is a town located in Gunma Prefecture, Japan. , the town had an estimated population of 18,383 in 7938 households, and a population density of 24 persons per km². The total area of the town is . Much of the town is within the borders of Jōshin'etsu-kōgen National Park. Geography Located in northern Gunma, Minakami is bordered by Niigata Prefecture to the north. The town is very mountainous. Mountains: Mount Mikuni (1636m), Mount Sennokura (2026m), Mount Ōmine, Mount Tanigawa (1977m), Asahidake (1945m), Mount Hiragatake (2141m) Rivers: Tone River, Akatani River Lakes: Lake Okutone, Lake Naramata, Lake Fujiwara, Lake Dogen Dams: Yagisawa Dam, Naramata Dam, Fujiwara Dam, Aimata Dam, Sudagai Dam Surrounding municipalities Gunma Prefecture Numata Kawaba Katashina Nakanojō Niigata Prefecture Uonuma Minamiuonuma Yuzawa Climate Minakami has a Humid continental climate (Köppen Dfa) characterized by warm summers and cold winters with heavy snowfall. The average annual temperature in Minakami is 6.8 °C. The average annual rainfall is 1864 mm with September as the wettest month. The temperatures are highest on average in August, at around 18.6 °C, and lowest in January, at around -5.2 °C. Demographics Per Japanese census data, the population of Minakami has declined steadily over the past 60 years. History The Mikuni Kaidō connecting Takasaki with Niigata from the Heian period onwards passed through area of present-day Minakami, with nine post stations. The area was contested between the competing Uesugi, Takeda and Sanada clans during the Sengoku period. During the Edo period, it was partly under the control of Numata Domain , with the remainder as part of the tenryō holdings within Kōzuke Province administered directly by the Tokugawa shogunate during the Edo period. On April 1, 1889 with the creation of the modern municipalities system after the Meiji Restoration, Minakami village was established within Tone District, Gunma. It was raised to town status on August 10, 1947. On October 1, 2005, the town of Tsukiyono and the village of Niiharu were merged into Minakami. Government Minakami has a mayor-council form of government with a directly elected mayor and a unicameral town council of 18 members. Minakami, together with the other municipalities in Tone District, contributes one member to the Gunma Prefectural Assembly. In terms of national politics, the town is part of Gunma 1st district of the lower house of the Diet of Japan. Economy The economy of Minakami is heavily dependent on seasonal tourism to ski