Yamazoeis a highland village located in the northeastern part of Nara Prefecture, on the border with Mie Prefecture. The prefecture-designated Place of Scenic Beauty, Mount Kouno, is the highest mountain. The Nabari River flows through the northeastern part of the village.[2] The village has an elevation between 120 and 620 meters.[3]
Yamazoe has a humid subtropical climate (Köppen Cfa) characterized by warm summers and cool winters with light to no snowfall. The average annual temperature in Yamazoe is 13.7 °C. The average annual rainfall is 1439 mm with September as the wettest month. The temperatures are highest on average in August, at around 25.7 °C, and lowest in January, at around 2.2 °C.[4]
Demographics
Per Japanese census data, the population of Yamazoe is as shown below
Historical population
Year
Pop.
±%
1960
6,807
—
1970
5,978
−12.2%
1980
5,822
−2.6%
1990
5,773
−0.8%
2000
4,967
−14.0%
2010
4,107
−17.3%
2020
3,226
−21.5%
History
The area of Yamazoe was part of ancient Yamato Province. After the Meiji restoration, the village of Higashiyama in Soekami District, and villages of Watano and Toyohara in Yamabe District were established with the creation of the modern municipalities system on April 1, 1889. On September 30, 1956 the three villages merged to form the village of yamazoe.
Government
Yamazoe has a mayor-council form of government with a directly elected mayor and a unicameral village council of ten members. Yamazoe, together with the city of Nara contributes 11 members to the Nara Prefectural Assembly. In terms of national politics, the town is part of the Nara 2nd district of the lower house of the Diet of Japan.
Economy
The economy of Yamazoe is agricultural. The area is noted for its green tea production.
Education
Yamazoe has one public elementary school and one public junior high school operated by the village government and one public high school operated by the Nara Prefectural Board of Education.
