Kamo, Niigata

Kamo 加茂市
City
Location of Kamo in Niigata Prefecture Location of Kamo in Niigata Prefecture
Kamo
Coordinates:
Country	Japan
Region	Chūbu (Kōshin'etsu) (Hokuriku)
Prefecture	Niigata Prefecture
Government
• Mayor	Kiyohiko Koike
Area
• Total	133.68 km2 (51.61 sq mi)
Population (11.1.2009)
• Total	30,113
• Density	225/km2 (580/sq mi)
Time zone	Japan Standard Time (UTC+9)
- Tree	Cryptomeria
- Flower	Camellia japonica
Phone number	0256-52-0080
Address	2-3-5, Saiwai-cho, Kamo-shi, Niigata-ken 959-1392
Website	City of Kamo

Kamo (加茂市, Kamo-shi) is a city located in Niigata Prefecture, Japan, roughly halfway between the two larger cities of Nagaoka and Niigata. The city was founded on March 10, 1954.

As of 2003, the city has an estimated population of 32,422 and a population density of 242.55 persons per km². The total area is 133.67 km².

Kamo is a popular place for small tour groups, especially for children in elementary school. It is advertised as a "traditional town" and sometimes referred to as the Little Kyoto of the Hokuetsu region. This is because it shares certain structural features with Kyoto, being surrounded on three sides by mountains and intersected by a river. Kamo's most famous attraction is Kamoyama Park, which is home to the Omi Jinja (Shrine) and many other sights, including a petting area for small squirrels which the town has regularly imported. The Kamo River is also the site of many city events, including the Obon Festival in August and the Snow Camelia Festival in April. The snow camelia is a symbol of Kamo and can be seen growing in many locations around the city.

Kamo has five junior high schools (Kamo, Aoi, Nanatani, Wakamiya, and Suda), one agriculture and forestry high school (Kamo Norin), one private high school (Kamo Gyosei), and one public high school (Kamo).

Sister cities

Kamo maintains sister city ties with three cities:

• Ōshima, Japan (1968)
• Zibo, China (1993)
• Komsomolsk-on-Amur, Russia (?)

Famous People from Kamo

• Hirohiko Izumida (governor of Niigata Prefecture)
• Makiko Kikuta (politician)
• Kanako Higuchi (actress)
• Shigeo Gochō (Photographer)
• Nobuo Kawaguchi (football player)
• Maiko Wakabayashi (golfer)
• Toru Kondo (agronomist)

External links

• Kamo City official website (Japanese)