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

Niigata Prefecture is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture in the Chūbu region of Honshu of Japan. Niigata Prefecture has a population of 2,131,009 (1 July 2023) and is the List of Japanese prefectures by area, fifth-largest prefecture of Japan by geographic area ...

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 55,354 with 20,047 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 96.1 persons per km². Its total area was .

Geography

Minamiuonuma is situated in a valley in a mountainous region of Niigata Prefecture, located on

Honshu , historically known as , is the largest of the four main islands of Japan. It lies between the Pacific Ocean (east) and the Sea of Japan (west). It is the list of islands by area, seventh-largest island in the world, and the list of islands by ...

, Japan's largest and most centralised island. Dotted with ski lodges and other winter activity facilities, the city is in a region known as "

Snow Country is a novel by the Japanese author Yasunari Kawabata. The novel is considered a classic work of Japanese literature and was among the three novels the Nobel Committee cited in 1968, when Kawabata was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature. Writ ...

"; indeed, Minamiuonuma sits at an average elevation of around 617 m (2,024 ft) above

sea level Mean sea level (MSL, often shortened to sea level) is an mean, average surface level of one or more among Earth's coastal Body of water, bodies of water from which heights such as elevation may be measured. The global MSL is a type of vertical ...

, creating a wintry climate in the coldest months of the year. The city sits just between Mount Sakado to the southeast, which measures 634 m (2,080 ft) tall, and Masugata Yama, measuring some 747 m (2,450 ft) above sea level, to the northwest. The highest peaks in the area reach well over 1600 m (5,249 ft), and some measure as high as 2000 m (approx. 6,700 ft). Parts of the city are within the borders of the

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 Prefecture, Gunma, Nagano Prefecture, Nagano, and Niigata Prefecture, Niiga ...

; to the north, the city is bounded by Uonuma and the

Echigo Sanzan-Tadami Quasi-National Park is a Quasi-National Park in Fukushima Prefecture and Niigata Prefecture, Japan. Designated on 15 May 1973, it has an area of . See also * List of national parks of Japan and of Japan are places of scenic beauty that are designated for pro ...

(and its associated mountains), and to the south by Yuzawa, a popular ski resort town. The

Uono River The is a river in Niigata Prefecture in Japan. It flows into the Shinano River, which is the longest in Japan. It is suited for sport fishing and maybe rafting but not for swimming. External links

(confluence with Shinano River) Rivers ...

flows through most of the city. The city and its surrounding areas are dotted with many

onsen In Japan, are hot springs and the bathing facilities and Ryokan (inn), traditional inns around them. There are approximately 25,000 hot spring sources throughout Japan, and approximately 3,000 ''onsen'' establishments use naturally hot water ...

(hot springs) and

ski resorts A ski resort is a resort developed for skiing, snowboarding, and other winter sports. In Europe, most ski resorts are towns or villages in or adjacent to a ski area–a mountainous area with pistes (ski trails) and a ski lift system. In North ...

, making it a popular destination in winter. There are also a large number of seasonal paddy fields, as this is part of the major ''

koshihikari is a popular cultivar of Japonica rice cultivated in Japan as well as Australia and the United States. ''Koshihikari'' was first created in 1956 by combining 2 different strains of ''Nourin No.1'' and ''Nourin No.22'' at the Fukui Prefectura ...

'' rice-growing region in Japan. Other popular seasonal produce is grown, as well, like

watermelon The watermelon (''Citrullus lanatus'') is a species of flowering plant in the family Cucurbitaceae, that has a large, edible fruit. It is a Glossary of botanical terms#scandent, scrambling and trailing vine-like plant, and is plant breeding ...

Surrounding municipalities

Gunma Prefecture is a landlocked 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 . Gunma Prefecture borders Niigata Prefecture and Fuk ...

** Minakami *

Tōkamachi is a city located in Niigata Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 28,728 in 19,823 households, and a population density of 86.3 persons per km². The total area of the city was , although some borders of the city are ...

** Uonuma ** Yuzawa

Climate

Minamiuonuma has a Humid climate (Köppen ''Cfa''), characterised by warm, wet summers and cold winters, with heavy snowfall. The average annual rainfall is 1865 mm (73"), with September being the wettest month. The average annual temperature in the region is 11.3 °C (52.3 °F); temperatures are highest, on average, in August, at around 24.3 °C (75.7 °F), and lowest in January, at around -1.1 °C (30 °F).

Demographics

According to Japanese census data, the population of Minamiuonuma peaked around 1950 and has since declined to about the same level as a century ago.

History

The area of present-day Minamiuonuma was part of the ancient

Echigo Province was an old provinces of Japan, old province in north-central Japan, on the shores of the Sea of Japan. It bordered on Uzen Province, Uzen, Iwashiro Province, Iwashiro, Kōzuke Province, Kōzuke, Shinano Province, Shinano, and Etchū Province, ...

