Otari, Nagano

Otari (小谷村, Otari-mura) is a village located in Nagano Prefecture, Japan. As of 30 November 2018^[update], the village had an estimated population of 2,914 in 1251 households,^[1] and a population density of 11 persons per km². The total area of the village is 267.91 square kilometres (103.44 sq mi).

Otari 小谷村
Village
Otari Village Hall
Flag Seal
Location of Otari in Nagano Prefecture
Otari
Coordinates: 36°46′44.6″N 137°54′29.7″E
Country	Japan
Region	Chūbu (Kōshin'etsu)
Prefecture	Nagano
District	Kitaazumi
Government
• Mayor	Matsumoto Hisashi
Area
• Total	267.91 km2 (103.44 sq mi)
Population  (November 2018)
• Total	2,914
• Density	11/km2 (28/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+9 (Japan Standard Time)
Symbols
• Tree	Fagus crenata
• Flower	Prunus sargentii
Phone number	0261-82-2001
Address	131 Nakaotari, Otari-mura, Kitaazumi-gun, Nagano-ken 399-9494
Website	Official website

Hakuba Oike in Otari

Geography

Otari is located in the mountainous far northwestern Nagano Prefecture, bordered by Niigata Prefecture to the north and west. Much of the village is within the borders of the Chūbu-Sangaku National Park or the Myōkō-Togakushi Renzan National Park.

Surrounding municipalities

• Nagano Prefecture
  • Hakuba
  • Nagano
• Niigata Prefecture
  • Itoigawa
  • Myōkō

Climate

The village has a climate characterized by hot and humid summers, and cold winters (Köppen climate classification Cfa). The average annual temperature in Otari is 10.4 °C. The average annual rainfall is 1420 mm with September as the wettest month. The temperatures are highest on average in August, at around 23.7 °C, and lowest in January, at around -2.1 °C.^[2]

Demographics

Per Japanese census data,^[3] the population of Otari has decreased considerably over the past 70 years.

Historical population

Year	Pop.	±%
1940	8,243	—
1950	8,279	+0.4%
1960	7,917	−4.4%
1970	5,893	−25.6%
1980	5,165	−12.4%
1990	4,474	−13.4%
2000	4,276	−4.4%
2010	3,225	−24.6%
2020	2,647	−17.9%

History

The area of present-day Otari was part of ancient Shinano Province and was part of the territory controlled by Matsumoto Domain under the Tokugawa shogunate of the Edo period. The modern village of Otari was established on April 1, 1954 by the merger of the villages of Minami-Otari, Kita-Otari and Nakatsuchi.

Education

Otari has one public elementary school and one public middle school operated by the village government. The village does not have a high school.

Transportation

Railway

• East Japan Railway Company – Ōito Line
  • Hakuba-Ōike - Chikuni - Minami-Otari
• West Japan Railway Company – Ōito Line
  • Minami-Otari - Nakatsuchi - Kita-Otari

Highway

• National Route 148

International relations

• – Marlborough, New Zealand, sister city since January 16, 1991^[4]
• - Ottery St. Mary, Devon, United Kingdom, friendship city since May 4, 1992^[4]