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
Yamagata Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan located in the Tōhoku region of Honshu. Yamagata Prefecture has a population of 1,079,950 (1 June 2019) and has a geographic area of 9,325 km² (3,600 sq mi). Yamagata Prefecture borders Akita Prefecture to the north, ...
,
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 31,112 in 11379 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 190 persons per km². The total area of the city is .
Geography
Nan'yo is located in the northern part of Okitama Basin in southern Yamagata Prefecture, with mountains to the north, east and west and the
Mogami River
The is a river in Yamagata Prefecture, Japan.
Description and history
It is 224 km long and has a watershed of 7,040 km2. It is regarded as one of the three most rapid rivers of Japan (along with the Fuji River and the Kuma River).
...
forming its southern border. It is approximately 21 km from Yonezawa, 35 km from Yamagata city, 61 km from
Fukushima
may refer to:
Japan
* Fukushima Prefecture, Japanese prefecture
** Fukushima, Fukushima, capital city of Fukushima Prefecture, Japan
***Fukushima University, national university in Japan
*** Fukushima Station (Fukushima) in Fukushima, Fukushim ...
, and 95 km from
Sendai
is the capital Cities of Japan, city of Miyagi Prefecture, the largest city in the Tōhoku region. , the city had a population of 1,091,407 in 525,828 households, and is one of Japan's 20 Cities designated by government ordinance of Japan, desig ...
. The city has an altitude of about 200 meters in the plains rising to 450 meters in the northern mountains. Mt. Shirataka (elevation 994 meters) is the highest elevation in the city.
Neighboring municipalities
*Yamagata Prefecture
**
Yamagata
**
Nagai
**
Kaminoyama
250px, Hayama neighborhood in Kaminoyama
is a city located in Yamagata Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 29,617 in 11278 households, and a population density of 120 persons per km2. The total area of the city is .
G ...
**
Takahata
file:Yamagata Takahata Winery.JPG, 270px, Yamagata Takahata Winery
is a Towns of Japan, town located in Yamagata Prefecture, Japan. , the town had an estimated population of 23,367, in 7629 households, and a population density of 130 persons per ...
**
Kawanishi
**
Shirataka
270px, Mogami Rover in Shirataka
is a town located in Yamagata Prefecture, Japan. , the town had an estimated population of 13,482 in 4730 households, and a population density of 85 persons per km². The total area of the town is .
Geography
S ...
**
Yamanobe
Climate
Nan'yō has a
Humid continental climate
A humid continental climate is a climatic region defined by Russo-German climatologist Wladimir Köppen in 1900, typified by four distinct seasons and large seasonal temperature differences, with warm to hot (and often humid) summers and freezing ...
(
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 large seasonal temperature differences, with warm to hot (and often humid) summers and cold (sometimes severely cold) winters. Precipitation is significant throughout the year, but is heaviest from August to October. The average annual temperature in Nan'yō is 11.3 °C. The average annual rainfall is 1486 mm with September as the wettest month. The temperatures are highest on average in August, at around 25.0 °C, and lowest in January, at around -1.4 °C.
Demographics
Per Japanese census data, the population of Nan'yō has declined slightly over the past 30 years.
History
The area of present-day Nan'yo was part of ancient
Dewa Province
was a province of Japan comprising modern-day Yamagata Prefecture and Akita Prefecture, except for the city of Kazuno and the town of Kosaka. Dewa bordered on Mutsu and Echigō Provinces. Its abbreviated form name was .
History
Early peri ...
. In
Japanese folklore
Japanese folklore encompasses the informally learned folk traditions of Japan and the Japanese people as expressed in its oral traditions, customs, and material culture.
In Japanese, the term is used to describe folklore. The academic study ...
it is the setting of the ''
Tsuru no Ongaeshi
is a story from Japanese folklore about a crane who returns a favor to a man. A variant of the story where a man marries the crane that returns the favor is known as .
According to Japanese scholar Seki Keigo, the story is "one of the best know ...
'' legend. After the start of the
Meiji period
The is an era of Japanese history that extended from October 23, 1868 to July 30, 1912.
The Meiji era was the first half of the Empire of Japan, when the Japanese people moved from being an isolated feudal society at risk of colonization ...
, the area was organized into villages within
Higashiokitama District, Yamagata Prefecture with the establishment of the modern municipalities system, including the village of Akayu. Akayu was raised to town status in December 1895.
The city of Nan'yo was established on April 1, 1967 by the merger of the former towns of
Miyauchi and
Akayu with the village of Wagō. Akayu is famous for its hot springs, cherries and
hang gliding
Hang gliding is an air sport or recreational activity in which a pilot flies a light, non-motorised foot-launched heavier-than-air aircraft called a hang glider. Most modern hang gliders are made of an aluminium alloy or composite frame covered ...
and includes the former village of
Nakagawa. Miyauchi is famous for its chrysanthemum festival and the
Kumano-taisha Shrine, and includes the former villages of
Urushiyama,
Yoshino Yoshino may refer to:
* Yoshino cherry, another name for ''Prunus × yedoensis'', a flowering cherry tree
* Japanese cruiser Yoshino, Japanese cruiser ''Yoshino'', a protected cruiser of the Imperial Japanese Navy
Places
* Yoshino, Nara, a town ...
