Azumino
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Azumino(安曇野市, Azumino-shi) is a city located in Nagano Prefecture, Japan. As of 1March2019[update], the city had an estimated population of 97,761 in 39744 households, and a population density of 290 persons per km2. Its total area is 331.78 square kilometres (128.10sqmi).
Etymology
Azumino is a combination of two words, "Azumi" and "no". "Azumi" comes from the Azumi people, who are said to have moved to the "no" (plain) in ancient times. The Azumi people originally lived in northern Kyushu, and were famed for their skills in fishing and navigation. "The Azumi people" can be translated as "the people who live on the sea." The reason why the seafaring people migrated to this mountainous region is a mystery.
Geography
Azumino is located in the Azumino Plateau on the northwestern end of the Matsumoto Basin, between mountain ranges to the west and east. The range of mountains on the western border is known as the Northern Alps (Hida Mountains) and is popular among hikers all over Japan. To the south is the city of Matsumoto, Nagano prefecture's second largest city. To the north lies the city of Ōmachi, and north of Ōmachi is the village of Hakuba. Hakuba was the site of many of the ski events during the 1998 Winter Olympic Games. Mount Jōnen at 2,857 metres (9,373ft) is the highest elevation in the city.
Surrounding municipalities
Climate
The city has a climate characterized by characterized by hot and humid summers, and relatively mild winters (Köppen climate classification Cfa). The average annual temperature in Azumino is 11.8°C (53.2°F). The average annual rainfall is 1,108.7mm (43.65in) with September as the wettest month. The temperatures are highest on average in August, at around 24.7°C (76.5°F), and lowest in January, at around −0.8°C (30.6°F). The mountainous portions of the city are considered part of the snow country of Japan, with heavy accumulations of snow in winter.
| Climate data for Hotaka, Azumino (1991–2020 normals, extremes 1978–present) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 17.9 (64.2) | 20.6 (69.1) | 27.3 (81.1) | 31.0 (87.8) | 34.5 (94.1) | 37.7 (99.9) | 37.8 (100.0) | 37.7 (99.9) | 36.4 (97.5) | 29.8 (85.6) | 24.8 (76.6) | 20.4 (68.7) | 37.8 (100.0) |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 4.3 (39.7) | 5.8 (42.4) | 10.7 (51.3) | 17.8 (64.0) | 23.4 (74.1) | 26.1 (79.0) | 29.6 (85.3) | 31.1 (88.0) | 25.9 (78.6) | 19.5 (67.1) | 13.5 (56.3) | 7.3 (45.1) | 17.9 (64.2) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | −0.8 (30.6) | 0.1 (32.2) | 4.1 (39.4) | 10.4 (50.7) | 16.2 (61.2) | 20.0 (68.0) | 23.8 (74.8) | 24.7 (76.5) | 20.2 (68.4) | 13.6 (56.5) | 7.2 (45.0) | 1.9 (35.4) | 11.8 (53.2) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | −5.3 (22.5) | −5.0 (23.0) | −1.4 (29.5) | 3.8 (38.8) | 9.9 (49.8) | 15.1 (59.2) | 19.5 (67.1) | 20.2 (68.4) | 15.9 (60.6) | 8.9 (48.0) | 2.1 (35.8) | −2.5 (27.5) | 6.8 (44.2) |
| Record low °C (°F) | −16.7 (1.9) | −17.1 (1.2) | −12.8 (9.0) | −7.5 (18.5) | −0.5 (31.1) | 5.7 (42.3) | 12.0 (53.6) | 10.9 (51.6) | 3.8 (38.8) | −1.8 (28.8) | −6.2 (20.8) | −14.2 (6.4) | −17.1 (1.2) |
| Average precipitation mm (inches) | 45.4 (1.79) | 45.5 (1.79) | 83.8 (3.30) | 83.5 (3.29) | 95.6 (3.76) | 123.7 (4.87) | 145.5 (5.73) | 106.7 (4.20) | 155.8 (6.13) | 126.6 (4.98) | 58.4 (2.30) | 38.2 (1.50) | 1,108.7 (43.65) |
| Average precipitation days (≥ 1.0 mm) | 6.4 | 6.6 | 9.4 | 8.6 | 8.9 | 10.6 | 12.5 | 10.1 | 10.5 | 8.7 | 6.6 | 6.9 | 105.8 |
| Mean monthly sunshine hours | 139.9 | 148.3 | 172.1 | 193.9 | 201.6 | 149.0 | 151.2 | 184.3 | 131.4 | 137.1 | 135.2 | 130.2 | 1,874.1 |
| Source: Japan Meteorological Agency (1991–2020 normals, extremes 1978–present) |
History
The area of present-day Azumino was part of ancient Shinano Province. The area was part of the holdings of Matsumoto Domain during the Edo period. The modern city of Azumino was established on October 1, 2005, by the merger of the town of Akashina (from Higashichikuma District), the towns of Hotaka and Toyoshina, and the villages of Horigane and Misato (all from Minamiazumi District).
