Nishihara Village is located about 20 kilometers east of the urban center of Kumamoto City, between the Kumamoto metropolitan area and the Aso Caldera (Nango Valley). It is located at the western foot of the Aso outer rim, and is a lush village with many plains and forests.
Nishihara has a humid subtropical climate (Köppen Cfa) characterized by warm summers and cool winters with light to no snowfall. The average annual temperature in Nishihara is 14.5 °C. The average annual rainfall is 1918 mm with September as the wettest month. The temperatures are highest on average in August, at around 25.2 °C, and lowest in January, at around 3.6 °C.[2]
Demographics
Per Japanese census data, the population of Nishihara is as shown below
Historical population
Year
Pop.
±%
1960
6,469
—
1970
5,132
−20.7%
1980
4,824
−6.0%
1990
5,024
+4.1%
2000
5,728
+14.0%
2010
6,792
+18.6%
2020
6,426
−5.4%
History
The area of Nishihara was part of ancient Higo Province. In the Edo Period, it was part of the holdings of Kumamoto Domain. Following the Meiji restoration, the villages of Yamanishi and Kawara were established on April 1, 1889 with the creation of the modern municipalities system. The two villages merged on September 1, 1960 to form the village of Nishihara.
Government
NIshihara has a mayor-council form of government with a directly elected mayor and a unicameral village council of 10 members. Nishihara, collectively with the other municipalities of Aso District, contributes one member to the Kumamoto Prefectural Assembly. In terms of national politics, the village is part of the Kumamoto 3rd district of the lower house of the Diet of Japan.
Economy
The economy of Nishihara is largely agricultural, with sweet potato and peanuts as the mai crops. Due it its proximity to Kumamoto, the village population is increasing with commuters.
Education
Nishihara has two public elementary schools and one public junior high school operated by the village government. The village does not have a high school.
Nishihara is not on any national highways or expressways. The nearest highway interchange is the Kyushu Expressway Mashiki Kumamoto Airport Interchange in neighboring Mashiki.
