Shitara, Aichi

Shitara

設楽町
Shitara 設楽町
Town
	Shitara Town Hall and Library
	UTC+9 (Japan Standard Time)
- Tree	Japanese beech
- Flower	Rhododendron
Phone number	0536-62-0511
Address	2 Idate, Taguti, Shitara-chō, Kitashitara-gun, Aichi-ken 441-2301
Website	Official website

Shitara (設楽町, Shitara-chō) is a

Kitashitara District, Aichi Prefecture, Japan. As of 1 October 2019, the town had an estimated population of 4,531 in 2,133 households,^[1] and a population density

of 16.5 persons per km². The total area of the town was 273.94 square kilometres (105.77 sq mi).

Geography

Shitara is located in the extreme northeast corner of Aichi Prefecture. Much of the town’s area is covered by mountains and forest, and portions of the town are within the borders of the Tenryū-Okumikawa Quasi-National Park.

Neighboring municipalities

Aichi Prefecture

Shinshiro
Toyota
Kitashitara District
- Toyone
- Toei

Nagano Prefecture

Shimoina District
- Neba

Demographics

Per Japanese census data,^[2] the population of Shitara has decreased drastically and is only a third of what it was 60 years ago.

Historical population
Year	Pop.	±%
1960	14,975	—
1970	10,732	−28.3%
1980	9,321	−13.1%
1990	8,225	−11.8%
2000	6,959	−15.4%
2010	5,767	−17.1%

Climate

The town has a climate characterized by hot and humid summers, and relatively mild winters (Köppen climate classification Cfa). The average annual temperature in Shitara is 11.9 °C. The average annual rainfall is 2310 mm with September as the wettest month. The temperatures are highest on average in August, at around 23.6 °C, and lowest in January, at around 0.3 °C.^[3]

History

During the

merged

on October 1, 2005.

Economy

The primary industry of Shitara is agriculture, with rice, tomatoes, cabbage and

hydroelectric power

generation is also a major contributor to the local economy.

Education

Shitara has five public elementary schools and two public junior high schools operated by the city government, and one public high school operated by the Aichi Prefectural Board of Education.