Aga, Niigata

Aga is located in northeastern Niigata Prefecture. Covering 6.8% in area of the entire prefecture, Aga is the second largest municipality in Niigata after Jōetsu. The Agano River flows through the town.

Aga has a Humid climate (Köppen Cfa) characterized by warm, wet summers and cold winters with heavy snowfall. The average annual temperature in Aga is 12.8 °C. The average annual rainfall is 1715 mm with September as the wettest month. The temperatures are highest on average in August, at around 26.3 °C, and lowest in January, at around 0.5 °C.[1]

Per Japanese census data,[2] the population of Aga has declined sharply over the past 40 years.

The area of present-day Aga was part of ancient Echigo Province, and was part of the territories held by Aizu Domain under the Edo period Tokugawa shogunate. After the Meiji restoration, the area was organised as part of Higashikanbara District, Niigata. The town of Aga was established on April 1, 2005 in a merger of the towns of Kamikawa and Kanose and the villages of Mikawa, and Tsugawa, all from Higashikanbara District.

The local economy is dominated by agriculture. The Kamikawa (上川) area of Aga is particularly famous for its Koshihikari rice, which is also used to make sake in two local breweries, which are also among the main employers of the district. The Mikawa (三川) area is also famous for mushrooms, and is host to a mushroom park where people can either pick their own mushrooms or choose from a wide variety of locally grown produce.

Aga has seven public elementary schools and three public middle school operated by the town government. The town has one public high school operated by the Niigata Prefectural Board of Education.

• Media related to Aga, Niigata at Wikimedia Commons
• Official Website (in Japanese)