
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 central
Izu Peninsula
The is a mountainous peninsula with a deeply indented coastline to the west of Tokyo on the Pacific Ocean, Pacific coast of the island of Honshu, Japan, the largest of the four main islands of Japan. Formerly known as Izu Province, Izu peninsu ...
in
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 ...
,
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 30,678 in 13,390 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 84 persons per km
2. The total area of the city was .
Geography
Izu is located in the north-central portion of the
Izu Peninsula
The is a mountainous peninsula with a deeply indented coastline to the west of Tokyo on the Pacific Ocean, Pacific coast of the island of Honshu, Japan, the largest of the four main islands of Japan. Formerly known as Izu Province, Izu peninsu ...
, and includes most of the
Amagi Mountains. The region is hilly and some 80% of the city area is covered by forest. The
Kano River runs through the city, which has a short coastline to the west on
Suruga Bay
Suruga Bay (駿河湾, ''Suruga-wan'') is a bay on the Pacific coast of Honshū in Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan. It is situated north of a straight line from Omaezaki Point to Irōzaki Point at the tip of the Izu Peninsula and surrounded by Honsh� ...
of the
Pacific Ocean
The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five Borders of the oceans, oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean, or, depending on the definition, to Antarctica in the south, and is ...
. The area is part of the
Izu-Tobu volcanic region, and is therefore subject to frequent earthquakes, and the city also has numerous
hot spring
A hot spring, hydrothermal spring, or geothermal spring is a Spring (hydrology), spring produced by the emergence of Geothermal activity, geothermally heated groundwater onto the surface of the Earth. The groundwater is heated either by shallow ...
s as a result. Warmed by the
Kuroshio Current
The , also known as the Black Current or is a north-flowing, warm ocean current on the west side of the North Pacific Ocean basin. It was named for the deep blue appearance of its waters. Similar to the Gulf Stream in the North Atlantic, the Ku ...
, the area enjoys a warm maritime climate with hot, humid summers and mild, cool winters.
Surrounding municipalities
*Shizuoka Prefecture
**
Higashiizu
**
Itō
**
Izunokuni
**
Kawazu
**
Nishiizu
**
Numazu
is a city located in eastern Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 189,486 in 91,986 households, and a population density of 1,014 persons per km2. The total area of the city is .
Geography
Numazu is at the n ...
Demographics
Per Japanese census data, the population of Izu has been in decline over the past 60 years.
Climate
The city has a climate characterized by characterized by hot and humid summers, and relatively mild winters (
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''). The average annual temperature in Izu is 15.9 °C. The average annual rainfall is 2035 mm with September as the wettest month. The temperatures are highest on average in August, at around 26.5 °C, and lowest in January, at around 6.3 °C.
History
During 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 ...
, most of
Izu Province
was a province of Japan in the area now part of Shizuoka Prefecture and Tokyo. Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005). "''Izu''" in . Izu bordered on Sagami and Suruga Provinces. Its abbreviated form name was .
The mainland portion of Izu Prov ...
was ''
tenryō
The Tokugawa shogunate, also known as the was the military government of Japan during the Edo period from 1603 to 1868.
The Tokugawa shogunate was established by Tokugawa Ieyasu after victory at the Battle of Sekigahara, ending the civil war ...
'' territory under direct control of the
Tokugawa shogunate
The Tokugawa shogunate, also known as the was the military government of Japan during the Edo period from 1603 to 1868.
The Tokugawa shogunate was established by Tokugawa Ieyasu after victory at the Battle of Sekigahara, ending the civil wars ...
, although portions near modern Shuzenji were under the control of the
Ōkubo clan
The were a ''samurai'' kin group which rose to prominence in the Sengoku period and the Edo periods.Meyer, Eva-Maria"Gouverneure von Kyôto in der Edo-Zeit."Universität Tübingen (in German) Under the Tokugawa shogunate, the Ōkubo, as heredit ...
of Ogino-Yamanaka Domain. During the establishment of the modern municipalities system in the early
Meiji period
The was 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 colonizatio ...
in 1889, the area was reorganized into several villages under Kimisawa District, Shizuoka Prefecture. Kimisawa District merged with
Tagata District in 1896.
Shuzenji became a town in 1924, followed by
Toi in 1938,
Nakaizu in 1958, and
Amagiyugashima in 1960. The city of Izu was established on April 1, 2004, by the merger of the towns of Shuzenji, Toi, Nakaizu and Amagiyugashima (all from
Tagata District).
Government
Izu 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 16 members.
Economy
The economy of the city of Izu is centered on tourism (primarily
hot spring resorts), farming/forestry and
commercial fishing
Commercial fishing is the activity of catching fish and other seafood for Commerce, commercial Profit (economics), profit, mostly from wild fisheries. It provides a large quantity of food to many countries around the world, but those who practice ...
. Izu is noted for its production of ''
wasabi
Wasabi (Japanese language, Japanese: , , or , ) or Japanese horseradish (''Eutrema japonicum'' syn. ''Wasabia japonica'') is a plant of the family Brassicaceae, which also includes horseradish and Mustard plant, mustard in other genus, genera. ...
'' and ''
shiitake
The shiitake (; ''Chinese/black mushroom'' or ''Lentinula edodes'') is a macrofungus native to East Asia, which is cultivated and consumed around the globe.
Taxonomy
The fungus was first described scientifically as '' Agaricus edodes'' by ...
''. During the Edo period, the area was also known for its production of gold and other ores; however, the last commercial mining operations were closed in the 1960s.
Education
Izu has six public elementary schools, one public middle schools and one combined elementary/middle school operated by the city government. The city has two public high schools operated by the Shizuoka Prefectural Board of Education.
Transportation
Railway
*
Izuhakone Railway –
Sunzu Line
**–
Highway
*
Izu-Jūkan Expressway
*
*
Local attractions
*
Jōren Falls
*
Kamishiroiwa ruins, Jomon period settlement trace, National Historic Site
*
Shuzenji Romney Railway
*, which is often simply known as the . Located in Hiekawa (冷川), Izu, it is the headquarters of the
Japanese new religion
Japanese new religions are new religious movements established in Japan. In Japanese, they are called or . Japanese scholars classify all religious organizations founded since the middle of the 19th century as "new religions"; thus, the term refe ...
Sekai Mahikari Bunmei Kyodan (
世界真光文明教団), officially known in English as the
World Divine Light Organization (WDL).
*
Toi gold mine
Sister cities
*
Nelson, British Columbia
Nelson is a city located in the Selkirk Mountains on the West Arm of Kootenay Lake in the British Columbia Interior, Southern Interior of British Columbia, Canada. The city is known for its collection of restored heritage buildings that date ba ...
,
Canada
Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...
, since August 18, 2005
*
Hope, British Columbia
Hope is a district municipality at the confluence of the Fraser River, Fraser and Coquihalla River, Coquihalla rivers in the province of British Columbia, Canada. Hope is at the eastern end of both the Fraser Valley and the Lower Mainland regio ...
,
Canada
Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...
, since August 18, 2005
[
* Minamiminowa, Nagano, Japan, since February 25, 1991
]
Notable people from Izu
* Yurina Hase (Yurika Ochiai) – voice actress
* Sōsuke Kaise – manga artist
* Naoko Ken – singer, actress
* Hon'inbō Shūwa – professional go player
External links
*
Izushi Tourist Association
*
References
{{Authority control
Cities in Shizuoka Prefecture
Populated coastal places in Japan