, and Kaneyama. The village of Wago was created in 1955 by the merger of the villages of
Okigō and
Ringō. The English travel-writer
Isabella Bird
Isabella Lucy Bird, married name Bishop (15 October 1831 – 7 October 1904), was a nineteenth-century British explorer, writer, photographer, and naturalist. With Fanny Jane Butler she founded the John Bishop Memorial Hospital in Srinagar ...
visited Akayu in 1878 and wrote about the town in ''Unbeaten Tracks in Japan''. The city is named after
Nanyang
Nanyang is the romanization of two common Chinese place names. It may refer to:
Written as 南洋 (Southern Ocean)
* Nanyang (region), a Chinese term denoting the Southeast Asian lands surrounding the South China Sea
;China
* Nanyang Fleet, Qing ...
, China, where according to legend a chrysanthemum spring can make drinkers immortal.
Government
Nan'yō 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 17 members. The city contributes one member to the Yamagata Prefectural Assembly. In terms of national politics, the city is part of Yamagata District 2 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 Nan'yo is based on agriculture, light manufacturing, and tourism. A number of wineries are also located in the city.
Wine
![Suto WIne](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/63/Suto_WIne.JPG)
Nan'yō is home to the following three major wineries.
* Sakai Winery
* Oura Winery
* Sato Winery
In addition to the three wineries, Nan'yō is also home to a
sake
Sake, also spelled saké ( ; also referred to as Japanese rice wine), is an alcoholic beverage of Japanese origin made by fermenting rice that has been polished to remove the bran. Despite the name ''Japanese rice wine'', sake, and indee ...
brewery called .
Education
Nan'yō has seven public elementary schools and three public middle schools operated by the city government and one public high school operated by the Yamagata Prefectural Board of Education.
High schools
* Nan'yō High School
Junior high schools
* Akayu Junior High School
* Miyauchi Junior High School
* Okigō Junior High School
Elementary schools
* Akayu Elementary School
* Miyauchi Elementary School
* Nakagawa Elementary School
* Ogi Elementary School
* Okigō Elementary School
* Ringō Elementary School
* Urushiyama Elementary School
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 ...
-
Yamagata Shinkansen
The is a Mini-shinkansen route in Japan, operated by East Japan Railway Company (JR East). It provides service between Tokyo and Shinjō in Yamagata Prefecture over the tracks of the Tohoku Shinkansen and the Ōu Main Line.
The term Yamaga ...
*
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 ...
-
Ōu Main Line
The is a railway line in Japan, operated by the East Japan Railway Company (JR East). It connects Fukushima Station through Akita Station to Aomori Station. Since the opening of the Yamagata Shinkansen on July 1, 1992, the Fukushima–Yamag ...
* ,
Yamagata Railway Company
The is a Japanese railway line in Yamagata Prefecture, Japan. It connects Akayu Station in Nanyō to Arato Station in Shirataka.
The Flower Nagai Line is the only line operated by the third sector , which took over the former JR East line in 1 ...
-
Flower Nagai Line
The is a Japanese railway line in Yamagata Prefecture, Japan. It connects Akayu Station in Nanyō to Arato Station in Shirataka.
The Flower Nagai Line is the only line operated by the third sector , which took over the former JR East line in 1 ...
*, , , ,
Highways
*
*
*
*
*
Media
Newspapers
* ''Okitama Times''
Local attractions
![Lake Hakuryuu](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/ca/Lake_Hakuryuu.JPG)
*
Inarimori Kofun, Akayu
* Akayu Onsen, Akayu
* Nan'yo Skypark, Akayu
* Mount Eboshi, Akayu. Listed as one of the 100 cherry blossoms sights in Japan.
*
Toyotarō Yūki Memorial Museum, Akayu
*
Kumano Shrine
A is a type of Shinto shrine which enshrines the three Kumano mountains: Hongū, Shingū, and Nachi [].Encyclopedia of ShintoKumano Shinkō accessed on October 6, 2008 There are more than 3,000 Kumano shrines in Japan, and each has received its k ...
, Miyauchi
* Hygeia Park onsen complex, Miyauchi
* The 33 Images of Buddha, Mt Iwabu, Nakagawa
* Yuzuru no Sato Museum, Urushiyama
* Chinzo-ji Temple, Urushiyama
* Kuguri waterfall, Kotaki
* Lake Hakuryuu, Akayu
Local events
![Cherry Blossoms on Eboshiyama, Nanyo Japan](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d4/Cherry_Blossoms_on_Eboshiyama%2C_Nanyo_Japan.jpg)
* Eboshiyama park cherry blossom festival, Akayu, late April to early May
* Sosho park rose festival, Miyauchi, June
*
Kumano-taisha festival, Miyauchi, 24–25 July
* Grape picking, sightseeing vineyard, Akayu, August–October
* Nan'yō wine festival, Hygeia park, Miyauchi, August
* Akayu onsen furosato festival, Akayu, second weekend of September
* Chrysanthemum doll festival, Miyauchi, mid-October to mid-November
Twin towns and sister cities
*
Nanyang, Henan
Nanyang is a prefecture-level city in the southwest of Henan province, China. The city with the largest administrative area in Henan, Nanyang borders Xinyang to the southeast, Zhumadian to the east, Pingdingshan to the northeast, Luoyang to the n ...
, China,
since October 6, 1988
Notable people from Nan'yo
*
Kyoko Inoue
is a Japanese female professional wrestler. She has held the WWWA World Single Championship three times, and is the first woman to win a men's title in Japan.
Inoue performed in the World Wrestling Federation at Survivor Series 1995 in an all ...
, professional wrestler
*
Megumi Ikeda, fencer
*
Toyotarō Yūki, banker, politician
References
External links
Official Website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Nanyo, Yamagata
Cities in Yamagata Prefecture