Takayama, Gifu
|
Takayama 高山市 |
|||
|---|---|---|---|
| — City — | |||
 |
|||
|
|||
 |
|||
 Takayama
|
|||
| Coordinates: 36°9′N 137°15′E / 36.15°N 137.25°ECoordinates: 36°9′N 137°15′E / 36.15°N 137.25°E | |||
| Country | Japan | ||
| Region | Chūbu | ||
| Prefecture | Gifu | ||
| Government | |||
| • Mayor | Michihiro Kunishima[1] | ||
| Area | |||
| • Total | 2,177.67 km2 (840.80 sq mi) | ||
| Population (July 2011[2]) | |||
| • Total | 92,369 | ||
| • Density | 42/km2 (110/sq mi) | ||
| Time zone | Japan Standard Time (UTC+9) | ||
| City symbols | |||
| - Tree | Japanese Yew[3] | ||
| - Flower | Rhododendron reticulatum[3] | ||
| Phone number | 0577-32-3333 | ||
| Address | 2-18 Hanaoka-chō, Takayama-shi, Gifu-ken 506-8555 |
||
| Website | City of Takayama | ||
Takayama (高山市 Takayama-shi) is a city located in Gifu, Japan. As of July, 2011 the city has an estimated population of 92,369. The total area is 2,177.67 km2 (840.80 sq mi).
Takayama was settled as far back as the Jōmon period. Takayama is best known for its inhabitants' expertise in carpentry. It is believed carpenters from Takayama worked on the Imperial Palace in Kyoto and on many of the temples in Kyoto and Nara. The town and its culture, as they exist today, took shape at the end of the 16th century, when the Kanamori clan built Takayama Castle. About a hundred years later the city came under the rule of the Tokugawa shogunate. However, the high altitude and separation from other areas of Japan kept the area fairly isolated, allowing Takayama to develop its own culture over about a 300-year period.
Significance
The city was formed on November 1, 1936 by a merger of the towns of Takayama and Onada.[4] On February 1, 2005 nine towns and villages: from Ōno District (the town of Kuguno, and the villages of Asahi, Kiyomi, Miya, Nyūkawa, Shōkawa and Takane), and Yoshiki District (the town of Kokufu, and the village of Kamitakara) were merged in a major expansion of the city[4] which made Takayama the largest city in Japan (by surface area). The city is popularly known as Hida-Takayama (飛騨高山)(the guide books also call it by that name) to differentiate it from other places named Takayama. The name 'Takayama' means 'tall mountain'.
Geography
Climate
Takayama falls under a humid continental climate (Koppen Dfa/Dfb) bordering with humid subtropical climate, with a wide range of temperature between the summer and winter, somewhat resembling parts of Northern Japan and Hokkaido. Takayama receives high rainfall amounts during the rain season yielding to a short, yet hot and humid summer with day-time temperatures commonly higher than 30°C (86°F) coupled with plenty of strong sunshine. Takayama is also part of the heavy snow area of Japan (gōsetsu-chitai, 豪雪地帯) with snowfall most days throughout the winter season. Takayama along with many other cities and towns exposed to the Sea of Japan experience lake effect snow, generating some of the highest, most consistent snowfall in the world.
Spring is short lived, usually dry with mild temperatures and plenty of sunshine. Cherry blossoms (sakura, 桜) can be seen arriving at Takayama around the middle of April, 2–3 weeks later than Nagoya. Summer begins warm and wet with the arrival of the rain season (tsuyu, 梅雨) later turning drier and hot towards the end of July. It again turns wet and milder as the cooler autumn air proceeds southwards across the country. Autumn is short, yet dry and cool with plenty of sunshine. Autumn foliage (kōyō, 紅葉）can be seen in the Takayama area around the first week of November. Winters are moderately long, cold and icy with high amounts of snowfall annually amounting to an average of 5.11m (201.2 inches) commonly leading to the development of snow banks in the outer areas of the city. The first snowfall of the season usually arrives at the end of November and lasts through until the beginning of April.
