Daisen, Akita

Daisen is located in the flatlands of central Akita Prefecture. The area of the city is greater than the total metropolitan area of Tokyo. Daisen is bounded by the Ōu Mountains in the east, the Dewa Mountains in the center of the prefecture in the west, the former town of Kakumagawa between the Omono River and the Yokote River in the south, and the area slightly south of the summit of Mount Oishi in the north. The mountains of the Dewa Mountain Range in the western part of the city and the Ōu Mountains in the eastern part of the city surround the Senboku Plain in the northern part of the Yokote Basin.The Omono River, a first-class river, flows from the south to the northwest of the city. The highest peak in Daisen is Mount Kosugi (1,229 meters) in eastern Daisen. Neighboring municipalities Akita Prefecture • Akita • Misato • Semboku • Yokote • Yurihonjō Iwate Prefecture • Nishiwaga Climate Daisen has a humid continental climate (Köppen climate classification Dfa / Cfa) with large seasonal temperature differences, with warm to hot (and often humid) summers and cold (sometimes severely cold) winters. Precipitation is significant throughout the year but is heaviest from August to October. The average annual temperature in Daisen is . The average annual rainfall is with August as the wettest month. The temperature is highest on average in August, at around , and lowest in January, at around . {{Weather box ==Demographics==

In Akita Prefecture, it has the third largest population after Akita City and Yokote City. Per Japanese census data, the population of Daisen peaked at around the year 1960 and has been in steady decline since then. ==History==

The area of present-day Daisen was part of ancient Dewa Province. During the Edo period, the area came under the control of the Satake clan, who had been relocated to Kubota Domain from their former holdings in Hitachi Province. After the start of the Meiji period, and the establishment of the modern municipalities system, the area became part of Semboku District, Akita Prefecture in 1878. The city of Daisen was established on March 22, 2005, from the merger of the city of Ōmagari, the towns of Kamioka, Kyōwa, Nakasen, Nishisenboku, Ōta and Semboku, and the village of Nangai (all from Semboku District). ==Government==

After the merger, Daisen had the distinction of having the largest city assembly in all of Japan, 145 members. The city now has a mayor-council form of government with a directly elected mayor and a unicameral city legislature of 28 members. The city contributes five members to the Akita Prefectural Assembly. In terms of national politics, the city is part of Akita 3rd District of the lower house of the Diet of Japan. ==Economy==

The economy of Daisen is based on agriculture and the area is noted for its rice production. Numerous sake brewers are located in Daisen. ==Education==

Daisen has 20 public elementary schools and 13 public middle schools operated by the city government and five public high schools operated by the Akita Prefectural Board of Education. There is also one private high school. The prefecture also operates one special education school for the handicapped. ==Transportation==

Railways East Japan Railway Company - Akita Shinkansen • East Japan Railway Company - Ōu Main Line • - - - - East Japan Railway Company - Tazawako Line • - - - - - Highways • • • • • ==Sister cities==

• Tettnang, Germany • Dangjin, Chungcheongnam-do, Korea • Temecula, California, United States ==Media==

• FM Hanabi ==Local attractions==

• Former Ikeda Family Gardens, National Place of Scentic Beauty • Hotta-no-saku, National Historic Site ==Notable people from Daisen ==

• Gotō Chūgai, writer • Eiji Gotō, admiral in the Imperial Japanese Navy • Kazuo Koike, manga writer • Nobuhide Minorikawa, politician • Kazuo Oga • Hitoshi Okuda, Manga artist • Sukeshiro Terata, politician ==References==