is a

city A city is a human settlement of notable size.Goodall, B. (1987) ''The Penguin Dictionary of Human Geography''. London: Penguin.Kuper, A. and Kuper, J., eds (1996) ''The Social Science Encyclopedia''. 2nd edition. London: Routledge. It can be def ...

located in

Okayama Prefecture is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located in the Chūgoku region of Honshu. Okayama Prefecture has a population of 1,906,464 (1 February 2018) and has a geographic area of 7,114 Square kilometre, km2 (2,746 sq mi). Okayama Prefectur ...

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

. , the city had an estimated

population Population typically refers to the number of people in a single area, whether it be a city or town, region, country, continent, or the world. Governments typically quantify the size of the resident population within their jurisdiction using a ...

of 43,359 in 18809 households and a

population density Population density (in agriculture: standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geographical term.Matt RosenberPopul ...

of 210 persons per km². The total area of the city is .

Geography

Akaiwa is located in east-central Okayama Prefecture. The

Yoshii River The Yoshii River is a river in Okayama Prefecture, Japan. References

Rivers of Okayama Prefecture Rivers of Japan {{Japan-river-stub ...

, one of the three major rivers in the prefecture, flows through the northeastern part of the city. Although it is located in the northeastern part of the Okayama Plain, most of the city area is hills and forests.

Adjoining municipalities

Okayama is the capital city of Okayama Prefecture in the Chūgoku region of Japan. The city was founded on June 1, 1889. , the city has an estimated population of 720,841 and a population density of 910 persons per km2. The total area is . The city is ...

* Bizen * Kumenan *

Misaki Misaki ( ja, 御先, "misaki") are a collective term for spirit-like existences in Japan like gods, demons and spirits, among other supernatural entities. Their name comes from a kannushi's vanguard. Summary Misaki are subordinate to the high ...

Wake Wake or The Wake may refer to: Culture *Wake (ceremony), a ritual which takes place during some funeral ceremonies *Wakes week, an English holiday tradition * Parish Wake, another name of the Welsh ', the fairs held on the local parish's patron s ...

Climate

Akaiwa has a

humid subtropical climate A humid subtropical climate is a zone of climate characterized by hot and humid summers, and cool to mild winters. These climates normally lie on the southeast side of all continents (except Antarctica), generally between latitudes 25° and 40° ...

(

Köppen climate classification The Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by German-Russian climatologist Wladimir Köppen (1846–1940) in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen, notabl ...

''Cfa'') with very warm summers and cool winters. The average annual temperature in Akaiwa is 14.5 °C. The average annual rainfall is 1306 mm with September as the wettest month. The temperatures are highest on average in January, at around 26.3 °C, and lowest in January, at around 3.2 °C.

Demographics

Per Japanese census data, the population of Akaiwa is as follows.

History

The Akaiwa area is part of ancient

Bizen Province was a province of Japan on the Inland Sea side of Honshū, in what is today the southeastern part of Okayama Prefecture. It was sometimes called , with Bitchū and Bingo Provinces. Bizen borders Mimasaka, Harima, and Bitchū Provinces. Bizen ...

and was near the center of political power, as it was the location of the

Bizen Kokubun-ji The was a Buddhist temple located in what is now the city of Akaiwa, Okayama, Japan. It was one of the provincial temples per the system established by Emperor Shōmu during the Nara period (710 – 794) for the purpose of promoting Buddhi ...

. During the

Edo Period The or is the period between 1603 and 1867 in the history of Japan, when Japan was under the rule of the Tokugawa shogunate and the country's 300 regional '' daimyo''. Emerging from the chaos of the Sengoku period, the Edo period was characteriz ...

, it was part of the holdings of

Okayama Domain The was a Japanese domain of the Edo period. It was associated with Bizen Province in modern-day Okayama Prefecture.">DF_18_of_80">"Ikeda"_at_''Nobiliare_du_Japon'',_p._14_ DF_18_of_80/nowiki>_retrieved_2013-4-25. # .html"_;"title="DF_18_of_8 ...

