is a

city A city is a human settlement of a substantial size. The term "city" has different meanings around the world and in some places the settlement can be very small. Even where the term is limited to larger settlements, there is no universally agree ...

located in Yamanashi Prefecture,

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

. , the city had an estimated

population Population is a set of humans or other organisms in a given region or area. Governments conduct a census to quantify the resident population size within a given jurisdiction. The term is also applied to non-human animals, microorganisms, and pl ...

of 48,782 in 19,806 households and a

population density Population density (in agriculture: Standing stock (disambiguation), 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 geog ...

of 400 persons per km². The total area of the city is .

Geography

Fujiyoshida lies at the northern base of

Mount Fuji is an active stratovolcano located on the Japanese island of Honshu, with a summit elevation of . It is the highest mountain in Japan, the second-highest volcano on any Asian island (after Mount Kerinci on the Indonesian island of Sumatra), a ...

, and is built upon old lava flows. It is considered a high-elevation city in Japan, at 650 to 850 metres (2,140 to 2,800 feet) above sea level. The city is also located between two of the Fuji Five Lakes. The Katsura River flows through the eastern part of the city.

Neighboring municipalities

Shizuoka Prefecture is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located in the Chūbu region of Honshu. Shizuoka Prefecture has a population of 3,555,818 and has a geographic area of . Shizuoka Prefecture borders Kanagawa Prefecture to the east, Yamanashi Pref ...

** Fujinomiya ** Suntō District: Oyama *Yamanashi Prefecture ** Tsuru ** Minamitsuru District: Nishikatsura, Oshino, Yamanakako, Narusawa, Fujikawaguchiko

Climate

The city has a climate characterized by hot and humid summers, and relatively mild winters ( Köppen climate classification ''Cfa''). The average annual temperature in Fujiyoshida is . The average annual rainfall is with September as the wettest month. The temperatures are highest on average in August, at around , and lowest in January, at around .

Demographics

Per Japanese census data, the population of Fujiyoshida has declined in recent decades.

History

Following 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 Imperial House of Japan, imperial rule to Japan in 1868 under Emperor Meiji. Althoug ...

, the area around Fujiyoshida was organized into Minamitsuru District, Yamanashi per the cadastral reforms of July 22, 1878. With the establishment of the modern municipalities system on July 1, 1889, the villages of Mizuho, Akemi and Fukuchi were established. In 1939, Mizuho was raised to town status and renamed Shimoyoshida. Likewise, in 1947, Fukuchi was raised to town status and renamed Fujikamiyoshida and Akemi was raised to town status in 1948, retaining its original name. These three towns merged on March 20, 1951, to form the city of Fujiyoshida.

Government

Fujiyoshida 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 consisting of one house or assembly that legislates and votes as one. Unicameralism has become an increasingly common type of legislature, making up nearly ...

city legislature of 20 members.

Economy

For several centuries, artisans around the Fujiyoshida area have produced high quality

textile Textile is an Hyponymy and hypernymy, umbrella term that includes various Fiber, fiber-based materials, including fibers, yarns, Staple (textiles)#Filament fiber, filaments, Thread (yarn), threads, and different types of #Fabric, fabric. ...

s, and now the city is the center of commerce and high technology in southern Yamanashi Prefecture.

Education

* Showa University *Fujiyoshida has seven public elementary schools and four public middle schools operated by the city government, and three public private high schools operated by the Yamanashi Prefectural Board of Education. The city also has one private middle school and one private high school.

Senior high schools

In Japan the public Senior High Schools are operated by the prefecture, which in this case in the Yamanashi prefecture. While not compulsory, 94% of all junior high school graduates entered high schools. These high schools are the equivalent of grades 10 – 12 in the United States or the Fifth and Sixth form in the English system.

Prefectural public high schools

* Fuji Hokuryo High School * Hibarigaoka High School * Yoshida High School

Private high schools

* Fuji Gakuen High School

Junior high schools

The public Junior High Schools are operated by the City of Fujiyoshida. These schools are the equivalent of grades 6 – 9 in the United States or the First to Fourth form in the English system.

Municipal junior high schools

* Akemi Junior High School * Fujimidai Junior High School * Shimoyoshida Junior High School * Yoshida Junior High School

Private junior high schools

* Fuji Gakuen Junior High School

Primary schools

The public Primary Schools are operated by the City of Fujiyoshida. Municipal Primary Schools * Akemi Elementary School * Fuji Elementary School * Shimoyoshida 2nd Elementary School * Shimoyoshida Daiichi Elementary School * Shimoyoshida Higashi Elementary School * Yoshida Elementary School * Yoshida Nishi Elementary School

Transportation

Railway

Fuji Kyuko - Fujikyuko Line ** - - - -

Highway

* Chūō Expressway * Higashifuji-goko Road * * * * *

Sister cities

Colorado Springs, Colorado Colorado Springs is the most populous city in El Paso County, Colorado, United States, and its county seat. The city had a population of 478,961 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, a 15.02% increase since 2010 United States Census, 2 ...

, United States, since 1962 *

Chamonix Chamonix-Mont-Blanc (; ; (no longer in use)), more commonly known simply as Chamonix (), is a communes of France, commune in the departments of France, department in the regions of France, region in Southeastern France. It was the site of the f ...

Mont Blanc Mont Blanc (, ) is a mountain in the Alps, rising above sea level, located right at the Franco-Italian border. It is the highest mountain in Europe outside the Caucasus Mountains, the second-most prominent mountain in Europe (after Mount E ...

, France, since 1978

Local attractions

* Arakurayama Sengen Park and the ''Chūrei-tō'' pagoda, built on a hilltop facing Mount Fuji. * Fuji-Q Highland an

amusement park An amusement park is a park that features various attractions, such as rides and games, and events for entertainment purposes. A theme park is a type of amusement park that bases its structures and attractions around a central theme, often fea ...

with a variety of attractions suitable for adults and children. * Kitaguchi Hongū Fuji Sengen Jinja, a

Shinto shrine A Stuart D. B. Picken, 1994. p. xxiii is a structure whose main purpose is to house ("enshrine") one or more kami, , the deities of the Shinto religion. The Also called the . is where a shrine's patron is or are enshrined.Iwanami Japanese dic ...

dedicated to the ''

kami are the Deity, deities, Divinity, divinities, Spirit (supernatural entity), spirits, mythological, spiritual, or natural phenomena that are venerated in the traditional Shinto religion of Japan. ''Kami'' can be elements of the landscape, forc ...

'' of Mount Fuji, the Kitaguchi Hongū Fuji Sengen Jinja is the historical starting point for pilgrims climbing the mountain. The main structure was originally built in 788 and underwent reconstruction in the 17th century. Additional buildings include a shrine dedicated to Takeda Shingen (1521–1573), and a red ''

torii A is a traditional culture of Japan, Japanese gate most commonly found at the entrance of or within a Shinto shrine, where it symbolically marks the transition from the mundane to the sacred, and a spot where kami are welcomed and thought to ...

'' which is taken down and rebuilt every "Fuji Year" (60 years). The shrine has a local history museum which displays items from Fujiyoshida's past including household items, farm implements, clothing and samples of the cities' famous textiles. *Mt. Fuji Radar Dome Museum. A tribute to the meteorologists who built a radar research facility at the summit of Mount Fuji, which features a room which simulates the conditions at the summit of the mountain. *Mt. Fuji Visitors Center. It is home to interactive displays, videos, books and guides about Mount Fuji.