is the capital

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 ...

Toyama Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan located in the Chūbu region of Honshu. Toyama Prefecture has a population of 993,848 (1 January 2025) and has a geographic area of 4,247.61 km2 (1,640.01 sq mi). Toyama Prefecture borders Ishikawa Prefecture to the ...

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 ...

, located on the coast of the

Sea of Japan The Sea of Japan is the marginal sea between the Japanese archipelago, Sakhalin, the Korean Peninsula, and the mainland of the Russian Far East. The Japanese archipelago separates the sea from the Pacific Ocean. Like the Mediterranean Sea, it ...

in the

Chūbu region The , Central region, or is a region in the middle of Honshū, Japan's main island. In a wide, classical definition, it encompasses nine prefectures (''ken''): Aichi, Fukui, Gifu, Ishikawa, Nagano, Niigata, Shizuoka, Toyama, and Ya ...

on central

Honshū , 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 seventh-largest island in the world, and the second-most populous after the Indonesian ...

, about north of the city of

Nagoya is the largest city in the Chūbu region of Japan. It is the list of cities in Japan, fourth-most populous city in Japan, with a population of 2.3million in 2020, and the principal city of the Chūkyō metropolitan area, which is the List of ...

and northwest of

Tokyo Tokyo, officially the Tokyo Metropolis, is the capital of Japan, capital and List of cities in Japan, most populous city in Japan. With a population of over 14 million in the city proper in 2023, it is List of largest cities, one of the most ...

. , 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 415,844 in 176,643 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 335 persons per km². Its total area was . The city has been designated an environmental model city by the national government for its efforts to reduce the emission of

greenhouse gas Greenhouse gases (GHGs) are the gases in the atmosphere that raise the surface temperature of planets such as the Earth. Unlike other gases, greenhouse gases absorb the radiations that a planet emits, resulting in the greenhouse effect. T ...

es.

Geography

Located in the middle of its prefecture, Toyama is a seaside city by the coast of the

. Its municipal territory borders with the

Gifu Prefecture is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located in the Chūbu region of Honshu. Gifu Prefecture has a population of 1,910,511 () and has a geographic area of . Gifu Prefecture borders Toyama Prefecture to the north; Ishikawa Prefecture ...

and with the municipalities of Imizu, Namerikawa,

Tonami is a Cities of Japan, city in Toyama Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 48,659 in 16,739 households and a population density of 384 persons per km2. Its total area was . Geography Tonami is located in the Tonami plain ...

, Nanto, Hida and Takayama. The nearest towns are Imizu (west), and Namerikawa (east), both by the sea and part of the Toyama urban area. The nearest major city is

Kanazawa is the capital of Ishikawa Prefecture in central Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 466,029 in 203,271 households, and a population density of 990 persons per km2. The total area of the city was . Etymology The name "Kanazaw ...

, the capital of Ishikawa Prefecture, which is away.

Climate

Toyama 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, humid summers and cool winters. Precipitation is abundant throughout the year, particularly in July, September and from November through January. Despite winter in Toyama being relatively mild, its position near the Sea of Japan places it within the heavy snow belt of Japan and on average of snow falls each season, almost all of it from December through March, as well as occasionally experiencing some tremendous amounts of snowfall.

History

Early history

The area of present-day Toyama city was part of ancient

Etchū Province was a province of Japan in the area that is today Toyama Prefecture in the Hokuriku region of Japan. Etchū bordered on Noto and Kaga Provinces to the west, Shinano and Hida Provinces to the south, Echigo Province to the east and the Sea o ...

. The Toyama Plain is good farmland and historically it was a point of strategic and traffic importance since prehistoric times.

Feudal period

During the

Sengoku period The was the period in History of Japan, Japanese history in which civil wars and social upheavals took place almost continuously in the 15th and 16th centuries. The Kyōtoku incident (1454), Ōnin War (1467), or (1493) are generally chosen as th ...

, it was frequently a battlefield, coming under the control of warlord

Sassa Narimasa was a Japanese samurai lord of the Sengoku through Azuchi–Momoyama periods. He entered Oda Nobunaga's service at the age of 14 and remained in his service throughout Nobunaga's rise to power. He was a member of the so-called Echizen Sannin ...

, who built a

castle town A castle town is a settlement built adjacent to or surrounding a castle. Castle towns were common in Medieval Europe. Some examples include small towns like Alnwick and Arundel, which are still dominated by their castles. In Western Europe, ...

around

Toyama Castle Toyama Castle moat is a flatland-style Japanese castle located in the city of Toyama, Toyama Prefecture, in the Hokuriku region of Japan. It is also called Azumi Castle (安住城 ''Azumi-jō''). Built in 1543, the castle and its surrounding ...

and channeled rivers to bringing about a flourishing agricultural industry.

Early modern ages

;Edo period The area subsequently became part of Kaga Domain under the

Maeda clan The was a Japanese samurai clan who occupied most of the Hokuriku region of central Honshū from the end of the Sengoku period through the Meiji Restoration of 1868. The Maeda claimed descent from the Sugawara clan through Sugawara no Kiyotom ...

