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

Yamanashi Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan located in the Chūbu region of Honshu. Yamanashi Prefecture has a population of 817,192 (1 January 2019) and has a geographic area of 4,465 km2 (1,724 sq mi). Yamanashi Prefecture borders Saitama Prefecture to the no ...

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 has 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 71,618 in 27,956 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 270 persons per km². The total area of the city is . Minami-Alps is Yamanashi Prefecture's third largest city. The city's name was chosen in September 2002 from among entries submitted by the general public.

Geography

The city is named for its location on the eastern foothills of the "

Southern Alps The Southern Alps (; officially Southern Alps / Kā Tiritiri o te Moana) is a mountain range extending along much of the length of New Zealand's South Island, reaching its greatest elevations near the range's western side. The name "Southern ...

". This mountain range includes

Mount Kita is a mountain of the Akaishi Mountains−"Southern Alps" (南アルプス ''Minami-Arupusu''), in Yamanashi Prefecture, Japan. It is the second tallest mountain in Japan, after Mount Fuji, and is known as "the Leader of the Southern Alps".

, Japan's second-highest mountain, as well as a number of other mountains that top 3,000 meters. The urbanized zones lie along the three rivers running along these mountains: Midai River, Takizawa River, and Tsubo River. The area is noted for growing fruit, especially: cherries, peaches, plums, grapes, pears, persimmons, kiwi, and apples.

Surrounding municipalities

** Nirasaki, Hokuto, Kai, Chūō,

Ichikawamisato is a town located in Yamanashi Prefecture, Japan. , the town had an estimated population of 15,799 in 6679 households., and a population density of 210 persons per km². The total area of the town is . Geography Ichikawamisato is located in s ...

, Fujikawa, Hayakawa, Shōwa *

Nagano Prefecture is a landlocked prefecture of Japan located in the Chūbu region of Honshū. Nagano Prefecture has a population of 2,052,493 () and has a geographic area of . Nagano Prefecture borders Niigata Prefecture to the north, Gunma Prefecture to the ...

** Ina *

Shizuoka Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan located in the Chūbu region of Honshu. Shizuoka Prefecture has a population of 3,637,998 and has a geographic area of . Shizuoka Prefecture borders Kanagawa Prefecture to the east, Yamanashi Prefecture to the northea ...

Aoi-ku, Shizuoka is one of three wards of the city of Shizuoka in Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan, located in the northern part of the city. Aoi-ku borders Suruga-ku in the south and Shimizu-ku to the southeast; the west faces Shimada, Fujieda and Kawanehon an ...

Climate

The city has a climate characterized by characterized by hot and humid summers, and relatively mild winters (

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''). The average annual temperature in Minami-Alps is 10.3 °C. The average annual rainfall is 1539 mm with September as the wettest month.

Demographics

Per Japanese census data,Minami-Alps population statistics
/ref> the population of Minami-Alps has recently plateaued after several decades of growth.

History

The city of Minami-Alps was established on April 1, 2003, by the merger of the towns of

Kōsai was a former monk of the Tendai Buddhist sect and controversial disciple of Hōnen who advocated the that led to his public censure, his later expulsion by Hōnen and eventual exile to Shikoku. Kōsai taught that one recitation of Amitabha Budd ...

, Kushigata, Shirane and Wakakusa, and the villages of Ashiyasu and Hatta (all from Nakakoma District).

Government

Minami-Alps 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 legislature of 22 members.

Economy

The economy of Minami-Alps is primarily agricultural, with seasonal tourism and forestry playing secondary roles.

Education

*Minami-Alps has 15 public elementary schools, one combined public elementary/middle school and six public middle schools operated by the city government. The city has two public high schools and one special education school operated by the Yamanashi Prefectural Board of Education. * International schools -

Alps Gakuen The Alps () ; german: Alpen ; it, Alpi ; rm, Alps ; sl, Alpe . are the highest and most extensive mountain range system that lies entirely in Europe, stretching approximately across seven Alpine countries (from west to east): France, Swi ...

