Nan'yō, Yamagata

Nanyo 南陽市
—  City  —
Location of Nanyo in Yamagata
Nanyo
Coordinates: 38°3′N 140°9′E
Country	Japan
Region	Tōhoku
Prefecture	Yamagata
Government
• Mayor	Hideo Shiota
Area
• Total	160.70 km2 (62.05 sq mi)
Population (2010 Census)
• Total	33,658
• Density	214/km2 (550/sq mi)
Time zone	Japan Standard Time (UTC+9)
City symbols
- Tree	Sakura
- Flower	Chrysanthemum
Phone number	0238-40-3211
Address	436-1 Mitsumadori, Nanyō-shi, Yamagata-ken 999-2292
Website	www.city.nanyo.yamagata.jp

The high street in Akayu, the biggest district in Nanyo

Nanyo (南陽市, Nan'yō-shi) is a city in Yamagata Prefecture, Japan.

As of 2012, the city has a population of 33,723 and a population density of 214 persons per km². The total area is 160.70 km².

The city was founded on April 1, 1967, and consists of a number of districts. These include

• Akayu
• Miyauchi
• Okigō
• Ringo
• Nakagawa
• Urushiyama
• Yoshino

The English travel-writer Isabella Bird visited Akayu in 1878 and wrote about the town in Unbeaten Tracks in Japan. Akayu is famous for its hot springs, cherries and hang gliding. Miyauchi is famous for its chrysanthemum festival and the Kumano-taisha Shrine.

Education

High schools

• Nanyo High School

Junior high schools

• Akayu Junior High School
• Miyauchi Junior High School
• Okigo Junior High School

Elementary schools

• Akayu Elementary School
• Kotaki Elementary School - Closed in 2012
• Miyauchi Elementary School
• Nakagawa Elementary School
• Ogi Elementary School
• Okigo Elementary School
• Ringo Elementary School
• Urushiyama Elementary School

Transportation

Rail

• JR East
  • Yamagata Shinkansen: Akayu
  • Ōu Main Line: Akayu, Nakagawa stations
• Yamagata Railway Company
  • Flower Nagai Line: Akayu, Nanyō-Shiyakusho, Miyauchi, Orihata, Ringō stations

Major roads

• National Route 13
• National Route 113
• National Route 348
• National Route 399

Tourism

Lake Hakuryuu, with a vineyard on the mountain in the background

• Inarimori Burial Mound, Akayu
• Akayu onsen, Akayu
• Nanyo Skypark, Akayu
• Mount Eboshi, Akayu. Listed as one of the 100 places in Japan to view cherry blossoms.
• Toyotaro Yuki Memorial Museum, Akayu
• Kumano Shrine, Miyauchi
• Hygeia Park onsen complex, Miyauchi
• The 33 Images of Buddha, Mt Iwabu, Nakagawa
• Yuzuru No Sato Museum, Urushiyama
• Chinzo Temple, Urushiyama
• Kuguri waterfall, Kotaki
• Lake Hakuryuu, Akayu, the smallest lake in Japan.^{[citation needed]}

Events

Eboshiyama, one of the 100 best places to see the cherry blossoms in Japan

• Eboshiyama park cherry blossom festival, Akayu, late April to early May
• Sosho park rose festival, Miyauchi, June
• Kumano-taisha festival, Miyauchi, 24–25 July
• Grape picking, sightseeing vineyard, Akayu, August–October
• Nanyō wine festival, Hygeia park, Miyauchi, August
• Akayu onsen furosato festival, Akayu, second weekend of September
• Chrysanthemum doll festival, Miyauchi, mid-October to mid-November

Wine

Cask of wine from the Sato Winery in Nanyo during the annual wine festival

Nanyo is home to three major wineries.

• Sakai Winery
• Oura Winery
• Sato Winery

Each year in summer a special wine festival is held. Participants may pay a small fee to sample products from each of the three wineries.

In addition to the three wineries, Nanyo is also home to a sake brewery called Azuma no Fumoto (東の麓).

Media

Newspapers

• Okitama Times

External links

• Official website in Japanese
• Official website in English