Ajigasawa Town HallAerial photograph of Ajigasawa town center
Ajigasawa (鰺ヶ沢町, Ajigasawa-machi) is a town located in Aomori Prefecture, Japan. As of 31 January 2023[update], the town had an estimated population of 8,951 in 4394 households,[1] and a population density of 26 persons per km2. The total area of the town is 343.08 square kilometres (132.46 sq mi).
The town has a cold humid continental climate (KöppenDfb) characterized by warm short summers and long cold winters with heavy snowfall. The average annual temperature in Ajigasawa is 10.7 °C. The average annual rainfall is 1480 mm with September as the wettest month. The temperatures are highest on average in August, at around 22.9 °C, and lowest in January, at around -3.1 °C.[2]
Climate data for Ajigasawa (1991−2020 normals, extremes 1976−present)
Per Japanese census data,[5] the population of Ajigasawa has decreased by more than half over the past 60 years.
Historical population
Year
Pop.
±% p.a.
1950
22,741
—
1960
22,123
−0.28%
1970
18,439
−1.81%
1980
17,402
−0.58%
1990
14,899
−1.54%
2000
13,551
−0.94%
2010
11,449
−1.67%
2020
9,613
−1.73%
Graphs are unavailable due to technical issues. There is more info on Phabricator and on MediaWiki.org.
History
Oura Mitsunobu, the founder of the Tsugaru clan, settled in Tanesato (now part of Ajigasawa) in 1491, which developed into a port for the Tsugaru region. The area around Ajigasawa was controlled by the Tsugaru clan of Hirosaki Domain during the Edo period. Ajigasawa became a village in Nishitsugaru District, Aomori with the establishment of the modern municipalities system on April 1, 1889, and was elevated to town status on March 31, 1955 by annexing the neighboring villages of Akaishi, Nakamura, Narusawa and Maido.
Government
Ajigasawa has a mayor-council form of government with a directly elected mayor and a unicameral town legislature of 12 members. Nishitsugaru District contributes one member to the Aomori Prefectural Assembly. In terms of national politics, the town is part of Aomori 3rd district of the lower house of the Diet of Japan.
Ajigasawa has two public elementary schools and one public junior high schools operated by the town government and one public high school operated by the Aomori Prefectural Board of Education.
The Shirakami Nature School is a non-profit organization that is housed in a 19th-century wooden building that was used as an elementary school until the spring of 2003. The Shirakami Nature School hosts a wide variety of environmental education including classroom activities and open-air classes to people of all ages.
The Kikuya squid stand on the outskirts of town is the home of Wasao, an Akita dog that garnered nationwide attention after starring in a 2011 feature film which was filmed on location in the town.
Ajigasawa Beach is about a ten-minute walk from the train station and has both grass and sand areas with a view of the Sea of Japan.
Umi No Eki “Wando” is a collection of stores, much like a market, that sells local goods directly from the farmers and fishermen. The products sold here are all local, and very fresh.
^"International Exchange". List of Affiliation Partners within Prefectures. Council of Local Authorities for International Relations (CLAIR). Archived from the original on 2015-11-22. Retrieved 21 November 2015.
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