Kawakami, Nagano

Kawakami 川上村
Village
Kawakami Village Hall
Flag Seal
Location of Kawakami in Nagano Prefecture
Kawakami
Coordinates: 35°58′31.5″N 138°34′42″E / 35.975417°N 138.57833°E / 35.975417; 138.57833Coordinates: 35°58′31.5″N 138°34′42″E / 35.975417°N 138.57833°E / 35.975417; 138.57833
Country	Japan
Region	Chūbu (Kōshin'etsu)
Prefecture	Nagano
District	Minamisaku
Area
• Total	209.61 km2 (80.93 sq mi)
Population (October 2016)
• Total	4,664
• Density	22.3/km2 (58/sq mi)
Time zone	Japan Standard Time (UTC+9)
Symbols
• Tree	Larch
• Flower	Rhododendron
• Bird	Japanese bush warbler
Phone number	0267-78-2121
Address	525 Omiyama Kawakami-mura, Minamisaku-gun, Nagano-ken 384-1405
Website	www.vill.kawakami.nagano.jp

Kawakami (川上村, Kawakami-mura^?) is a village located in Minamisaku District in south-central Nagano Prefecture, in the Chūbu region of Japan. As of 1 October 2016^[update], the village had an estimated population of 4664 and a population density of 22.3 persons per km². Its total area was 209.61 square kilometres (80.93 sq mi).　 Its village office is located at 1,185 meters, the highest of any municipality in Japan. Kawakami is famous for its lettuce, as well as the Kawakami-ken breed of dogs.

Kawakami is located in mountainous eastern Nagano Prefecture, bordered by Yamanashi Prefecture to the south, Gunma Prefecture to the north and Saitama Prefecture to the east. Mount Kinpu (2499 meters) is partly located within this village.　

Although it is not widely known, the source of the Chikuma River, the longest river in Japan, is in Kawakami. This fact is a point of local pride, as it appears in various school songs.

Much of the village is within the borders of the Chichibu Tama Kai National Park

The area of present-day Kawakami was part of ancient Shinano Province. The modern village of Kawakami was created with the establishment of the municipalities system on April 1, 1889.