(former Colégio Pitágoras) - Brazilian schoolEscolas Brasileiras Homologadas no Japão

Archive
. Embassy of Brazil in Tokyo. Retrieved on October 13, 2015.

Transportation

Railway

*Minami-Alps is the only city in Yamanashi which does not have any passenger railway services.

Highway

Chūbu-Ōdan Expressway The is a national expressway in Japan. It is managed by East Nippon Expressway Company and Central Nippon Expressway Company. Overview The expressway is planned to commence in the city of Shizuoka and terminate in Saku, Nagano The route t ...

* *

Sister cities

Tsubetsu, Hokkaidō is a town located in Okhotsk Subprefecture, Hokkaido, Japan. As of September 2016, the town has an estimated population of 5,011 and a population density of 7 persons per km2. The total area is 716.60 km2. History *1919: Tsubetsu Villag ...

, Japan *

Anamizu, Ishikawa is a town located in Hōsu District (formerly Fugeshi District), Ishikawa Prefecture, Japan. , the town had an estimated population of 7,782 in 3,653 households, and a population density of 42 persons per km2. The total area of the town was . ...

, Japan *

Ogasawara, Tokyo is a village in Ogasawara Subprefecture, Tokyo Metropolis, Japan, that governs the Bonin Islands, Volcano Islands, and three remote islands ( Nishinoshima, Minamitorishima and Okinotorishima). History In 1940, five municipalities were create ...

, Japan *

Marshalltown, Iowa Marshalltown is a city in and the county seat of Marshall County, Iowa, United States, located along the Iowa River. It is the seat and most populous settlement of Marshall County and the 16th largest city in Iowa, with a population of 27,591 at ...

, United States *

Winterset, Iowa Winterset is a city in and the county seat of Madison County, Iowa. The population was 5,353 at the time of the 2020 census. Winterset is part of the Des Moines metropolitan area. It is the birthplace of actor John Wayne. History Winterset ...

, United States *

Queanbeyan, New South Wales Queanbeyan ( ) is a city in the south-eastern region of New South Wales, Australia, located adjacent to the Australian Capital Territory in the Southern Tablelands region. Located on the Queanbeyan River, the city is the council seat of the Q ...

, Australia

Friendship city

Dujiangyan City Dujiangyan () is a county-level city of Sichuan Province, Southwest China, it is under the administration of the prefecture-level city of Chengdu. Its north-west region forms a border with southern Ngawa Tibetan and Qiang Autonomous Prefecture. ...

, China

Notable people from Minami-Alps

Shin Kanemaru Shin Kanemaru (金丸信 ''Kanemaru Shin'', 17 September 1914 – 28 March 1996) was a Japanese politician who was a significant figure in the political arena of Japan from the 1970s to the early 1990s. He was also Director General of the Japa ...

, politician *

Tachū Naitō was a Japanese architect, engineer, and professor. He was a father of earthquake-proof design and built many broadcasting and observation towers, including the Tokyo Tower. Biography Naitō was born on 12 June 1886, in Minami-Alps, Yamanashi ...

, architect, engineer *

Masae Kasai Masae Kasai (河西昌枝 ''Kasai Masae'', 14 July 1933 – 3 October 2013) was a volleyball player from Japan, who was a member of the Japan Women's National Team, Oriental Witches, that won the gold medal at the 1964 Summer Olympics. Mas ...

, women's volleyball player * Akira Takabe, professional football player *

Kaori Chiba Kaori Chiba-Fujio ( ja, 千葉香織; born January 29, 1981 in Minami-Alps, Yamanashi) is a field hockey player from Japan. She represented her native country at the Summer Olympics (2004, 2008 and 2012Hōzen-ji *

Minami Alps National Park is a national park in the Akaishi Mountains, Chūbu region, Honshū, Japan. The Minami Alps National Park was established on June 1, 1964. It extends along the border of Shizuoka, Yamanashi and Nagano Prefectures for a length of , and a ...

* Minami-Alps Biosphere Reserve

References

External links

Official Website
{{Authority control Cities in Yamanashi Prefecture