul precipitation mm = 114.4

|Aug precipitation mm = 151.3

|Sep precipitation mm = 136.8

|Oct precipitation mm = 160.3

|Nov precipitation mm = 156.7

|Dec precipitation mm = 132.5

|year precipitation mm = 1248.3

|unit precipitation days = 1.0 mm

|Jan precipitation days = 21.0

|Feb precipitation days = 16.4

|Mar precipitation days = 15.2

|Apr precipitation days = 11.8

|May precipitation days = 10.5

|Jun precipitation days = 9.2

|Jul precipitation days = 9.8

|Aug precipitation days = 11.3

|Sep precipitation days = 12.8

|Oct precipitation days = 16.8

|Nov precipitation days = 20.8

|Dec precipitation days = 23.8

|Jan sun = 47.8

|Feb sun = 69.6

|Mar sun = 115.1

|Apr sun = 152.1

|May sun = 185.1

|Jun sun = 157.8

|Jul sun = 145.5

|Aug sun = 141.1

|Sep sun = 161.3

|Oct sun = 112.9

|Nov sun = 46.1

|Dec sun = 26.7

|year sun = 1361.1

|source 1 = JMA{{cite web

| url = https://www.data.jma.go.jp/obd/stats/etrn/view/rank_a.php?prec_no=12&block_no=1201&year=&month=&day=&view=h0

|script-title=ja:観測史上1～10位の値（年間を通じての値）

| publisher = JMA

| access-date = February 28, 2022}}{{cite web

| url = https://www.data.jma.go.jp/obd/stats/etrn/view/nml_amd_ym.php?prec_no=12&block_no=1201&year=&month=&day=&view=h0

|script-title=ja:気象庁 / 平年値（年・月ごとの値）

| publisher = JMA

| access-date = February 28, 2022}}}}

Per Japanese census data, the population of Nakagawa is as shown below. The town is in a long period of sustained population loss.

{{Historical populations

| 1940 | 6403

| 1950 | 6937

| 1960 |6591

| 1970 | 4,736

| 1980 | 3,559

| 1990 | 2,788

| 2000 | 2,464

| 2010 | 1,906

| 2020 | 1,528

|align = none

| footnote =

}}

The area of Nakagawa has been settled since Japanese Paleolithic times, and numerous Jomon period artifacts have been found. The Ainu people had hamlets along the Teshio River. During the Edo period, the area of Nakagawa was part of the territory of the Matsumae Domain. The area was explored by Matsuura Takeshirō in 1857, but the first Japanese settler did not arrive until 1896. Nakagawa was incorporated as a village on April 1, 1919. It was raised to town status in 1964.

Nakagawa has a mayor-council form of government with a directly elected mayor and a unicameral town council of eight members. Nakagawa, collectively with the other municipalities of Kawakami sub-prefecture, contributes three members to the Hokkaidō Prefectural Assembly. In terms of national politics, the town is part of the Hokkaidō 6th district of the lower house of the Diet of Japan.

The economy of Nakagawa is overwhelmingly agricultural.

Nakagawa has one public elementary school and one public junior high school operated by the town government. The town does not have a high school.

File:JR logo (hokkaido).svg JR Hokkaido - Sōya Main Line

:{{color|#954a35|■}} {{STN|Saku|Hokkaido}} - {{STN|Teshio-Nakagawa|x}}

• {{jct|country=JPN|Route|40}}

• Eco Museum Center, which features fossils found in the area.

File:Jueru.png

Nakagawa's mascot is {{Nihongo|Jueru|じゅえる|Ji~yueru}}. He is a shape-shaping leaf who lives in a green town since the town's ancient times. He was discovered in September 2012.{{cite web|url=https://www.kamikawa.pref.hokkaido.lg.jp/ts/tss/tesshi_sanpo/teshio13/onlyone/nakagawa.html|title=中川町まちのオンリーワン/TESHIO13のまち|website=Hokkaido}}

Nakagawa has another mascot, a dinosaur that is featured on the town's country sign.

{{reflist}}

• {{Commons category-inline|Nakagawa, Hokkaido|Nakagawa, Hokkaidō}}
• Eco Museum Center https://city.hokkai.or.jp/~kubinaga/
• [http://www.town.nakagawa.hokkaido.jp/ Official Website] {{in lang|ja}}

{{Hokkaido}}

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Category:Towns in Hokkaido

Category:Nakagawa, Hokkaido

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