Utsunomiya
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Template:Japanese city 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.
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.
Climate
Utsunomiya has a humid subtropical climate (Köppen climate classification Cfa) with hot and humid summers and cool winters. Precipitation is heavy in the summer wet season, especially from July to September, and it is noticeably drier in the winter months from December to February.
| 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) |
| Mean daily maximum °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) |
| Mean daily minimum °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) |
| Average precipitation mm (inches) | 33.9 (1.33) |
42.9 (1.69) |
88.4 (3.48) |
120.5 (4.74) |
146.6 (5.77) |
174.7 (6.88) |
205.8 (8.10) |
209.8 (8.26) |
220.4 (8.68) |
146.5 (5.77) |
68.1 (2.68) |
35.5 (1.40) |
1,493.1 (58.78) |
| Average 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 (0) |
3 (1.2) |
28 (11) |
| Average 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 |
| Average 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 |
| Average relative humidity (%) | 62 | 60 | 61 | 64 | 70 | 77 | 80 | 78 | 79 | 74 | 71 | 66 | 70 |
| Mean monthly 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 1: Japan Meteorological Agency[1] | |||||||||||||
| Source 2: Japan Meteorological Agency (records)[2] | |||||||||||||
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.
Education
Sports
Utsunomiya is represented in the J. League of football with its local club Tochigi S.C..
Utsunomiya is the host city of the Japan Cup, a UCI sanctioned cycling race, held on October 20 and 21, 2012.[citation needed]
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]
Sister cities
Manukau City, New Zealand[4]
Orléans, France
Tulsa, Oklahoma, United States of America
Qiqihar, Heilongjiang, China
References
- ^ "平年値（年・月ごとの値）". Japan Meteorological Agency. Retrieved 2011-11-26.
- ^ "観測史上1～10位の値（年間を通じての値）". Japan Meteorological Agency. Retrieved 2011-11-26.
- ^ http://www.cnngo.com/tokyo/eat/utsunomiya-gyoza-town-200431
- ^ Manukau City Council - Sister City. Retrieved on 11 October 2008
External links
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