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 ...

Nagasaki Prefecture is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan, mainly located on the island of Kyūshū, although it also includes a number of islands off Kyūshū's northwest coast - including Tsushima and Iki. Nagasaki Prefecture has a population of 1,246,4 ...

, Japan. It comprises the south-west half of the Gotō Islands plus (uninhabited) Danjo and Hizen Torishima archipelagos in the

East China Sea The East China Sea is a marginal sea of the Western Pacific Ocean, located directly offshore from East China. China names the body of water along its eastern coast as "East Sea" (, ) due to direction, the name of "East China Sea" is otherwise ...

. Although the core islands of the city lay some 100 kilometers from

Nagasaki , officially , is the capital and the largest Cities of Japan, city of Nagasaki Prefecture on the island of Kyushu in Japan. Founded by the Portuguese, the port of Portuguese_Nagasaki, Nagasaki became the sole Nanban trade, port used for tr ...

, the other archipelagos lay 60 km further to South-West. The city consists of 11 inhabited and 52 uninhabited islands. The three main islands of the city are Fukue, Hisaka, and Naru. As of March 31, 2017, the city has 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 37,775 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 90 persons per km². The total area is 420.81 km².

History

The area which is now Gotō City was a port of call on the trade route between Japan and

Tang dynasty The Tang dynasty (, ; zh, c=唐朝), or the Tang Empire, was an Dynasties of China, imperial dynasty of China that ruled from 618 to 907, with an Wu Zhou, interregnum between 690 and 705. It was preceded by the Sui dynasty and followed ...

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...

in the

Nara period The of the history of Japan covers the years from 710 to 794. Empress Genmei established the capital of Heijō-kyō (present-day Nara). Except for a five-year period (740–745), when the capital was briefly moved again, it remained the capita ...

. Noted Buddhist prelate Kukai stopped at Gotō in 806. The islands came under the control of the Gotō clan from the

Muromachi period The , also known as the , is a division of Japanese history running from approximately 1336 to 1573. The period marks the governance of the Muromachi or Ashikaga shogunate ( or ), which was officially established in 1338 by the first Muromachi ...

and was the location of intense European missionary activity in the late 16th century, which converted most of the population to the '' Kirishitan'' faith. After the start of the Tokugawa bakufu, the area was part of Fukue Domain in the

Edo period The , also known as the , is the period between 1600 or 1603 and 1868 in the history of Japan, when the country was under the rule of the Tokugawa shogunate and some 300 regional ''daimyo'', or feudal lords. Emerging from the chaos of the Sengok ...

. Fukue City was established in 1954. Most of the town was destroyed in a fire in 1962. The modern city of Gotō was established on August 1, 2004, from the merger of the city of Fukue with the towns of Kishiku, Miiraku, Naru, Tamanoura and

Tomie is a Japanese horror manga series written and illustrated by Junji Ito. It centers on a mysterious, beautiful woman named Tomie Kawakami. The manga was Ito's first published work that he originally submitted to ''Monthly Halloween'', a Sh ...

(all from Minamimatsuura District). The population of the area has declined from over 60,000 inhabitants in 1980 due to economic migration and aging population issues.

Geography

Climate

Gotō has a

humid subtropical climate A humid subtropical climate is a subtropical -temperate climate type, characterized by long and hot summers, and cool to mild winters. These climates normally lie on the southeast side of all continents (except Antarctica), generally between ...

(

Köppen climate classification The Köppen climate classification divides Earth climates into five main climate groups, with each group being divided based on patterns of seasonal precipitation and temperature. The five main groups are ''A'' (tropical), ''B'' (arid), ''C'' (te ...

''Cfa'') with hot summers and cool winters. Precipitation is high throughout the year, and is heavy from April to September.

Demographics

Per Japanese census data, the population of Gotō in 2020 is 34,391 people. Gotō has been conducting censuses since 1920.

Events

Gotō used to host the Ironman Japan Triathlon.Ironman Japan Triathlon Goto Nagasaki
. Ironman Japan Triathlon Goto Nagasaki. Accessed October 8, 2010. The triathlon was established in 2001, and the event was canceled in 2010. Ironman chose not to renew the race for 2011. The city now hosts the Goto Nagasaki International Triathlon using the same course for the previous Ironman event. In late summer there is the Bon festival where people gather in the main area of Fukue and hold a parade along with street vendors. The parade features various floats all of which are lit up at night and walked through the town. At the end there is a beautiful firework show. In winter there (usually held on the 2nd or 3rd weekend of January) is an event called "Hettomatto", also known as the 'naked man race'. Participants run along a course in a fundoshi.

Transportation

Gotō-Fukue Airport on Fukue serves the city.Gotō Fukue Tsubaki Airport
Fukue Airport, Inc. Accessed October 7, 2021. It was established in 1963 to serve as a regional airport.

References

External links

Gotō City official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Goto, Nagasaki Cities in Nagasaki Prefecture Port settlements in Japan Populated coastal places in Japan