Nosegawa, Nara

Nosegawa 野迫川村
Village
Nosegawa Village Hall
Flag Seal
Location of Nosegawa in Nara Prefecture
Nosegawa Location in Japan
Coordinates: 34°09′58″N 135°37′59″E
Country	Japan
Region	Kansai
Prefecture	Nara
District	Yoshino
Area
• Total	154.90 km2 (59.81 sq mi)
Population  (April 1, 2024)
• Total	424
• Density	2.7/km2 (7.1/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+09:00 (JST)
City hall address	84 Kitamata, Nosegawa-mura, Yoshino-gun, Nara-ken 648-0305
Website	Official website
Symbols
Bird	Japanese bush-warbler
Flower	Rhododendron
Tree	Betula platyphylla

Nosegawa (野迫川村, Nosegawa-mura) is a village located in Yoshino District, Nara Prefecture, Japan. As of 1 April 2024, the village had an estimated population of 424 in 199 households, and a population density of 2.7 persons per km². The total area of the village is 154.90 km² (59.81 sq mi). As of October 1, 2016, was the smallest village by population located on the four main islands of Japan.

Geography

Located in southwestern portion of Nara Prefecture, it is surrounded by the Kii Mountain Range. Mount Natsumushi (1349 m) and Mount Arakami (1260 m) are two major mountains in Nosegawa. Many rivers, such as the Iketsu River, run through the village and are eventually united by the Totsukawa River which flows to the Pacific Ocean.

Surrounding municipalities

Nara Prefecture

• Gojō
• Totsukawa

Wakayama Prefecture

• Aridagawa
• Katsuragi
• Kōya
• Tanabe

Climate

Nosegawa has a humid subtropical climate (Köppen Cfa) characterized by warm summers and cool winters with light to no snowfall. The average annual temperature in Nosegawa is 11.3 °C. The average annual rainfall is 2119 mm with September as the wettest month. The temperatures are highest on average in August, at around 22.7 °C, and lowest in January, at around -0.4 °C.

Demographics

Per Japanese census data, the population of Nosegawa is as shown below

Historical population

Year	Pop.	±%
1940	3,114	—
1950	2,726	−12.5%
1960	2,880	+5.6%
1970	1,405	−51.2%
1980	1,121	−20.2%
1990	926	−17.4%
2000	783	−15.4%
2010	524	−33.1%
2020	357	−31.9%

History

The area of Nosegawa was part of ancient Yamato Province. The village of Nosegawa was established on April 1, 1889 with the creation of the modern municipalities system.

Government

Nosegawa has a mayor-council form of government with a directly elected mayor and a unicameral village council of seven members. Nosegawa, collectively with the other municipalities of Yoshino District, contributes two members to the Nara Prefectural Assembly. In terms of national politics, the village is part of the Nara 3rd district of the lower house of the Diet of Japan.

Economy

The local economy is based on agriculture and forestry. The proportion of habitable land in the village is 2.1%, the lowest among all municipalities in the country.

Education

Nosegawa has one public combined elementary/junior high school operated by the village government. The village does not have a high school.

Transportation

Railways

Nosegawa does not have any passenger railway service. . The nearest train station is Kōyasan Station on the Nankai Electric Railway Cable Line.

Highways

• National Route 371

Sister city relations

• Poprad District, Slovenia, since September 2003.

External links

• Media related to Nosegawa, Nara at Wikimedia Commons
• Nosegawa official website (in Japanese)