Otari, Nagano Prefecture, Chūbu Region, Japan

🇯🇵 Otari (小谷村, Otari-mura) is a village located in Nagano Prefecture, Japan. As of 30 November 2018, the village had an estimated population density of 11 persons per km². The total area of the village is 267.91 square km (103.44 sq mi).

Geography Otari is located in the mountainous far north-western Nagano Prefecture, bordered by Niigata Prefecture to the north and west. Much of the village is within the borders of the Chūbu-Sangaku National Park or the Myōkō-Togakushi Renzan National Park.

Surrounding municipalities • Nagano Prefecture • Hakuba • Nagano • Niigata Prefecture • Itoigawa • Myōkō.

Demographics Per Japanese census data, the population of Otari has decreased considerably over the past 70 years.

History The area of present-day Otari was part of ancient Shinano Province and was part of the territory controlled by Matsumoto Domain under the Tokugawa shogunate of the Edo period. The modern village of Otari was established on April 1, 1954 by the merger of the villages of Minami-Otari, Kita-Otari and Nakatsuchi.

Education Otari has one public elementary school and one public middle school operated by the village government. The village does not have a high school.

Transport: Rail • East Japan Railway Company – Ōito Line • Hakuba-Ōike - Chikuni - Minami-Otari • West Japan Railway Company – Ōito Line • Minami-Otari - Nakatsuchi - Kita-Otari.

Transport: Road • National Route 148.