is a town located in Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan. , the town had an estimated population of 9,155 and a population density of 460 persons per km². The total area of the town is . Geography Nakai is located in the southwestern part of Kanagawa prefecture, at the eastern end of Ashigarakami district. One-third of the town area in the northwestern part of the Oiso Hills is forest, all of which is privately owned, with agricultural land and the town located along the river between the hills. The Nakamura River runs through the town in the west and the Kuzugawa River runs through the town in the east. Due to the landslide caused by the 1923 Great Kanto Earthquake, the river in the north was blocked and Lake Shinsei. In the southwestern part of the town are hills of about 200 to 300 meters, and the slopes are dotted with mandarin orange fields. Surrounding municipalities Kanagawa Prefecture Hiratsuka Odawara Hadano Ninomiya Ōi Climate Nakai has a Humid subtropical climate (Köppen Cfa) characterized by warm summers and cool winters with light to no snowfall. The average annual temperature in Nakai is 13.4 °C. The average annual rainfall is 2144 mm with September as the wettest month. The temperatures are highest on average in August, at around 24.2 °C, and lowest in January, at around 2.9 °C. Demographics Per Japanese census data, the population of Nakai grew in the 1970s and 1980s, and has now leveled off. History During the Edo period, the area around present-day Nakai was part of Odawara Domain in Sagami Province. After the Meiji Restoration, it became part of Ashigarakami District in Kanagawa Prefecture. Nakai village was formed on April 1, 1889 with the establishment of the modern municipalities system. It merged with neighboring Iguchi village on April 1, 1908. The village was elevated to town status on December 1, 1958. Government Nakai has a mayor-council form of government with a directly elected mayor and a unicameral town council of 13 members. Nakai, together with the other municipalities in Ashigarakami District and Minamiashigara city, collectively contributes one member to the Kanagawa Prefectural Assembly. In terms of national politics, the town is part of Kanagawa 17th district of the lower house of the Diet of Japan. Economy The town economy is primarily agricultural, with dairy farming, mandarin oranges predominating. An industrial zone established near the Tōmei Expressway has attracted a