For Kiso Village (Kiso-mura), see Kiso, Nagano (village).
Center of Kiso town
Fukushima-juku

Kiso (木曽町, Kiso-machi) is a town located in Nagano Prefecture, Japan. As of 5 April 2019, the town had an estimated population of 11,045 in 4892 households,[1] and a population density of 23 persons per km2. The total area of the town is 476.03 square kilometres (183.80 sq mi). Kiso Town is listed as one of The Most Beautiful Villages in Japan.[2]

Geography

Kiso is located in mountainous southwest Nagano Prefecture, bordered by Gifu Prefecture to the west.

Surrounding municipalities

Climate

The town has a climate characterized by characterized by warm and humid summers, and cold winters with heavy snowfall (Köppen climate classification Dfb). The average annual temperature in Kiso is 10.8 °C (51.4 °F). The average annual rainfall is 1,926.7 mm (75.85 in) with July as the wettest month. The temperatures are highest on average in August, at around 23.2 °C (73.8 °F), and lowest in January, at around −1.4 °C (29.5 °F).[3]

Climate data for Kisofukushima, Kiso (1991−2020 normals, extremes 1976−present)
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °C (°F) 15.2
(59.4) 		19.3
(66.7) 		23.4
(74.1) 		28.0
(82.4) 		31.3
(88.3) 		32.6
(90.7) 		35.2
(95.4) 		36.1
(97.0) 		35.4
(95.7) 		30.8
(87.4) 		23.8
(74.8) 		19.4
(66.9) 		36.1
(97.0)
Mean daily maximum °C (°F) 4.5
(40.1) 		6.0
(42.8) 		10.5
(50.9) 		16.7
(62.1) 		22.0
(71.6) 		24.8
(76.6) 		28.0
(82.4) 		29.8
(85.6) 		25.8
(78.4) 		20.0
(68.0) 		13.9
(57.0) 		7.5
(45.5) 		17.5
(63.4)
Daily mean °C (°F) −1.4
(29.5) 		−0.5
(31.1) 		3.5
(38.3) 		9.4
(48.9) 		14.7
(58.5) 		18.6
(65.5) 		22.3
(72.1) 		23.2
(73.8) 		19.3
(66.7) 		12.9
(55.2) 		6.6
(43.9) 		1.3
(34.3) 		10.8
(51.5)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F) −6.4
(20.5) 		−6.1
(21.0) 		−2.3
(27.9) 		2.7
(36.9) 		8.3
(46.9) 		13.8
(56.8) 		18.1
(64.6) 		18.8
(65.8) 		14.8
(58.6) 		8.0
(46.4) 		1.3
(34.3) 		−3.5
(25.7) 		5.6
(42.1)
Record low °C (°F) −16.4
(2.5) 		−18.8
(−1.8) 		−13.1
(8.4) 		−7.3
(18.9) 		−2.2
(28.0) 		2.8
(37.0) 		9.9
(49.8) 		9.3
(48.7) 		1.5
(34.7) 		−2.8
(27.0) 		−7.7
(18.1) 		−14.4
(6.1) 		−18.8
(−1.8)
Average precipitation mm (inches) 63.2
(2.49) 		83.2
(3.28) 		146.8
(5.78) 		157.2
(6.19) 		177.0
(6.97) 		220.7
(8.69) 		289.7
(11.41) 		187.8
(7.39) 		231.0
(9.09) 		183.5
(7.22) 		112.7
(4.44) 		73.9
(2.91) 		1,926.7
(75.85)
Average precipitation days (≥ 1.0 mm) 7.2 7.3 10.8 11.3 11.6 13.8 14.9 11.8 12.1 10.5 8.3 8.6 128.2
Mean monthly sunshine hours 141.1 155.2 181.5 198.8 210.0 160.2 166.1 195.1 157.1 158.4 149.9 131.9 2,005.3
Source: Japan Meteorological Agency[4][3]
Climate data for Kaida, Kiso (1991−2020 normals, extremes 1978−present)
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °C (°F) 11.4
(52.5) 		14.5
(58.1) 		20.4
(68.7) 		26.7
(80.1) 		29.6
(85.3) 		31.2
(88.2) 		32.2
(90.0) 		32.2
(90.0) 		30.8
(87.4) 		24.9
(76.8) 		19.3
(66.7) 		17.2
(63.0) 		32.2
(90.0)
Mean daily maximum °C (°F) 0.2
(32.4) 		1.5
(34.7) 		5.8
(42.4) 		12.9
(55.2) 		18.8
(65.8) 		21.7
(71.1) 		25.0
(77.0) 		26.3
(79.3) 		21.9
(71.4) 		16.1
(61.0) 		9.9
(49.8) 		3.3
(37.9) 		13.6
(56.5)
Daily mean °C (°F) −4.8
(23.4) 		−4.1
(24.6) 		−0.2
(31.6) 		6.0
(42.8) 		11.6
(52.9) 		15.5
(59.9) 		19.4
(66.9) 		20.0
(68.0) 		15.9
(60.6) 		9.5
(49.1) 		3.5
(38.3) 		−1.9
(28.6) 		7.5
(45.6)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F) −10.9
(12.4) 		−10.8
(12.6) 		−6.3
(20.7) 		−0.9
(30.4) 		4.3
(39.7) 		10.1
(50.2) 		14.8
(58.6) 		15.2
(59.4) 		11.0
(51.8) 		3.9
(39.0) 		−2.3
(27.9) 		−7.2
(19.0) 		1.7
(35.1)
Record low °C (°F) −21.6
(−6.9) 		−22.0
(−7.6) 		−19.2
(−2.6) 		−15.8
(3.6) 		−6.4
(20.5) 		−0.7
(30.7) 		5.1
(41.2) 		5.3
(41.5) 		−2.2
(28.0) 		−7.1
(19.2) 		−13.1
(8.4) 		−21.0
(−5.8) 		−22.0
(−7.6)
Average precipitation mm (inches) 76.8
(3.02) 		94.2
(3.71) 		162.2
(6.39) 		174.4
(6.87) 		202.3
(7.96) 		240.5
(9.47) 		304.0
(11.97) 		199.6
(7.86) 		252.6
(9.94) 		200.0
(7.87) 		126.1
(4.96) 		92.9
(3.66) 		2,109.9
(83.07)
Average snowfall cm (inches) 127
(50) 		115
(45) 		91
(36) 		14
(5.5) 		0
(0) 		0
(0) 		0
(0) 		0
(0) 		0
(0) 		0
(0) 		6
(2.4) 		79
(31) 		430
(169)
Average precipitation days (≥ 1.0 mm) 11.5 10.4 12.3 11.6 12.1 14.4 15.7 13.1 12.5 11.0 9.1 11.4 145.1
Average snowy days (≥ 3 cm) 15.7 13.0 12.1 2.3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.9 10.1 54.1
Source: Japan Meteorological Agency[5][6]