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 ...

, during which time a positive industrial promotion policy was implemented on the production of

Chinese medicine Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) is an alternative medical practice drawn from traditional medicine in China. A large share of its claims are pseudoscientific, with the majority of treatments having no robust evidence of effectiveness or ...

and ''

washi is traditional Japanese paper processed by hand using fibers from the inner bark of the gampi tree, the mitsumata shrub (''Edgeworthia chrysantha''), or the paper mulberry (''kōzo'') bush. ''Washi'' is generally tougher than ordinary ...

'' (Japanese paper). Also, thanks to the improvement of '' kitamaebune'' sea transportation routes, these industries thrived and Toyama became known nationwide as the province of medicine.

Meiji period

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

, with the creation of the municipalities system, the city of Toyama was established on April 1, 1889, as one of the first 30 cities in Japan. Economically, the area developed heavy and chemical industries based on abundant hydroelectric electricity. Toyama has become one of the most influential cities on the

with its good water supply, drainage system and thriving agricultural, forestry, fishery, commercial and manufacturing industries.

World War II

During

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, Allied prisoners of war (POWs) were sent to Toyama as forced labor. The city was almost completely destroyed on the night of August 1–2, 1945. At the time of the bombing, the city was a center for aluminum, ball-bearing and special steel production. Left unscathed however, were the war-related factories just outside the city. The city during the time had a population of around 150,000 residents. The city also held Kakure Kirishitan, or "Hidden Christians" in Japan, forced from Nagasaki into internment camps after the Tokugawa government tried to punish them for their Christian beliefs. Higasiaimon-cho Street in Toyama City in late Meiji era.jpg, Higasiaimon-cho Street in Toyama City in late Meiji era. File:Firebombing of Toyama.jpg, Bombing of Toyama in World War II Toyama City before Bombing of Toyama(1).jpg, Toyama before World War II

Contemporary ages

2005 mergers

On April 1, 2005, the towns of Ōsawano and Ōyama (both from Kaminiikawa District), the towns of Fuchū and Yatsuo, and the villages of Hosoiri and Yamada (all from Nei District) were merged into Toyama. Kaminiikawa District and Nei District were both dissolved as a result of this merger.

Demographics

Per Japanese census data, the population of Toyama has recently plateaued after a long period of growth.

Surrounding municipalities

;

* Hida * Takayama ;

Nagano Prefecture is a Landlocked country, landlocked Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located in the Chūbu region of Honshu. Nagano Prefecture has a population of 2,007,682 () and has a geographic area of . Nagano Prefecture borders Niigata Prefecture ...

* Ōmachi ;

Funahashi is a village located in Nakaniikawa District, Toyama Prefecture, Japan. , the village had an estimated population of 3,304 in 1195 households and a population density of . The total area of the town was , making it the smallest municipality in J ...

* Imizu * Kamiichi * Namerikawa * Nanto * Tateyama *

Government

Toyama 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 38 members.

Sister cities

Toyama International Conference Center 20180503

Toyama is twinned with: ;Friendship city

Economy

Hokuriku Electric Power Company (colloquially known as ''Hokuden''), the regional power-supply monopoly, is based in Toyama. Bearing parts and industrial robot company Nachi-Fujikoshi and software compan
INTEC
are also headquartered in Toyama. Regional banks include Hokuriku Bank, First Bank of Toyama, and Toyama Bank.

Education

Colleges and universities

* Toyama College * Toyama National College of Technology * Toyama Prefectural University * Toyama University of International Studies * University of Toyama

Primary and secondary education

Toyama has 65 public elementary schools and 26 public middle schools operated by the city government. There is also one public elementary school and one public middle school operated by the national government. The city has fourteen public high schools operated by the Toyama Prefectural Board of Education. and one public combined middle/high school operated by the national government. There are also seven private high schools. Toyama Shogyo High School is a commercial high school.

Transportation

Airways

Airports

* Toyama Airport

Railways

High-speed rail

;

West Japan Railway Company , also referred to as , is one of the Japan Railways Group (JR Group) companies and operates in western Honshu. It has its headquarters in Kita-ku, Osaka. It is listed in the Tokyo Stock Exchange, is a constituent of the TOPIX Large70 index, ...

(JR West) *

Hokuriku Shinkansen The Hokuriku Shinkansen () is a high-speed Shinkansen railway line connecting Tokyo with Tsuruga, Fukui, Tsuruga in the Hokuriku region of Japan. It is jointly operated by East Japan Railway Company (JR East) and West Japan Railway Company (JR ...

Conventional lines

;

(JR West) *

Takayama Main Line The is a Japanese railway line between Gifu Station in Gifu and Toyama Station in Toyama, operated by Central Japan Railway Company (JR Central) and West Japan Railway Company (JR West). The line directly links the Chūkyō Metropolitan Ar ...