. The village of Muikamachi was created with the establishment of the modern municipalities system on April 1, 1889, and was elevated to "town" status on July 13, 1900. The city of Minamiuonuma was established on November 1, 2004, from the merger of Muikamachi with the neighbouring town of

Yamato was originally the area around today's Sakurai, Nara, Sakurai City in Nara Prefecture of Japan, which became Yamato Province and by extension a Names of Japan, name for the whole of Japan. Yamato is also the dynastic name of the ruling Imperial ...

(both from Minamiuonuma District). On October 1, 2005, the town of Shiozawa (from Minamiuonuma District) was also merged into Minamiuonuma.

Government

Minamiuonuma 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 22 members. Minamiuonuma, together with the town of Yuzawa, contributes two members to the Niigata Prefectural Assembly. In terms of national politics, the city is part of Niigata 5th district of the

lower house A lower house is the lower chamber of a bicameral legislature, where the other chamber is the upper house. Although styled as "below" the upper house, in many legislatures worldwide, the lower house has come to wield more power or otherwise e ...

of the

Diet of Japan , transcription_name = ''Kokkai'' , legislature = 215th Session of the National Diet , coa_pic = Flag of Japan.svg , house_type = Bicameral , houses = , foundation=29 November 1890(), leader1_type ...

Economy

The economy of Minamiuonuma is based primarily on agriculture and seasonal tourism.

Education

Minamiuonuma has 17 public elementary schools and four public middle schools operated by the city government. There are four public high schools operated by the Niigata Prefectural Board of Education, and the prefecture also operate one special education school for the handicapped. The

International University of Japan The is a private university located in Minamiuonuma city in Niigata Prefecture, Japan. IUJ is the first graduate university in Japan not offering undergraduate degrees, and one of the few Japanese universities which offers all courses in Eng ...

is based at Minamiuonuma.

Transportation

Railway

East Japan Railway Company The is a major passenger railway company in Japan and 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 in ...

(JR East) -

Jōetsu Shinkansen The is a high-speed shinkansen railway line connecting Tokyo and Niigata, Japan, via the Tōhoku Shinkansen, operated by the East Japan Railway Company (JR East). Despite its name, the line does not pass through the city of Jōetsu or the ...

** *

JR East The is a major passenger railway company in Japan and 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 in ...

Jōetsu Line The is a major railway line in Japan, owned by the East Japan Railway Company (JR East). It connects Takasaki Station in Gunma Prefecture with Miyauchi Station (Niigata), Miyauchi Station in Niigata Prefecture, linking the northwestern Kanto regi ...

** - - - - - - - * Hokuhoku-Line Logo

Hokuetsu Express Hokuhoku Line The is a Japanese railway line in Niigata Prefecture that runs from Muikamachi Station, Muikamachi in Minamiuonuma, Niigata, Minamiuonuma City to Saigata Station, Saigata in Jōetsu, Niigata, Jōetsu City. It is the sole railway line operated b ...

** -

Highway

Kan-etsu Expressway The is a national expressways of Japan, expressway in Japan. It is owned and managed by East Nippon Expressway Company. Naming is the ''kanji'' acronym of and the old comprising modern-day Niigata Prefecture. Officially, the Kan-Etsu consist ...

– Shiozawa-Ishiuchi IC, Muikamachi IC * * * *

Sister cities

Minamiuonuma is twinned with: * Ashburton, New Zealand, since 1987 *

Lillehammer Lillehammer () is a municipality in Innlandet county, Norway. It is located in the traditional district of Gudbrandsdal. The administrative centre of the municipality is the town of Lillehammer. Some of the more notable villages in the munici ...

, Norway, since 1992 *

Sölden Sölden () is a municipality in the Ötztal valley of Tyrol, Austria. Geography At c. , it is the largest municipality in the country. The population of 3,449 (as of 2003) is outnumbered by tourists, of which 15,000 can be accommodated. Wit ...

, Austria, since 1982

Local attractions

* Hakkaisan Ropeway, aerial lift that climbs Mount Hakkai *

Sakado Castle was a Sengoku period ''yamajiro''-style Japanese castle located in the Muika, Niigata, Muikamachi neighborhood of the city of Minamiuonuma, Niigata, Minamiuonuma, Niigata Prefecture, in the Hokuriku region of Japan. The ruins have been protected ...

ruins, a National Historic Site *Shiozawajuku, old shopping street *Untoan Temple,

Buddhist Buddhism, also known as Buddhadharma and Dharmavinaya, is an Indian religion and List of philosophies, philosophical tradition based on Pre-sectarian Buddhism, teachings attributed to the Buddha, a wandering teacher who lived in the 6th or ...

temple A temple (from the Latin ) is a place of worship, a building used for spiritual rituals and activities such as prayer and sacrifice. By convention, the specially built places of worship of some religions are commonly called "temples" in Engli ...

Notable personalities

Haruki Yoshida is a Japanese footballer who played as a defender for Edo All United. Biography Yoshida was born on 20 April 2001 in Minamiuonuma, Niigata Prefecture. He graduated from Muikamachi Middle School. At , he played in a three-man back line due ...

, footballer.

References

External links

*
Official Website
{{Authority control Cities in Niigata Prefecture