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
Shimotakai District in
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 ...
,
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 12,403 in 5020 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 47 persons per km
2. The total area of the town is .
Yamanouchi, located in the
Japanese Alps, includes
Shiga Highlands, one of the largest ski resorts in Japan. The town of Yamanouchi hosted three venues during the
1998 Winter Olympics
The 1998 Winter Olympics, officially known as the and commonly known as Nagano 1998 ( ja, 長野1998), was a winter multi-sport event held from 7 to 22 February 1998, mainly in Nagano, Japan, with some events taking place in the ...
:
Snowboarding
Snowboarding is a recreational and competitive activity that involves descending a snow-covered surface while standing on a snowboard that is almost always attached to a rider's feet. It features in the Winter Olympic Games and Winter Paralympi ...
Half-pipe events were held at
Kanbayashi Snowboard Park Kanbayashi Snowboard Park is a park located in Yamanouchi, Nagano, Japan. Constructed in 1995, it hosted the snowboarding half-pipe events for the 1998 Winter Olympics
The 1998 Winter Olympics, officially known as the and commonly known as ...
and the technical events of
Alpine skiing
Alpine skiing, or downhill skiing, is the pastime of sliding down snow-covered slopes on skis with fixed-heel bindings, unlike other types of skiing ( cross-country, Telemark, or ski jumping), which use skis with free-heel bindings. Whether for ...
were held at
Mount Higashidate and
Mount Yakebitai
is a mountain located in Yamanouchi, Nagano, Japan. For the 1998 Winter Olympics, it hosted the Alpine skiing at the 1998 Winter Olympics, alpine skiing slalom and Snowboarding at the 1998 Winter Olympics, snowboarding giant slalom events.
Dur ...
. The town of Yamanouchi is a gateway to
Jōshin'etsu-kōgen National Park
is a national park in the Chūbu region of the main island of Honshū, Japan formed around several active and dormant volcanoes. It spans the mountainous areas of Gunma, Nagano, and Niigata prefectures. The name refers to the two mountain ran ...
via Route 292, the Shiga-Kusatsu-Kogen Highway. This route is a mountain-ridge which connects Yamanouchi to
Karuizawa in the south.
Yamanouchi is also home to
Jigokudani Monkey Park where
Japanese macaques can be found soaking in an
outdoor hot spring. These macaques were part of the opening sequence in
Baraka
Baraka or Barakah may refer to:
* Berakhah or Baraka, in Judaism, a blessing usually recited during a ceremony
* Barakah or Baraka, in Islam, the beneficent force from God that flows through the physical and spiritual spheres
* Baraka, full ''ḥ ...
, the 1992
non-narrative documentary film
A documentary film or documentary is a non-fictional film, motion-picture intended to "document reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction, education or maintaining a Recorded history, historical record". Bill Nichols (film critic), Bil ...
directed by
Ron Fricke
Ron Fricke (born February 24, 1953) is an American film director and cinematographer, specializing in time-lapse photography and large format cinematography. He was the director of photography for ''Koyaanisqatsi'' (1982) and directed the purely ...
.
Geography
Shimotakai District, in northern mountainous Nagano Prefecture, comprises Yamanouchi town,
Kijimadaira Village, and
Nozawaonsen Village. Yamanouchi is the largest of these. More than 90% of Yamanouchi is covered by mountains and forests. The town measures approximately 39 kilometers east-west and 12 kilometers north-south (266 square kilometers), and has an elevation ranging from 424 meters to 2341 meters. The surrounding area is known for its
forest therapy.
In winter, damp air from the
Japan Sea
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 ...
hits the mountains causing heavy snowing. Many ski resorts operate in the area. The plateau above the town is dotted with over 70 large and small wetlands and ponds which can be traced to volcanic activity. The main mountains include Mt. Yokote, Mt. Uriwa, Mt. Iwasugeyama, Mt. Shiga, and Mt. Kousha.
Surrounding municipalities
*Nagano Prefecture
**
Nakano
**
Takayama
**
Kijimadaira
**
Sakae
*
Gunma Prefecture
is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located in the Kantō region of Honshu. Gunma Prefecture has a population of 1,937,626 (1 October 2019) and has a geographic area of 6,362 Square kilometre, km2 (2,456 Square mile, sq mi). Gunma P ...
**
Nakanojō
Climate
The town 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 ...
characterized by warm and humid summers, and cold winters with heavy snowfall (
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 ...
''Dfb''). The average annual temperature in Yamanouchi is 2.7 °C. The average annual rainfall is 2020 mm with September as the wettest month. The temperatures are highest on average in August, at around 15.6 °C, and lowest in January, at around -9.7 °C.
Demographics
The population of Yamanouchi has declined since the 1950s.
History
Stone tools from the
Japanese Paleolithic period, pottery from the
Jōmon period, and 9
burial mounds
A tumulus (plural tumuli) is a mound of earth and stones raised over a grave or graves. Tumuli are also known as barrows, burial mounds or ''kurgans'', and may be found throughout much of the world. A cairn, which is a mound of stones built ...
from the
Kofun period have been excavated in the area.
The area of present-day Yamanouchi was part of ancient
Shinano Province
or is an old province of Japan that is now Nagano Prefecture.
Shinano bordered on Echigo, Etchū, Hida, Kai, Kōzuke, Mikawa, Mino, Musashi, Suruga, and Tōtōmi Provinces. The ancient capital was located near modern-day Matsumoto, whi ...
. The modern town of Yamanouchi was established on April 1, 1955 by the merger of the town of Hirao with the neighboring villages of Honami and Yomase.
Education
Yamanouchi has four public elementary schools and one public middle school operated by the town government. The town does not have a high school. The closest high school is Nagano Prefectural Nakano Rissikan Senior High School in the neighboring town of
Nakano, Nagano near
Shinshūnakano Station
*Yamanouchi Junior High School, next to
Yudanaka Station
*Yamanouchi East Elementary School
*Yamanouchi Nishi Elementary School
*Yamanouchi Minami Elementary School
*Yamanouchi North Elementary School
Transportation
Railway
*
20px Nagano Electric Railway - Nagano Line
** - -
Highway Bus
*Express buses are available from
Nagano Station.
Highway
*
*
Sister City Relations
*
Sun Valley, Idaho, United States, sister city since February 1, 1973
*
Adachi Ward in Tokyo since October 1, 1982
Local attractions
*
Shiga Kōgen, a
UNESCO
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture. It ...
Man and the Biosphere Reserve
*
Jigokudani Monkey Park
*
Sano ruins
The is an archaeological site containing the ruins of a late-Jōmon period settlement located in the Sano neighborhood of the town of Yamanouchi, Nagano in the Chūbu region of Japan. The site was designated a National Historic Site of Japan in ...
, Jōmon period settlement traces, a National Historic Site
*Shibu Onsen, an area of tradition wooden
Ryokan (inn)
A is a type of traditional Japanese inn that typically features ''tatami''-matted rooms, communal baths, and other public areas where visitors may wear yukata and talk with the owner. Ryokan have existed since the eighth century A.D. du ...
, with nine public baths
*Ryuuou Ski Park, with the Sky (Sora) Terrace at 1770m.
Gallery
References
External links
*
Official Website
{{Nagano
Towns in Nagano Prefecture