Demographics
Per Japanese census data, the population of Azumino has recently plateaued after several decades of growth.
| Year | Pop. | ±% |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 66,564 | — |
| 1970 | 65,690 | −1.3% |
| 1980 | 75,209 | +14.5% |
| 1990 | 83,154 | +10.6% |
| 2000 | 92,864 | +11.7% |
| 2010 | 96,461 | +3.9% |
| 2020 | 94,222 | −2.3% |
Government
Azumino has a mayor-council form of government with a directly elected mayor and a unicameral city legislature of 22 members.
Education
Azumino has ten public elementary schools and seven public middle schools. The city has four public high schools operated by the Nagano Prefectural Board of Education.
Transportation
Railway
- East Japan Railway Company - Ōito Line Azusabashi - Hitoichiba - Nakagaya - Minami-Toyoshina - Toyoshina - Hakuyachō - Hotaka - Ariake - Azumi-Oiwake
- East Japan Railway Company - Shinonoi Line Tazawa - Akashina
Highway
Sister cities
Domestic
- Misato, Saitama, Saitama Prefecture
- Edogawa, Tokyo
- Musashino, Tokyo
- Manazuru, Kanagawa
- Sangō, Nara
- Higashi-ku, Fukuoka
International
- Austria - Kramsach, Austria, since November 25, 1993
- United States - Collierville, Tennessee, United States
Local attractions
- Azumino is home to the world's largest wasabi farm, Daio Wasabi Farm.
- Jōkyō Gimin Memorial Museum
- Hotaka Jinja
- Mount Jōnen
- Mount Chō
Notable people
- Noriyasu Agematsu (born 1978), composer
- Shogo Asada (born 1998), footballer
- Hiroaki Asano (born 1978), volleyball player
- Masaaki Iinuma (1912–1941), pilot and aviation pioneer
- Kiyoshi Kiyosawa (1890–1945), journalist
- Kei Kumai (1930–2007), film director
- Gisiro Maruyama (1916–1986), mathematician
- Rokuzan Ogiwara (1879–1910), sculptor
- Michihiko Ohta (born 1964), singer-songwriter
- Aizō Sōma (1870–1954), founded Nakamuraya
- Tada Kasuke (?–1687), executed farmer
- Shunsuke Mutai (born 1956), politician
- Ryū Saitō (1879–1953), general
- Yasuyoshi Shirasawa (1868–1947), botanist
- Etsujirō Uehara (1877–1962), political scientist and politician
- Bumpei Usui, a professional artist, came from Tōmi in Horikin Village, Minami Azumino County, Nagano Prefecture.
- Yoshimi Usui (1905–1987), editor and writer
External links
Media related toAzumino, Naganoat Wikimedia Commons
- (in Japanese)