Sekikawa (関川村, Sekikawa-mura) is a village located in Niigata Prefecture, Japan. As of 1 July 2019, the village had an estimated population of 5,291 in 1920 households,[1] and a population density of 17.7 persons per km2. The total area of the village was 299.61 square kilometres (115.68 sq mi).

Sekikawa
関川村
Sato Residence in Shimoseki
Sato Residence in Shimoseki
Flag of Sekikawa
Official seal of Sekikawa
Location of Sekikawa in Niigata
Location of Sekikawa in Niigata
Sekikawa is located in Japan
Sekikawa
Sekikawa
 
Coordinates: 38°5′21.8″N 139°33′54.1″E / 38.089389°N 139.565028°E / 38.089389; 139.565028
CountryJapan
RegionChūbu (Kōshin'etsu) (Hokuriku)
PrefectureNiigata
DistrictIwafune
Area
 • Total
299.61 km2 (115.68 sq mi)
Population
 (July 1, 2019)
 • Total
5,291
 • Density18/km2 (46/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+9 (Japan Standard Time)
Phone number0254-64-1441
Address912 Shimonoseki, Sekikawa-mura, Iwafune-gun, Niigata-ken 959-3265
ClimateCfa
WebsiteOfficial website
Symbols
FlowerLilium
TreeMaple
Sekikawa village hall

Geography

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Arakawa River and Takanosu Onsen

Sekikawa is located in mountainous northeastern Niigata Prefecture, bordered by Yamagata Prefecture to the east.

Surrounding municipalities

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Climate

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Sekikawa has a Humid climate (Köppen Cfa) characterized by warm, wet summers and cold winters with heavy snowfall. The average annual temperature in Sekikawa is 12.4 °C (54.3 °F). The average annual rainfall is 2,687.2 mm (105.80 in) with September as the wettest month. The temperatures are highest on average in August, at around 25.1 °C (77.2 °F), and lowest in January, at around 1.0 °C (33.8 °F).[2]

Climate data for Sekikawa (1991−2020 normals, extremes 1978−present)
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °C (°F) 14.8
(58.6)
18.1
(64.6)
23.3
(73.9)
30.0
(86.0)
32.9
(91.2)
34.3
(93.7)
37.0
(98.6)
39.6
(103.3)
37.0
(98.6)
32.0
(89.6)
24.0
(75.2)
20.4
(68.7)
39.6
(103.3)
Mean daily maximum °C (°F) 3.9
(39.0)
4.6
(40.3)
8.7
(47.7)
15.6
(60.1)
21.6
(70.9)
24.9
(76.8)
28.2
(82.8)
30.1
(86.2)
26.0
(78.8)
19.8
(67.6)
13.3
(55.9)
7.0
(44.6)
17.0
(62.6)
Daily mean °C (°F) 1.0
(33.8)
1.1
(34.0)
4.0
(39.2)
9.8
(49.6)
15.7
(60.3)
20.0
(68.0)
23.8
(74.8)
25.1
(77.2)
21.1
(70.0)
14.8
(58.6)
8.6
(47.5)
3.5
(38.3)
12.4
(54.3)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F) −1.6
(29.1)
−2.2
(28.0)
−0.4
(31.3)
4.1
(39.4)
10.1
(50.2)
15.3
(59.5)
20.1
(68.2)
21.0
(69.8)
16.9
(62.4)
10.3
(50.5)
4.3
(39.7)
0.4
(32.7)
8.2
(46.7)
Record low °C (°F) −12.4
(9.7)
−14.1
(6.6)
−10.9
(12.4)
−6.7
(19.9)
0.9
(33.6)
5.6
(42.1)
11.4
(52.5)
11.2
(52.2)
6.3
(43.3)
−0.5
(31.1)
−2.9
(26.8)
−9.6
(14.7)
−14.1
(6.6)
Average precipitation mm (inches) 311.9
(12.28)
200.9
(7.91)
168.9
(6.65)
142.1
(5.59)
138.8
(5.46)
162.6
(6.40)
280.4
(11.04)
207.3
(8.16)
183.4
(7.22)
223.6
(8.80)
313.7
(12.35)
370.9
(14.60)
2,687.2
(105.80)
Average snowfall cm (inches) 206
(81)
168
(66)
58
(23)
2
(0.8)
0
(0)
0
(0)
0
(0)
0
(0)
0
(0)
0
(0)
3
(1.2)
87
(34)
519
(204)
Average precipitation days (≥ 1.0 mm) 26.9 22.6 19.8 14.1 12.6 11.8 14.8 12.2 13.9 16.0 20.6 25.5 210.8
Average snowy days (≥ 3 cm) 19.4 16.5 7.2 0.3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.2 8.7 52.3
Mean monthly sunshine hours 26.7 43.9 91.9 151.3 185.5 160.9 143.8 189.0 141.5 120.9 75.5 38.1 1,369.1
Source: Japan Meteorological Agency[3][2]

Demographics

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Per Japanese census data,[4] the population of Sekikawa has declined steadily over the past 50 years.

Historical population
YearPop.±%
1970 9,559—    
1980 8,632−9.7%
1990 8,094−6.2%
2000 7,510−7.2%
2010 6,438−14.3%
2020 5,144−20.1%

History

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The area of present-day Sekikawa was part of ancient Echigo Province. During the Edo period, much of the area was part of the holdings of Yonezawa Domain under the Tokugawa shogunate. The area was organized as part of Iwafune District, Niigata following the Meiji restoration. The modern village of Sekigawa was established on August 1, 1954 by the merger of the villages of Seki, Shichikatani, and Kukatani. On August 1, 1954, Sekikawa merged with the neighboring village of Onnagawa.

Economy

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The local economy is dominated by agriculture.

Education

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

Transportation

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Railway

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  JR East - Yonesaka Line

Highway

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References

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  1. ^ Sekikawa official statistics (in Japanese)
  2. ^ a b 気象庁 / 平年値(年・月ごとの値). JMA. Retrieved March 24, 2022.
  3. ^ 観測史上1~10位の値(年間を通じての値). JMA. Retrieved March 24, 2022.
  4. ^ Sekikawa population statistics
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