Kamikitayama
# Kamikitayama

Kamikitayama (上北山村, Kamikitayama-mura) is a village located in Yoshino District, Nara Prefecture, Japan.

As of October 1, 2016, the village has an estimated population of 486. The total area is 274.05 $km^2.$

The village has an aging population. Between 2002 and 2007 the population declined by 15.6%. This trend has continued. It is one of the villages expected to be extinct by 2040.

## Geography

### Neighboring municipalities

* Nara Prefecture
   * Shimokitayama
   * Gojō
   * Totsukawa
   * Kawakami
   * Tenkawa
* Mie Prefecture
   * Kumano
   * Owase
   * Ōdai
   * Kihoku

### Climate

Kamikitayama has a humid subtropical climate (Köppen climate classification Cfa) with hot summers and cool to cold winters. Precipitation is significantly higher in summer than in winter, though on the whole lower than most parts of Honshū, and there is no significant snowfall. The average annual temperature in Kamikitayama is 13.5 °C (56.3 °F). The average annual rainfall is 2,909.3 mm (114.54 in) with September as the wettest month. The temperatures are highest on average in August, at around 24.6 °C (76.3 °F), and lowest in January, at around 2.9 °C (37.2 °F). The highest temperature ever recorded in Kamikitayama was 39.3 °C (102.7 °F) on 17 August 2020; the coldest temperature ever recorded was −9.3 °C (15.3 °F) on 28 February 1981.

Climate data for Kamikitayama (1991−2020 normals, extremes 1978−present) :

| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Record high °C (°F) | 17.6 (63.7) | 21.9 (71.4) | 26.3 (79.3) | 31.1 (88.0) | 34.2 (93.6) | 37.0 (98.6) | 38.3 (100.9) | 39.3 (102.7) | 37.1 (98.8) | 29.7 (85.5) | 24.0 (75.2) | 21.4 (70.5) | 39.3 (102.7) |
| Average high °C (°F) | 8.1 (46.6) | 9.6 (49.3) | 13.6 (56.5) | 19.2 (66.6) | 23.6 (74.5) | 25.9 (78.6) | 30.0 (86.0) | 31.1 (88.0) | 27.0 (80.6) | 21.4 (70.5) | 15.8 (60.4) | 10.2 (50.4) | 19.6 (67.3) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | 2.9 (37.2) | 3.7 (38.7) | 7.1 (44.8) | 12.0 (53.6) | 16.6 (61.9) | 20.1 (68.2) | 23.9 (75.0) | 24.6 (76.3) | 21.2 (70.2) | 15.5 (59.9) | 9.9 (49.8) | 4.8 (40.6) | 13.5 (56.4) |
| Average low °C (°F) | −0.9 (30.4) | −0.7 (30.7) | 1.8 (35.2) | 6.2 (43.2) | 11.1 (52.0) | 15.9 (60.6) | 20.0 (68.0) | 20.6 (69.1) | 17.4 (63.3) | 11.5 (52.7) | 5.5 (41.9) | 0.8 (33.4) | 9.1 (48.4) |
| Record low °C (°F) | −7.9 (17.8) | −9.3 (15.3) | −5.5 (22.1) | −3.8 (25.2) | 0.9 (33.6) | 5.3 (41.5) | 12.8 (55.0) | 10.9 (51.6) | 6.8 (44.2) | 0.0 (32.0) | −2.9 (26.8) | −6.1 (21.0) | −9.3 (15.3) |
| Average precipitation mm (inches) | 80.7 (3.18) | 104.4 (4.11) | 164.2 (6.46) | 175.2 (6.90) | 223.4 (8.80) | 316.1 (12.44) | 397.1 (15.63) | 450.5 (17.74) | 499.7 (19.67) | 277.1 (10.91) | 119.9 (4.72) | 87.7 (3.45) | 2,909.3 (114.54) |
| Average precipitation days (≥ 1.0 mm) | 8.0 | 9.0 | 11.5 | 10.5 | 11.5 | 14.5 | 14.0 | 12.8 | 13.3 | 11.9 | 8.4 | 8.0 | 133.4 |
| Mean monthly sunshine hours | 131.0 | 131.1 | 163.0 | 183.7 | 188.9 | 132.0 | 156.7 | 178.5 | 133.7 | 136.3 | 134.8 | 134.9 | 1,807.6 |
| Source: Japan Meteorological Agency ||||||||||||||

### Demographics

Per Japanese census data, the population of Kamikitayama in 2020 is 444 people. Kamikitayama has been conducting censuses since 1920.

## Education

* Primary Schools
   * Kamikitayama Elementary School
* Junior High Schools
   * Kamikitayama Junior High School

As of 2012 the two schools have a combined student population of 27. Even with such a small student body, in 2009 the village began employing an ALT(Assistant Language Teacher) of English from the JET Programme to live and work in village.

## Notable places

* Yoshino-Kumano National Park
* Mount Ōdaigahara
* Sakamoto Dam
* Higashinokawa Post Office
