Fujisato (藤里町, Fujisato-machi) is a town located in Akita, Japan. As of 28 February 2023, the town had an estimated population of 2,890 in 1315 households,[1] and a population density of 10 persons per km2. The total area of the town is 281.98 square kilometres (108.87 sq mi).

Fujisato
藤里町
Fujisato Town Hall
Fujisato Town Hall
Flag of Fujisato
Official seal of Fujisato
Map
Location of Fujisato in Akita Prefecture
Location of Fujisato
Fujisato is located in Japan
Fujisato
Fujisato
 
Coordinates: 40°17′N 140°16′E / 40.283°N 140.267°E / 40.283; 140.267
CountryJapan
RegionTōhoku
PrefectureAkita
DistrictYamamoto
Area
 • Total
282.13 km2 (108.93 sq mi)
Population
 (February 28, 2023)
 • Total
2,890
 • Density10/km2 (27/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+9 (Japan Standard Time)
ClimateCfa
Phone number0185-79-2111
AddressFujigoto 8, Fujigoto-aze Fujisato-machi, Yamamoto-gun, Akita-ken 018-3201
WebsiteOfficial website
Symbols
BirdBlack woodpecker
FlowerWisteria floribunda
TreeFagus crenata
Lake Subari and Mount Fujisato Komagatake

Geography

edit

Fujisato is located at the confluence of the Kasuge River and the Fujikoto River in the Yoneshiro River system in far northwestern of Akita Prefecture. It is bordered by the World Heritage Site Shirakami Mountains to the south, and by Aomori Prefecture to the north. The town itself is nestled in a small valley at the base of the Shirakami Mountains. The hillsides are brimming with lush green in the summer, amazing orange in the autumn, and covered in white snow during the winter. Due to its location in the middle of the mountains, the temperature in Fujisato can get remarkably cold at night, with snowfall tending to be somewhat greater than that in neighboring municipalities.

Neighboring municipalities

edit

Akita Prefecture

Aomori Prefecture

Climate

edit

Fujisato 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 Fujisato is 10.3 °C. The average annual rainfall is 1471 mm with September as the wettest month. The temperatures are highest on average in August, at around 24.3 °C, and lowest in January, at around -2.1 °C.[2]

Demographics

edit

Per Japanese census data,[3] the population of Fujisato peaked around the year 1950 and has been in steady decline since then.

Historical population
YearPop.±%
1920 6,797—    
1930 6,882+1.3%
1940 7,028+2.1%
1950 8,982+27.8%
1960 8,642−3.8%
1970 6,769−21.7%
1980 5,837−13.8%
1990 5,291−9.4%
2000 4,708−11.0%
2010 3,848−18.3%
2020 2,896−24.7%

History

edit

The area of present-day Fujisato was part of ancient Dewa Province, dominated by the Satake clan during the Edo period, who ruled Kubota Domain under the Tokugawa shogunate. The area was organized into villages within Yamamoto District, Akita with the establishment of the modern municipalities system on April 1, 1884. The village of Fujisato was established on March 31, 1955 from the merger of the villages of Fujigoto and Kasuge, both from Yamamoto District. It was raised to town status on November 1, 1963.

Government

edit

Fujisato has a mayor-council form of government with a directly elected mayor and a unicameral town council of ten members. Fujisato, together with the city of Noshiro and the other municipalities of Yamamoto District contributes four members to the Akita Prefectural Assembly. In terms of national politics, the town is part of Akita 2nd district of the lower house of the Diet of Japan.

Economy

edit

The economy of Fujisato is based on agriculture and forestry. Economic development has been hampered by the town's isolation: there are no railway lines, national roads, or major local roads to any neighboring municipality.

Education

edit

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

Transportation

edit

Fujisato has no railways and is not served by the Japanese national highway system. Access is primarily through Akita Prefectural Road 200 or 317.

References

edit
  1. ^ "Fujisato town official statistics" (in Japanese). Japan.
  2. ^ Fujisato climate data
  3. ^ Fujisato population statistics
edit

  Media related to Fujisato, Akita at Wikimedia Commons