: - - - - - - - - - ;

Central Japan Railway Company is the main railway company operating in the Chūbu (Nagoya) region of central Japan. It is officially abbreviated in English as JR Central and occasionally as JR Tokai (). The term ''Tōkai'' refers to the southern portion of Central Japan, ...

(JR Tōkai) *

: - ;

Ainokaze Toyama Railway The is a Japanese third-sector railway operating company established in 2012 to operate passenger railway services on the section of the JR West Hokuriku Main Line within Toyama Prefecture when it was separated from the JR West network in Marc ...

*Ainokaze Toyama Railway Line: - Kureha - Toyama - Higashi-Toyama - Mizuhashi - ; 18px Toyama Chihō Railway * Main Line: - - - - - * Kamidaki Line: - - - - - - - - - - - - * Tateyama Line: -

Tramways

; 18px Toyama Chihō Railway * Toyama Light Rail Toyamakō Line * Toyama City Tram Line

Roads

Expressway

Hokuriku Expressway The , (abbreviated as , is a 4-laned national Expressways of Japan, expressway in Japan. It is owned and managed by East Nippon Expressway Company and Central Nippon Expressway Company. Overview The first section was opened in 1972 by Japan ...

: Nagaresugi IC - Toyama IC - Toyama-nishi IC

Japan National Route

* * * * * * *

Seaways

Seaport

* Port of Toyama

Local attractions

* Botanic Gardens of Toyama * Kitadai Site, Jomon period site, National Historic Site * Kurobe Dam * Museum of Modern Art of Toyama *

Ōzuka-Senbōyama Sites is a group of seven archaeological sites located in what is now part of the city of Toyama (city), Toyama in the Hokuriku region of Japan. The sites consist of the ruins of a settlement which existed from the late Jōmon period through Kofun peri ...

, Yayoi period settlement ruins and Kofun, National Historic Site * Sugusaka Site,

Japanese Paleolithic The is the period of human inhabitation in Japan predating the development of pottery, generally before 10,000 BC. The starting dates commonly given to this period are from around 40,000 BC, with recent authors suggesting that there is good evi ...

period site, National Historic Site * Toyama Athletic Recreation Park Stadium, home of Toyama's representative in the J.League,

Kataller Toyama is a football club based in Toyama, Capital of Toyama Prefecture. The club currently play in J2 League after promotion from J3 in 2024, Japanese second tier of professional football. History The idea of a merged club had been discussed by t ...

football club *

* the smallest shinto shrine * Toyama Glass Art Museum * Toyama International Conference Center * Toyamaken Gokoku Shrine * Yasuda Castle ruins, National Historic Site

Culture

Festivals and events

* Toyama Chindon Contest (Toyama Band of musical sandwichmen contest) – proposed by the Toyama Chamber of Commerce in 1955 and is held annually in early April. This event has become a festival, and many bands of sandwichmen (men wearing sandwich boards for advertisements) participate, attracting many tourists every year. * Kaze No Bon – held annually on September 1 to 3, in the Yatsuo region.Visit Toyama
. (2008). ''Visit Toyama''. Retrieved Jan. 6, 2013, from prefectural web site, English version.

Notable people

Gaku Matsumoto is a Japanese actor who is affiliated with Izawa Office. He played the role of List of Shuriken Sentai Ninninger characters#Yakumo Kato, Yakumo "Cloud" Kato (Aoninger) in the 2015 Super Sentai TV series ''Shuriken Sentai Ninninger''. Biography ...

, actor * Eikichi Minato, politician, Mayor of Toyama * Ryūzō Sejima, Japanese army officer, business leader * Koichi Tanaka, chemist, 2002

Nobel Prize in Chemistry The Nobel Prize in Chemistry () is awarded annually by the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences to scientists in the various fields of chemistry. It is one of the five Nobel Prizes established by the will of Alfred Nobel in 1895, awarded for outst ...

winner. * Tamisuke Watanuki, politician * Kaede Yamada, member of Korean girl-group

tripleS TripleS (; ; stylized as tripleS) is a South Korean 24-member multinational girl group formed by Modhaus. They aim to be the world's first decentralized idol group, where the members will rotate between the full group, sub-units, and solo activi ...

* Hikaru Masai, Japanese singer, member of

Kalafina is a Japanese vocal group formed by composer Yuki Kajiura in 2007, mainly to perform theme songs for the anime ''The Garden of Sinners'', but later expanded to include many other theme songs for other anime shows and films including the '' Puel ...

* Masato Nakazawa, former Japanese baseball player * Rui Hachimura, basketball player for the

Los Angeles Lakers The Los Angeles Lakers are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles. The Lakers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Pacific Division (NBA), Pacific Division of the Western Conference (NBA ...

in the

NBA The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada). The NBA is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Ca ...

References

External links

Toyama City official website

Toyama City's Website for foreign people Visit Toyama

{{Authority control Cities in Toyama Prefecture Port settlements in Japan Populated coastal places in Japan Environmental model cities