270px, Ichinomiya Asama Shrine 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 ...

in Yamanashi Prefecture,

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 of 69,463 in 29,406 households,Fuefuki City official statistics
/ref> and a population density of 340 persons per km². The total area of the city is .

Geography

Fuefuki is located in central Yamanashi Prefecture at an average altitude of 261 meters. Just over 58% of the area of the city is covered in forest. The Fuefuki River flows through the city.

Neighboring municipalities

The following municipalities surrounding the city clockwise starting from Kōfu. * Kōfu * Yamanashi *

Kōshū Kōshū or Koshu may refer to: * ** Kōshū, another name for Kai Province. ** Kōshū, Yamanashi, the present city in Yamanashi Prefecture. ** Koshu (grape) Koshu (甲州 ''kōshū'') is a white wine grape variety that has been grown primarily ...

* Ōtsuki * Fuji-kawaguchiko,

Minamitsuru District is a rural district located in southeastern Yamanashi Prefecture, Japan. As of July 2012, the district had an estimated population of 48,832 and a population density of 116 persons per km2. The total area was 420.78 km2. The district form ...

Climate

The city has a climate characterized by hot and humid summers, and relatively mild winters ( Köppen climate classification ''Cfa''). The average annual temperature in Fuefuki is 10.7 °C. The average annual rainfall is 1524 mm with September as the wettest month. The temperatures are highest on average in August, at around 22.8 °C, and lowest in January, at around -1.0 °C.

Demographics

Per Japanese census data, the population of Fuefuki peaked around the year 2000 and has declined since.

History

Fuefuki was the center of ancient Kai Province and contains many burial mounds from the

Kofun period The is an era in the history of Japan from about 300 to 538 AD (the date of the introduction of Buddhism), following the Yayoi period. The Kofun and the subsequent Asuka periods are sometimes collectively called the Yamato period. This period is ...

. The ruins of the

Kai Kokubun-ji The is a Rinzai Zen Buddhist temple located in the city of Fuefuki, Yamanashi, Japan. It is the descendant of one of the provincial temples established by Emperor Shōmu during the Nara period (710 – 794) for the purpose of promoting Bud ...

, the Nara period provincial temple are also found within the city limits, as is the Ichinomiya Asama Shrine, the '' ichinomiya'' of Kai Province. During the Edo period, all of Kai Province was '' tenryō'' territory under direct control of the Tokugawa shogunate, with a '' daikansho'' based at the village of Isawa. During the cadastral reform of the early Meiji period on April 1, 1889, the rural districts of Higashiyatsushiro and Higashiyamanashi Districts were formed. The modern city of Fuefuki was established on October 12, 2004, from the merger of the towns of Ichinomiya, Isawa,

Misaka Misaka is a surname. Notable people and fictional characters with the name include: People *Wat Misaka (1923–2019), American basketball player Fictional characters * Kaori Misaka, a character in the ''Kanon'' series *Mikoto Misaka, one of t ...

and Yatsushiro, the village of Sakaigawa (all from Higashiyatsushiro District), and the town of Kasugai (from Higashiyamanashi District). The name refers to the

Fuefuki River is a river located in the Yamanashi Prefecture of Japan. It is a tributary of the Fuji River. Geography The Fuefuki River has its source the neighboring mountains of Mount Kobushi on the southern slope of Mount Kobushi in the north of Yam ...

that flows through the city. The city hall is located at the former Isawa Town Hall, and other former towns and village halls were converted to satellite offices. On August 1, 2006, Fuefuki later absorbed the village of Ashigawa (also from Higashiyatsushiro District. Higashiyatsushiro District was dissolved as a result of this merger.

Government

Fuefuki has a mayor-council form of government with a directly elected mayor and a unicameral city legislature of 19 members.

Economy

The economy of Fuefuki is based on agriculture (horticulture), seasonal tourism and the production of wine. Fuefuki is the largest producer of grapes and peaches in Japan.

Education

Fuefuki has 14 public elementary schools and five public junior high schools operated by the city government, and one public high school operated by the Yamanashi Prefectural Board of Education. Elementary Schools: #Isawa Minami (South) 石和南 #Isawa Higashi (East) 石和東 #Isawa Kita (North) 石和北 #Fujimi 富士見 #Isawa Nishi (West) 石和西 #Misaka Higashi (East) 御坂東 #Misaka Nishi (West) 御坂西 #Ichinomiya Nishi (West) 一宮西 #Ichinomiya Minami (South) 一宮南 #Ichinomiya Kita (North) 一宮北 #Yatsushiro 八代 #Sakaigawa 境川 #Kasugai 春日居 #Ashigawa 芦川 Junior High Schools: #Isawa 石和 #Misaka 御坂 #Ichinomiya 一宮 #Asakawa 浅川 #Kasugai 春日居 High School: #Fuefuki 笛吹

Gallery

File:Maglev Exhibition Center (31420289212).jpg, A maglev train test run center and Maglev Exhibition Center File:Distant view of the Chuo Shinkansen Yamanashi test track west end.Sept.2013.JPG, Panorama view of Fuefuki and Maglev train test run exhibition

Transportation

Railway

East Japan Railway Company The is a major passenger railway company in Japan and is the largest of the seven Japan Railways Group companies. The company name is officially abbreviated as JR-EAST or JR East in English, and as in Japanese. The company's headquarters are ...

Chūō Main Line The , commonly called the Chūō Line, is one of the major trunk railway lines in Japan. It connects Tokyo and Nagoya, although it is the slowest direct railway connection between the two cities; the coastal Tōkaidō Main Line is slightly faste ...

** -

Highways

* Chūō Expressway * * * * *

Sister cities

* - Tateyama, Chiba – since May 1973 with former Isawa Town
Fuefuki official home page, City Profile * - Fujikawaguchiko, Yamanashi – since July 1962 with former Misaka Town * - Ichinomiya, Chiba – since April 1982 with former Ichinomiya Town * - Yui, Shizuoka since April 1989 with former Yatsushiro Town * - Tainai, Niigata since October 1996 with former Sakaigawa Village * - Sado, Niigata since October 1989 with former Kasugai Town * -

Bad Mergentheim Bad Mergentheim (; Mergentheim until 1926; East Franconian: ''Märchedol'') is a town in the Main-Tauber-Kreis district in the German state of Baden-Württemberg. It has a population of around 23,000. An officially recognized spa town since 1926, B ...

, Baden-Württemberg, Germany – since 1991 with former Isawa Town * - Nuits-Saint-Georges,

Côte-d'Or Côte-d'Or (; literally, "Golden Slope") is a département in the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté region of Northeastern France. In 2019, it had a population of 534,124.Feicheng,

Shandong Shandong ( , ; ; alternately romanized as Shantung) is a coastal province of the People's Republic of China and is part of the East China region. Shandong has played a major role in Chinese history since the beginning of Chinese civilizati ...

, China – since 1994 with former Ichinomiya Town

Local attractions

Yamanashi Prefectural Museum opened in Fuefuki, Yamanashi Prefecture, Japan in 2005. The collection relates to the natural history, history, and culture of Yamanashi Prefecture; special exhibitions are also held. How to get *From Chūō Expressway Ichinomiya Misaka IC Tak ...

*The Shakado Museum of Jomon Culture

Notable people from Fuefuki

* Dakotsu Iida, haiku poet

In popular culture

* Fuefuki served as the inspiration for the fictional town of Inaba in the 2008 video game Persona 4.

References

External links

Official Website
* {{Authority control Cities in Yamanashi Prefecture Fuefuki, Yamanashi