Yuzawa, Akita

Yuzawa
湯沢市
City

Yuzawa City Hall

Flag
Seal

Location of Yuzawa in Akita Prefecture
Yuzawa

 

Coordinates: 39°9′50.7″N 140°29′41.4″E / 39.164083°N 140.494833°E / 39.164083; 140.494833Coordinates: 39°9′50.7″N 140°29′41.4″E / 39.164083°N 140.494833°E / 39.164083; 140.494833
Country Japan
Region Tōhoku
Prefecture Akita Prefecture
Government
 • -Mayor Mitsuyoshi Saito
Area
 • Total 790.91 km2 (305.37 sq mi)
Population (May 2015)
 • Total 47,119
 • Density 59.6/km2 (154/sq mi)
Time zone Japan Standard Time (UTC+9)
- Tree Japanese zelkova
- Flower Cherry blossom
- Bird Copper pheasant
Phone number 0183-73-2111
Address 1-1 Satakechō, Yuzawa-shi, Akita-ken 012-8501
Website Official website

Yuzawa (湯沢市 Yuzawa-shi) is a city located in Akita Prefecture, in the northern Tohoku region of Japan.

As of May 2015, the city has an estimated population of 47,119 and a population density of 59.6 persons per km². The total area is 790.91 km2 (305.37 sq mi).

Yuzawa claims to be the birthplace of the famous Heian period poet Ono no Komachi.

Geography

Yuzawa is located at the far southeast corner of Akita Prefecture, bordered by mountains to the south, east and west.

Neighboring municipalities

Climate

Yuzawa has a humid continental climate (Köppen climate classification Cfa) with large seasonal temperature differences, with warm to hot (and often humid) summers and cold (sometimes severely cold) winters. Precipitation is significant throughout the year, but is heaviest from August to October.

History

The area of present-day Yuzawa was part of ancient Ugo Province, dominated by the Satake clan during the Edo period, who ruled Kubota Domain under the Tokugawa shogunate. Much of the territory was part of the 20,000 koku subsidiary feudal domain of Iwasaki Domain (岩崎藩 Iwasaki-han).

After the start of the Meiji period, Iwasaki Domain became briefly “Iwasaki Prefecture”, before becoming Ogachi District, Akita Prefecture in 1878. The towns of Iwasaki and Yuzawa were created in 1889, becoming the city of Yuzawa on March 31, 1954.

On March 22, 2005, the towns of Inakawa, Minase and Ogachi (all from Ogachi District) were merged into Yuzawa.

Politics and government

Elections

Economy

The economy of Yuzawa is based on agriculture, primarily rice cultivation, and the brewing of sake.

The production of sake in Yuzawa accounts for about 70% of the total amount in Akita prefecture and the city positions sake brewing as one of the key industries. Sake brewing in Yuzawa had been grown through the Edo period since the area included Innai Ginzan Silver Mine, a large consumption place comparable to the jokamachi of Kubota Domain. At its highest, it had more than 20 breweries and some of them still operate to this day.

Education

Yuzawa has 11 elementary schools, six middle schools and four high schools as well as one special education school.

Media

FM Yutopia (JOZZ2AN-FM) is the only radio station located in Yuzawa. It is known as the second oldest community radio station in Akita Prefecture, airing on Feb 2, 1999.

Transportation

Railway

Highway

Local attractions

International relations

Twin towns – Sister cities

Yuzawa is twinned with:

Other relations

Yuzawa carries out an exchange program for junior high school students with:

Noted people from Yuzawa

References

  1. ↑ "International Exchange". List of Affiliation Partners within Prefectures. Council of Local Authorities for International Relations (CLAIR). Retrieved 21 November 2015.
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