| Climate data for Takayama, Japan(1971～2000) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 16.7 (62.1) |
18.5 (65.3) |
23.4 (74.1) |
30.6 (87.1) |
32.1 (89.8) |
34.7 (94.5) |
36.1 (97.0) |
37.3 (99.1) |
35.4 (95.7) |
29.4 (84.9) |
23.9 (75.0) |
21.7 (71.1) |
37.3 (99.1) |
| Average high °C (°F) | 2.9 (37.2) |
3.6 (38.5) |
8.5 (47.3) |
16.5 (61.7) |
21.9 (71.4) |
25.2 (77.4) |
28.7 (83.7) |
30.1 (86.2) |
24.9 (76.8) |
18.8 (65.8) |
12.3 (54.1) |
5.9 (42.6) |
16.6 (61.9) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | −2.1 (28.2) |
−1.1 (30.0) |
2.9 (37.2) |
9.7 (49.5) |
15.2 (59.4) |
19.8 (67.6) |
23.6 (74.5) |
24.7 (76.5) |
20.1 (68.2) |
13.4 (56.1) |
7.2 (45.0) |
1.6 (34.9) |
11.2 (52.2) |
| Average low °C (°F) | −7.1 (19.2) |
−5.7 (21.7) |
−2.5 (27.5) |
2.9 (37.2) |
8.4 (47.1) |
14.3 (57.7) |
18.5 (65.3) |
19.3 (66.7) |
15.1 (59.2) |
7.9 (46.2) |
2.0 (35.6) |
−2.7 (27.1) |
6.0 (42.8) |
| Record low °C (°F) | −23.5 (−10.3) |
−25.5 (−13.9) |
−21.2 (−6.2) |
−7.6 (18.3) |
−3.1 (26.4) |
1.8 (35.2) |
8.1 (46.6) |
9.4 (48.9) |
3.8 (38.8) |
−3.5 (25.7) |
−10.7 (12.7) |
−19.5 (−3.1) |
−25.5 (−13.9) |
| Precipitation mm (inches) | 88.9 (3.5) |
99.7 (3.925) |
120.5 (4.744) |
139.1 (5.476) |
134.8 (5.307) |
193.1 (7.602) |
226.2 (8.906) |
169.1 (6.657) |
257.8 (10.15) |
126.7 (4.988) |
98.5 (3.878) |
79.3 (3.122) |
1,733.5 (68.248) |
| Snowfall cm (inches) | 166 (65.4) |
155 (61) |
66 (26) |
7 (2.8) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
15 (5.9) |
98 (38.6) |
511 (201.2) |
| Mean monthly sunshine hours | 95.6 | 112.6 | 150.9 | 174.6 | 181.3 | 143.0 | 146.5 | 180.5 | 124.1 | 125.8 | 98.9 | 89.0 | 1,623.7 |
| Source no. 1: Japan Meteorological Agency[5] | |||||||||||||
| Source no. 2: Japan Meteorological Agency[6] | |||||||||||||
Adjoining communities
- Nagano Prefecture: Ōmachi, Matsumoto, Kiso (town) (Kiso District)
- Gifu Prefecture: Gero, Gujo, Shirakawa (Ōno District), Hida
- Toyama Prefecture: Toyama
- Ishikawa Prefecture: Hakusan
- Fukui Prefecture: Ono
Sister cities
Within Japan
- Matsumoto, Nagano Prefecture (est. November 1, 1971)
- Hiratsuka, Kanagawa Prefecture (est. October 22, 1982)
- Echizen, Fukui Prefecture (est. October 22, 1982)
- Kaminoyama, Yamagata Prefecture (est. October 13, 1988)
Overseas
-
Denver, Colorado, United States (est. June 27, 1960) -
Lijiang, Yunnan, People's Republic of China (est. March 21, 2002) -
Sibiu, Romania, since 2009.
Attractions
- Mount Norikura, a dormant volcano that is 3,026 meters (9,928 ft.) tall is located just east of Takayama. A bus takes visitors to a point near the summit.
- Shin-Hotaka Ropeway and Okuhida Spa Resort. There is a 3,200 meter ropeway offering great views of the Northern Alps.
- Old Private Houses. There are a variety of old homes in the heart of Takayama that are cultural artifacts.[7]
- Takayama has a nice morning market near the river in the center of town.
