It’s amazing, if you have access to Google and know how to read the host language, you can find a lot of information about random places in other countries.
For instance, I was doing a bit more digging around, trying to find info about this town, when I found one of the school websites. Wow. Talk about information overload.
An excerpt (translated, of course):
The X Elementary School of Kami-machi is located in Miyagi-ken, 36km north of Sendai city, in a town of 28,000 people.
The surrounding areas, consisting of Furukawa city to the east, Obanazawa city in Yamagata-ken to the west, Shokuma (?) town to the south, and Iwadeyama town and Naruko town to the north, contain 10 elementary schools, 3 middle schools, and 1 high school.
The X Elementary School of Kami-machi is located on the north side of Kami town, and serves the areas of Iwadesan and Naruko.
The town was founded on April 1, 2004, when the townships of Onoda and Miyazaki merged, forming the new town of Kami-machi.
The article goes on to talk about the scenery, local businesses, and such.
I was a Jet in Kami Machi from 2001-2003. I was just using google myself, searching for info on the town I lived in a couple years ago…I lived in what was formally called Miyazaki, and I’m sure still is…
and then I came across your blog. I assume that you are in Japan by now and in kami machi–have fun! At times it seems very isolated, but the experience is one that most foreigners and many Jets will not experience…
Amy