Utsunomiya, Tochigi
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| Utsunomiya 宇都宮 |
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| — Core city — | |||
| 宇都宮市 · Utsunomiya | |||
 Futaarayama-jinja Shrine, Oya Stone Museum Utsunomiya Tower, City view from the tower |
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 Utsunomiya
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| Coordinates: 36°33′N 139°53′E / 36.55°N 139.883°ECoordinates: 36°33′N 139°53′E / 36.55°N 139.883°E | |||
| Country | Japan | ||
| Region | Kantō | ||
| Prefecture | Tochigi Prefecture | ||
| Government | |||
| • Mayor | Eiichi Sato | ||
| Area | |||
| • Total | 416.84 km2 (160.94 sq mi) | ||
| Population (October 1, 2010) | |||
| • Total | 510,416 | ||
| • Density | 1,224.49/km2 (3,171.4/sq mi) | ||
| Time zone | Japan Standard Time (UTC+9) | ||
| City symbols | |||
| - Tree | Ginkgo biloba | ||
| - Flower | Satsuki azalea | ||
| Website | City of Utsunomiya | ||
Utsunomiya (宇都宮市 Utsunomiya-shi) is the capital and most populous city of Tochigi Prefecture, Japan. In October 2010 the city had an estimated population of 510,416 and a population density of 1,224.49 people per square kilometer. The total area is 416.84 km². Greater Utsunomiya (宇都宮都市圏 Utsunomiya Toshi-ken) had a population of 888,005 in the 2000 Census. The nearby city of Oyama, Tochigi is included in Greater Tokyo, but Greater Utsunomiya is not, despite the two areas amalgamating somewhat.
Utsunomiya is approximately 100 km north of Tokyo. It is accessible by car via the Tohoku Expressway and by train via Utsunomiya Station on the Tohoku Shinkansen line. Narita International Airport is about three hours away by car or bus. The historic town of Nikkō is approximately 25 km northwest of Utsunomiya.
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[edit] History
The Battle of Utsunomiya Castle took place between May 10–14, 1868, during the Boshin War (a park now exists on the castle grounds). The city itself was founded on April 1, 1896. In 1954–55, Utsunomiya city incorporated with Suzumenomiya town and Hiraishi, Yokokawa, Mizuhono, Kunimoto, Shiroyama, Tomiya, Toyosato, and Sugatagawa villages and the part of Shinoi village from Kawachi District and Kiyohara village from Haga District. The city added the towns of Kamikawachi and Kawachi, both from Kawachi District, on March 31, 2007, pushing the population of Utsunomiya city over 500,000.
[edit] Climate
| Climate data for Utsunomiya (1981～2010) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 21.0 (69.8) |
24.6 (76.3) |
25.9 (78.6) |
30.4 (86.7) |
33.2 (91.8) |
37.5 (99.5) |
38.7 (101.7) |
37.5 (99.5) |
36.5 (97.7) |
32.5 (90.5) |
25.1 (77.2) |
24.7 (76.5) |
38.7 (101.7) |
| Average high °C (°F) | 8.3 (46.9) |
9.1 (48.4) |
12.6 (54.7) |
18.5 (65.3) |
22.5 (72.5) |
25.2 (77.4) |
28.7 (83.7) |
30.5 (86.9) |
26.4 (79.5) |
20.9 (69.6) |
15.5 (59.9) |
10.7 (51.3) |
19.1 (66.4) |
| Average low °C (°F) | −2.7 (27.1) |
−1.9 (28.6) |
1.5 (34.7) |
7.0 (44.6) |
12.5 (54.5) |
16.9 (62.4) |
20.8 (69.4) |
22.2 (72.0) |
18.4 (65.1) |
11.8 (53.2) |
5.0 (41.0) |
−0.7 (30.7) |
9.3 (48.7) |
| Record low °C (°F) | −14.8 (5.4) |
−13.3 (8.1) |
−12.4 (9.7) |
−6.4 (20.5) |
−0.8 (30.6) |
4.7 (40.5) |
10.3 (50.5) |
11.4 (52.5) |
5.5 (41.9) |
−2.7 (27.1) |
−6.7 (19.9) |
−10.9 (12.4) |
−14.8 (5.4) |
| Precipitation mm (inches) | 33.9 (1.335) |
42.9 (1.689) |
88.4 (3.48) |
120.5 (4.744) |
146.6 (5.772) |
174.7 (6.878) |
205.8 (8.102) |
209.8 (8.26) |
220.4 (8.677) |
146.5 (5.768) |
68.1 (2.681) |
35.5 (1.398) |
1,493.1 (58.783) |
| Snowfall cm (inches) | 10 (3.9) |
10 (3.9) |
5 (2) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
3 (1.2) |
28 (11) |
| % humidity | 62 | 60 | 61 | 64 | 70 | 77 | 80 | 78 | 79 | 74 | 71 | 66 | 70.2 |
| Avg. precipitation days (≥ 0.5 mm) | 4.4 | 5.9 | 9.9 | 11.1 | 12.5 | 14.8 | 16.2 | 12.7 | 14.2 | 11.1 | 7.1 | 4.0 | 123.9 |
| Avg. snowy days | 3.6 | 3.8 | 1.9 | 0.2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 1.1 | 10.6 |
| Sunshine hours | 204.8 | 186.2 | 187.9 | 179.5 | 166.9 | 112.1 | 114.1 | 138.9 | 112.2 | 145.0 | 164.5 | 199.1 | 1,911.2 |
| Source no. 1: Japan Meteorological Agency[1] | |||||||||||||
| Source no. 2: Japan Meteorological Agency (records)[2] | |||||||||||||
[edit] Industry and economy
Utsunomiya is home to a Canon optical manufacturing plant, a Japan Tobacco plant, Honda design centers, and various other industrial concerns in the Kiyohara Industrial Park. In addition, one of the largest malls in the north Kantō region, Bell Mall is located near central Utsunomiya.
[edit] Sports
Utsunomiya is represented in the J. League of football with its local club Tochigi S.C.
[edit] Culture
The Buddhist temple of Ōya-ji is located in Utsunomiya, and it includes a museum with artifacts dating back to the Jōmon Period.
Utsunomiya is famous for its gyoza (pan fried dumplings). There are more than two hundred gyoza restaurants in Utsunomiya.[3]
[edit] Sister cities
Manukau City, New Zealand[4]
Orléans, France
Tulsa, Oklahoma, United States of America
Qiqihar, Heilongjiang, China
[edit] References
- ^ "平年値（年・月ごとの値）". Japan Meteorological Agency. http://www.data.jma.go.jp/obd/stats/etrn/view/nml_sfc_ym.php?prec_no=19&prec_ch=%8B%FA%98H%8Ex%92%A1&block_no=47615&block_ch=%8B%FA%98H&year=&month=&day=&elm=normal&view=. Retrieved 2011-11-26.
- ^ "観測史上1～10位の値（年間を通じての値）". Japan Meteorological Agency. http://www.data.jma.go.jp/obd/stats/etrn/view/rank_s.php?prec_no=19&prec_ch=%8B%FA%98H%8Ex%92%A1&block_no=47615&block_ch=%8B%FA%98H&year=&month=&day=&elm=rank&view=. Retrieved 2011-11-26.
- ^ http://www.cnngo.com/tokyo/eat/utsunomiya-gyoza-town-200431
- ^ Manukau City Council - Sister City. Retrieved on 11 October 2008
[edit] External links
Media related to Utsunomiya, Tochigi at Wikimedia Commons
- Official website (Japanese)
- Utsunomiya travel guide from Wikitravel
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