. Following the Meiji restoration, the area was organized into villages within Akasaka and Iwanashi Districts of Okayama Prefecture with the creation of the modern municipalities system on April 1, 1889. The two districts were merged to form Akaiwa District, Okayama in 1900. The city of Akaiwa was established on March 7, 2005, from the merger of the towns of Akasaka, Okayama, Akasaka, Kumayama, Okayama, Kumayama, San'yō, Okayama, San'yō and Yoshii, Okayama (Akaiwa), Yoshii (all from Akaiwa District, Okayama, Akaiwa District).

Government

Akaiwa has a mayor-council form of government with a directly elected mayor and a

unicameral Unicameralism (from ''uni''- "one" + Latin ''camera'' "chamber") is a type of legislature, which consists of one house or assembly, that legislates and votes as one. Unicameral legislatures exist when there is no widely perceived need for multic ...

city council of 18 members. Akaiwa contributes one member to the Okayama Prefectural Assembly. In terms of national politics, the city is part of the Okayama 1st district of the

lower house A lower house is one of two Debate chamber, chambers of a Bicameralism, bicameral legislature, the other chamber being the upper house. Despite its official position "below" the upper house, in many legislatures worldwide, the lower house has co ...

of the

Diet of Japan The is the national legislature of Japan. It is composed of a lower house, called the House of Representatives (, ''Shūgiin''), and an upper house, the House of Councillors (, '' Sangiin''). Both houses are directly elected under a paralle ...

Economy

Then economy of Akaiwa is primarily based on agriculture and food processing.

Horticulture Horticulture is the branch of agriculture that deals with the art, science, technology, and business of plant cultivation. It includes the cultivation of fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, herbs, sprouts, mushrooms, algae, flowers, seaweeds and no ...

, especially then cultivation of peaches and grapes, and production of agricultural machinery are important to then local economy. Akaiwa is one of three remaining places in Japan that produces the

bamboo Bamboos are a diverse group of evergreen perennial flowering plants making up the subfamily Bambusoideae of the grass family Poaceae. Giant bamboos are the largest members of the grass family. The origin of the word "bamboo" is uncertain, bu ...

stalk for ''fude''

ink brush Ink is a gel, sol, or solution that contains at least one colorant, such as a dye or pigment, and is used to color a surface to produce an image, text, or design. Ink is used for drawing or writing with a pen, brush, reed pen, or quill. Thicke ...

es. The harvested bamboo stalks are spread in the dry riverbed of the

Yoshii River The Yoshii River is a river in Okayama Prefecture, Japan. References

Rivers of Okayama Prefecture Rivers of Japan {{Japan-river-stub ...

during the winter to dry under the sun. The stalks are then boiled in the town to remove impurities.竹筆軸：「カラン」と天日干し　岡山の河川敷

Education

Akaiwa has 13 public elementary schools and five public junior high schools operated by the city government, and one public high school operated by the Okayama Prefectural Board of Education. There is also one private combined middle/high school.

Transportation

Railway

JR West , also referred to as , is one of the Japan Railways Group (JR Group) companies and operates in western Honshu. It has its headquarters in Kita-ku, Osaka. It is listed in the Tokyo Stock Exchange, is a constituent of the TOPIX Large70 index, and ...

(JR West) -

San'yō Main Line The is a major railway line owned by JR Group companies in western Japan, connecting Kōbe Station and Moji Station, largely paralleling the coast of the Seto Inland Sea, Inland Sea, in other words, the southern coast of western Honshu. The Sa ...

Highways

San'yō Expressway The (Asian Highway Network ) is an expressway in Japan, running from Kobe through Hiroshima along the Inland Sea and terminating in Yamaguchi Prefecture. The entire length of the expressway was opened in 1997. The main line has a total length of ...

* *

Local attractions

* Kumayama ruins, National Historic Site * Ryōgūsan Kofun, National Historic Site *

ruins, National Historic Site

References

External links

* {{Authority control Cities in Okayama Prefecture Akaiwa, Okayama