is a

town A town is a human settlement. Towns are generally larger than villages and smaller than cities, though the criteria to distinguish between them vary considerably in different parts of the world. Origin and use The word "town" shares an ori ...

located in

Fukui Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan located in the Chūbu region of Honshū. Fukui Prefecture has a population of 778,943 (1 June 2017) and has a geographic area of 4,190 km2 (1,617 sq mi). Fukui Prefecture borders Ishikawa Prefecture to the north, Gi ...

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 town 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 20,709 and the

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 140 persons per km². The total area of the town was .

Geography

Echizen town is located in the Nyū District of central Fukui Prefecture, bordered by the

Sea of Japan The Sea of Japan is the marginal sea between the Japanese archipelago, Sakhalin, the Korean Peninsula, and the mainland of the Russian Far East. The Japanese archipelago separates the sea from the Pacific Ocean. Like the Mediterranean Sea, it h ...

to the west. Parts of the coastal area of the town are within the borders of the Echizen-Kaga Kaigan Quasi-National Park.

Neighbouring municipalities

*Fukui Prefecture **

Fukui is a Japanese name meaning "fortunate" or sometimes "one who is from the Fukui prefecture". It may refer to: Places * Fukui Domain, a part of the Japanese han system during the Edo period * Fukui Prefecture, a prefecture of Japan located in ...

** Echizen **

Sabae is a city located in Fukui Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 69,338 in 24,167 households and the population density of 820 persons per km2. The total area of the city was . Geography Sabae is located in central Fuku ...

** Minamiechizen

Climate

Echizen has a humid climate (Köppen ''Cfa'') characterized by warm, wet summers and cold winters with heavy snowfall. The average annual temperature in Echizen is 14.3 °C. The average annual rainfall is 2402 mm with September as the wettest month. The temperatures are highest on average in August, at around 26.8 °C, and lowest in January, at around 2.9 °C. Parts of the town are located within the extremely heavy snowfall area of Japan.

Demographics

Per Japanese census data, the population of Echizen was relatively stable throughout the late 20th century but has declined in the 21st.

History

Echizen is part of ancient

Echizen Province was a province of Japan in the area that is today the northern portion of Fukui Prefecture in the Hokuriku region of Japan. Echizen bordered on Kaga, Wakasa, Hida, and Ōmi Provinces. It was part of Hokurikudō Circuit. Its abbreviated form ...

. 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 ...

, the area was mostly part of the holdings of Fukui Domain under the

Tokugawa shogunate The Tokugawa shogunate (, Japanese 徳川幕府 ''Tokugawa bakufu''), also known as the , was the military government of Japan during the Edo period from 1603 to 1868. Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005)"''Tokugawa-jidai''"in ''Japan Encyclopedia ...

. Following the

Meiji Restoration The , referred to at the time as the , and also known as the Meiji Renovation, Revolution, Regeneration, Reform, or Renewal, was a political event that restored practical imperial rule to Japan in 1868 under Emperor Meiji. Although there were ...

, and the establishment of the modern municipalities it was organised into part of Nyū District in Fukui Prefecture. The villages of Shirosaki and Shikaura were founded on April 1, 1889. Shikaura was raised to town status on August 1, 1946. The town of Echizen was formed on March 1, 1955 by the merger of Shikaura and Shirosaki. On February 1, 2005 the towns of

Asahi Asahi (朝日, 旭, or あさひ) means "morning sun" in Japanese and may refer to: Cities * Asahi, Chiba (旭市; ''Asahi-shi'') Wards * Asahi-ku, Osaka (旭区; ''Asahi-ku'') * Asahi-ku, Yokohama (旭; ''Asahi-ku'') Towns * Asahi, Aichi (旭� ...

and Ota, and the village of Miyazaki, all from Nyū District, were merged into Echizen.

Economy

The economy of Echizen town is mixed, with commercial fishing and agriculture prominent. Echizen is known for its production of high quality crab, rice, pottery, and daffodils.

Education

Echizen town has eight public elementary schools and four middle schools operated by the city government. The town has one public high school operated by the Fukui Prefectural Board of Education
Nyu High School

Echizen Junior High School

Asahi Junior High School

Miyazaki Junior High School

Ota Junior High School

Transportation

Railway

Echizen town has no public passenger railway service.

Highway

* * *

Sister city relations

Sister cities

* -

Montevallo, Alabama Montevallo is a city in Shelby County, Alabama, United States. A college town, it is the home of the University of Montevallo, a public liberal arts university with approximately 3,000 students. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city o ...

(USA), since 2008 * -

Miyama, Fukuoka is a city located in Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan. As of April 30, 2017, the city has a population of 38,223 and a population density of 360 persons per km². The total area is 105.12 km². The modern city of Miyama was established on Janua ...

(Japan)

Friendship cities

* -

Yeongdeok County Yeongdeok County (''Yeongdeok-gun'') is a county in North Gyeongsang Province, South Korea. It is well known for snow crabs. Administrative divisions Yeongdeok County is divided into 1 eup and 8 myeon. Festival Yeongdeok city hosts a 'Snow C ...

(South Korea) * -

Nishio is a city located in Aichi Prefecture, in the Chūbu region of Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 169,984 in 65,553 households, with a population density of 1,054 persons per km². The total area of the city was . It is a regional ...

, Aisho (Japan)

Local attractions

* Echizen-Kaga Kaigan Quasi-National Park *

Echizen ware Echizen ware (越前焼, Echizen-yaki) is a type of Japanese pottery traditionally produced in Echizen, Odacho and Miyazaki Fukui Prefecture. It is considered one of the Six Ancient Kilns The Six Ancient Kilns (六古窯 Rokkoyō) is a cate ...

ceramics

References

External links

* *
Echizen Town tourism website
(in English) Towns in Fukui Prefecture Populated coastal places in Japan {{Fukui-geo-stub