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 Aomori 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 30,938 in 12,051 households, and a population density of 89 persons per km². The total area of the city is .

Geography

Hirakawa is located in the mountains and hills to be northwest of Lake Towada. The

Iwaki River The is a river that crosses western Aomori Prefecture, Japan. It is in length and has a drainage area of . Under the Rivers Act of 1964 the Iwaki is designated as a Class 1 River and is managed by the Japanese Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, ...

flows through the city. Part of the city is within the borders of the

Kuroishi Onsenkyō Prefectural Natural Park is a Prefectural Natural Park in central Aomori Prefecture, Japan. Established in 1958, the park spans the borders of the municipalities of Kuroishi and Hirakawa. It derives its name from the onsen In Japan, are the country's hot s ...

Neighbouring municipalities

Aomori Prefecture *

Aomori is the capital city of Aomori Prefecture, in the Tōhoku region of Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 278,964 in 136,457 households, and a population density of 340 people per square kilometer spread over the city's total area of ...

Hirosaki is a city located in western Aomori Prefecture, Japan. On 1 April 2020, the city had an estimated population of 168,739 in 71,716 households, and a population density of . The total area of the city is . Hirosaki developed as a castle town for ...

* Kuroishi *

Towada is a city in Aomori Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 60,697, and a population density of 84 persons per km2 in 27,677 households. The total area of the city is . Geography Towada is in the foothills of the Hakkōda M ...

* Minamitsugaru District ** Inakadate ** Owani

Akita Prefecture is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located in the Tōhoku region of Honshu.Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005). "Provinces and prefectures" in ; "Tōhoku" in . Its population is approximately 966,000 (as of 1 October 2019) and its ge ...

* Ōdate * Kosaka

Climate

The city has a cold humid continental climate ( Köppen ''Dfa'') characterized by warm short summers and long cold winters with heavy snowfall. The average annual temperature in Hirasawa is 8.8 °C. The average annual rainfall is 1413 mm with September as the wettest month. The temperatures are highest on average in August, at around 22.5 °C, and lowest in January, at around -3.8 °C.

History

The area around Hirakawa was part of the Hirosaki Domain of the Tsugaru clan during the Edo period. After the Meiji Restoration, with the establishment of the modern municipalities system on April 1, 1889, it became part of Minamitsugaru District, Aomori. The village of Onoe was raised to town status on April 1, 1937. The city of Hirakawa was established on January 1, 2006, from the merger of the towns of Hiraka and Onoe, and the village of Ikarigaseki.

Demographics

Per Japanese census data, the population of Hirakawa has decreased steadily over the past 60 years.

Government

Hirakawa has a mayor-council form of government with a directly elected mayor and a unicameral city legislature of 20 members. The city elects two members to the Aomori Prefectural Assembly. In terms of national politics, the city is part of

Aomori 3rd district Aomori 3rd district is a single-member constituency of the House of Representatives in the national Diet of Japan. It is located on the island of Honshu, in Aomori Prefecture, and includes the cities of Hirosaki, Goshogawara, and Ajigasawa. As ...

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

The economy of Hirakawa is primarily agricultural, with rice and apples as the predominant crops. The city government is encouraging the development of highland vegetables and a local brand of beef.

Education

Hirakawa has nine public elementary schools and four public junior high schools operated by the city government, and two public high schools operated by the Aomori Prefectural Board of Education.

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 ...

(JR East) - Ōu Main Line * , Konan Testudo logo

Kōnan Railway Company The is a railway company that provides transportation services in western Aomori Prefecture, Japan. The company operates two regional railway lines: the Kōnan Line, which connects Hirosaki Station in the city of Hirosaki and Kuroishi Station ...

- Kōnan Railway Kōnan Line * , , , ,

Highway

* : : : :

Local attractions

* Saruka Jinja *

Seito shoin teien , may refer to: People * , Japanese parliament member *, alias of the perpetrator of the Kobe child murders * , Japanese pole vaulter Places * , the historical name for Dazaifu and Dazaifu, Fukuoka * , the Japanese name for Chengdu * , the ...

, National Place of Scenic Beauty * Seibi-en, National Place of Scenic Beauty *

*Nurukawa onsen *Ikarigaseki onsen * Hisayoshi Dam

References

External links

* {{Authority control Cities in Aomori Prefecture