- The Hida Minzoku Mura Folk Village folk village is also nearby.
- Takayama is the home of one of the three largest Shinto festivals in Japan. The Takayama Festivals are two distinctive festivals. The Yatai (floats) used during the festivals can be found in the Takayama Yatai Kaikan (Takayama Festival Float Exhibition Hall). Nearby is the Sakurayama Nikkō Kan, an exhibit of 1/10 scale replicas of Nikkō's famous Toshogu shrine.
- Takayama-shi Kyodo-kan is a local history museum with handicrafts and traditional items.
- Takayama Jinya is a historical government house that has been restored to its earlier design and is open for tours.
- Kusakabe Folk Museum is a local museum in an old merchant's home.
- Hida-Kokubunji Temple is the oldest structure in Takayama. It has a 3-level pagoda and stands beside a ginkgo tree that is over 1,200 years old.
- Ankokuji Temple and Storehouse is an ancient structure from 1408 that is recognized as a national treasure.
- Hida Takayama Kur Alp (Hida Takayama Spa Land) is a large public bath and swimming area.
- The ruins of Matsukura Castle are located in the city.
Culture
- Takayama is known for its local foods, including sansai (mountain vegetables) and wasakana (river fish) as well as its beef, soba, ramen, and sake.
- In addition to its fame for its carpentry, Takayama is well known for its lacquerware, pottery, and furniture.
- The mountain city of Takayama is associated with charms known as "sarubobos", which are traditionally passed from grandmothers to grandchildren and mothers to daughters, though are now often sold as souvenirs. The city and the Hida area in which it is located are also known for carpentry, and its carpenters are called Hida no takumi.
Around the east of the city is a walking tour, called the Higashiyama Walking Course (東山歩行道 Higashiyama-hokōdō), which goes past many shrines and temples to Shiroyama Park (城山公園 Shiroyama-kōen). Takayama holds two festivals every year, Sannō Matsuri (山王祭り) in Spring and Hachiman Matsuri (八幡祭り) in Autumn. These festivals are among the most popular in Japan.
Transportation
Railroad
See also
References
- ^ "ようこそ市長室へ" (in Japanese). Takayama official website. http://www.city.takayama.lg.jp/mayors_office/index.html. Retrieved August 11, 2011.
- ^ "岐阜県の人口・世帯数人口動態統計調査結果" (in Japanese). Gifu prefectural website. Gifu Prefecture. http://www.pref.gifu.lg.jp/kensei-unei/tokeijoho/kohyoshiryo/jinko-jutaku/jinko/2011/jinko201108.data/H2308kohyo.xls. Retrieved September 11, 2011.
- ^ a b "高山市の市章・木・花" (in Japanese). Takayama official homepage. http://www.city.takayama.lg.jp/kikaku/aramashi/documents/00_02shisyou.pdf. Retrieved August 11, 2011.
- ^ a b "高山市のあらまし: 自然" (in Japanese). Takayama official website. http://www.city.takayama.lg.jp/kikaku/aramashi/documents/1.pdf. Retrieved August 11, 2011.
- ^ "平年値（年・月ごとの値）". Japan Meteorological Agency. http://www.data.jma.go.jp/obd/stats/etrn/view/nml_sfc_ym.php?prec_no=52&prec_ch=%8A%F2%95%8C%8C%A7&block_no=47617&block_ch=%8D%82%8ER&year=&month=&day=&elm=normal&view=. Retrieved 2010-03-06.
- ^ "観測史上1～10位の値（年間を通じての値）". Japan Meteorological Agency. http://www.data.jma.go.jp/obd/stats/etrn/view/rank_s.php?prec_no=52&prec_ch=%8A%F2%95%8C%8C%A7&block_no=47617&block_ch=%8D%82%8ER&year=&month=&day=&elm=rank&view=. Retrieved 2010-03-06.
- ^ Japan Times, "Taking a stroll back through time", 13 July 2007, p. 24.
External links
 |
Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Takayama, Gifu |
- Takayama official website (Japanese)
- Takayama Guide
- Stepping back in time in Takayama (English)
- Hida-Takayama travel guide from Wikitravel
|
||||||||||||||
