Enzō-ji 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 o ...

located in

Fukushima Prefecture Fukushima Prefecture (; ja, 福島県, Fukushima-ken, ) is a prefecture of Japan located in the Tōhoku region of Honshu. Fukushima Prefecture has a population of 1,810,286 () and has a geographic area of . Fukushima Prefecture borders Miyagi ...

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 n ...

. , 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 usi ...

of 3,304 in 1,269 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 RosenberPopu ...

of 19 persons per km². The total area of the town was .

Geography

Yanaizu is located in the northern portion of the

Aizu is the westernmost of the three regions of Fukushima Prefecture, Japan, the other two regions being Nakadōri in the central area of the prefecture and Hamadōri in the east. As of October 1, 2010, it had a population of 291,838. The princi ...

region of Fukushima Prefecture.The Takitani River flows north and south through the town and joins the Tadami River, which crosses the northern part of the town. The southern part of the town is mountainous. *Mountains : Mount Hakase *Rivers :

Tadami River The is a major tributary of the Agano River in Japan. Its basin covers and its main stem is extensively regulated and developed for hydroelectric power. The river is located within Niigata, Gunma and Fukushima Prefectures. Dams Starting from ...

, Takitani River

Neighboring municipalities

Fukushima Prefecture * Nishiaizu *

Aizubange Eryū-ji temple in Aizubange is a town located in Fukushima Prefecture, Japan. , the town had an estimated population of 15,159 in 5487 households, and a population density of 170 persons per km2. The total area of the town was . Geography Ai ...

Aizumisato is a town located in Fukushima Prefecture, Japan. , the town had an estimated population of 20,092 in 7306 households and a population density of 73 persons per km2. The total area of the town was . Geography Aizumisato is located in the easte ...

* Shōwa *

Mishima Mishima may refer to: Places * Mishima, Fukushima, a town in Fukushima Prefecture * Mishima, Kagoshima, a village in Kagoshima Prefecture * Mishima, Niigata, a town in Niigata Prefecture * Mishima, Shizuoka, a city in Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan ...

* Kaneyama

Climate

Yanaizu 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 ''Dfb'') characterized by warm summers and cold winters with heavy snowfall. The average annual temperature in Yanaizu is 11.7 °C. The average annual rainfall is 1428 mm with September as the wettest month. The temperatures are highest on average in August, at around 25.3 °C, and lowest in January, at around -0.9 °C.

Demographics

Per Japanese census data,Yanaizu population statistics
/ref> the population of Yanaizu has declined steadily over the past 70 years and is now much less than it was a century ago.

History

The area of present-day Yanaizu was part of ancient

Mutsu Province was an old province of Japan in the area of Fukushima, Miyagi, Iwate and Aomori Prefectures and the municipalities of Kazuno and Kosaka in Akita Prefecture. Mutsu Province is also known as or . The term is often used to refer to the comb ...

. The area formed part of the holdings of

Aizu Domain was a domain of the Tokugawa Shogunate of Japan during the Edo period from 1601 to 1871.Ravina, Mark. (1998) ''Land and Lordship in Early Modern Japan,'' p. 222 The Aizu Domain was based at Tsuruga Castle in Mutsu Province, the core of the ...

during the

Edo period The or is the period between 1603 and 1867 in the history of Japan, when Japan was under the rule of the Tokugawa shogunate and the country's 300 regional '' daimyo''. Emerging from the chaos of the Sengoku period, the Edo period was characteriz ...

. After the

Meiji Restoration The , referred to at the time as the , and also known as the Meiji Renovation, Revolution, Regeneration, Reform, or Renewal, was a political event that restored practical imperial rule to Japan in 1868 under Emperor Meiji. Although there were ...

, the area was organized as part of Kawanuma District, Fukushima Prefecture. The village of Yanaizu was founded with the establishment of the modern municipalities system on April 1, 1898. Yanaizu annexed the neighboring villages of Kurado and Iitani on May 1, 1921. The village was raised to town status on May 20, 1942. On March 31, 1955, Yanaizu annexed the neighboring village of Nishiyama from

Ōnuma District, Fukushima is a district located in Fukushima Prefecture, Japan. As of 2008, the district has an estimated population of 29,787 and a density of 34.2 persons per km2. The total area is 870.51 km2. Towns and villages *Aizumisato * Kaneyama *Mishima * ...

Economy

The economy of Yanaizu is based primarily on agriculture, with seasonal tourism.

Education

Yanaizu has two public elementary schools and one public junior high school operated by the town government. The town does not have a high school.

Transportation

Railway

JR East 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 ...

–

Tadami Line The is a scenic railway line in Japan operated by East Japan Railway Company (JR East). It connects Aizu-Wakamatsu Station at Aizuwakamatsu in Fukushima Prefecture with Koide Station at Uonuma in Niigata Prefecture. The line opened in discont ...

* - -

Highway

* * *

Local attractions

* Enzō-ji, Buddhist temple, the site of a

Hadaka Matsuri A is a type of Japanese festival, or ''matsuri'', in which participants wear a minimum amount of clothing; usually just a fundoshi loincloth, sometimes with a short happi coat, and rarely completely naked. Naked festivals are held in dozens of ...

every January 7. This festival was featured in the NHK World program "Out & About" on February 10, 2008. * Saitō Kiyoshi Art Museum * Yanaizu Onsen * Nishiama Onsen *

Meibutsu is a term most often applied to regional specialties (also known as ). can also be applied to specialized areas of interest, such as , where it refers to famous tea utensils, or Japanese swords, where it refers to specific named famous blades. ...

** Akabeko ** Awa-manju -

millet Millets () are a highly varied group of small-seeded grasses, widely grown around the world as cereal crops or grains for fodder and human food. Most species generally referred to as millets belong to the tribe Paniceae, but some millets al ...

based steamed buns stuffed with red bean paste

References

External links

Official Website
{{Authority control Towns in Fukushima Prefecture