Nagatoro, Saitama

Nagatoro

長瀞町
Nagatoro 長瀞町
Town
	Nagatoro town office
	Sakura
- Bird	Wagtail
Phone number	0494-66-3111
Address	Oji-Honnogami 1035-1, Nagatoro-cho, Chichibu-gun, Saitama-ken 369-1392
Website	Official website

Nagatoro (長瀞町, Nagatoro-machi) is a town located in Saitama Prefecture, Japan. As of 1 March 2021^[update], the town had an estimated population of 6,838 in 2894 households and a population density of 220 persons per km².^[1] The total area of the town is 30.43 square kilometres (11.75 sq mi). The Nagatoro River is well known for its rapids and whitewater rafting and boating, and the entire town is designated as a prefectural nature park and preserve.

Geography

Located in the mountains of western Saitama Prefecture, Nagatoro is on the upper reaches of the

Arakawa River

.

Surrounding municipalities

Saitama Prefecture
- Honjō
- Misato
- Yorii
- Minano

Climate

Nagatoro has a humid continental climate (Köppen Cfa) characterized by warm summers and cool winters with light snowfall. The average annual temperature in Nagatoro is 12.8 °C. The average annual rainfall is 2222 mm with September as the wettest month. The temperatures are highest on average in August, at around 24.1 °C, and lowest in January, at around 1.6 °C.^[2]

Demographics

Per Japanese census data,^[3] the population of Nagatoro has declined modestly in recent decades.

Historical population
Year	Pop.	±%
1950	8,896	—
1960	8,072	−9.3%
1970	8,275	+2.5%
1980	8,908	+7.6%
1990	8,906	−0.0%
2000	8,560	−3.9%
2010	7,910	−7.6%
2020	6,807	−13.9%

History

The village of Nagami was created within Chichibu District, Saitama with the establishment of the modern municipalities system on April 1, 1889, and was elevated to town status on February 15, 1940. The town absorbed neighboring Higuchi and part of Shiratori villages on September 8, 1943, and changed its name to Nagatoro on November 1, 1971. In February 1955, the town expanded by annexing the neighboring villages of Orihara, Hachigata, Obusuma, and Yodo.