History

The area of present-day Kiso was part of ancient Shinano Province.

The modern town was created through a merger of the town of Kiso-Fukushima with the villages of Hiyoshi, Kaida and Mitake on November 1, 2005.

Demographics

Per Japanese census data,[7] the population of Kiso has decreased rapidly over the past 60 years and is now less than half what it was in 1940.

Historical population
YearPop.±%
1940 22,256—    
1950 22,190−0.3%
1960 22,429+1.1%
1970 18,868−15.9%
1980 17,426−7.6%
1990 15,789−9.4%
2000 14,866−5.8%
2010 12,750−14.2%
2020 10,584−17.0%

Education

Kiso has four public elementary schools and three public middle schools operated by the town government, and one high school operated the Nagano Prefectural Board of Education. The prefectural also operates a special education school. The Solar-Terrestrial Environment Laboratory, Nagoya University is located in Kiso.

Transportation

Railway

Highway

Local attractions

References

  1. ^ Kiso Town official statistics(in Japanese)
  2. ^ The Most Beautiful Villages in Japan Archived 2015-02-15 at the Wayback Machine (in Japanese)
  3. ^ a b 気象庁 / 平年値（年・月ごとの値）. JMA. Retrieved April 23, 2022.
  4. ^ 観測史上1～10位の値（年間を通じての値）. JMA. Retrieved April 23, 2022.
  5. ^ 観測史上1～10位の値（年間を通じての値）. JMA. Retrieved April 23, 2022.
  6. ^ 気象庁 / 平年値（年・月ごとの値）. JMA. Retrieved April 23, 2022.
  7. ^ Kiso population statistics

External links