Yamagata (city)
Yamagata (山形市, Yamagata-shi) is the capital city of Yamagata Prefecture in Japan.
As of July 1, 2011, the city has an estimated population of 253,951 with 97,457 households and a population density of 665.94 persons per km². The total area is 381.34 km². The city was founded on April 1, 1889.
Culture
The Hanagasa festival (花笠祭り, Hanagasa Matsuri), one of Tōhoku's major summer festivals, is held in the city every August 5, 6 and 7. Yamagata also hosts the bi-annual Yamagata International Documentary Film Festival. An autumn tradition is Imoni-kai (taro potato party). Taro potatoes, thin-sliced meat, and vegetables are cooked in a large pot at picnic spots. The banks of the Mamigasaki River are popular. Once a year, on the first Sunday in September, the city government serves thousands of bowls from its giant iron imoni pot, which is serviced by a building crane. In 2009, 30,000 servings were prepared and served, and still a crowd waited in line.[1]
The temple of Yama-dera (Ryushakuji) lies within the city limits, 15 minutes by train from the center.
In the center of town northwest of the train station is the extensive Kajo park, the grounds of castle keep of feudal warlord Mogami Yoshiaki. While most of the park is athletic fields and public function buildings, the rebuilt walls, eastern main gate, and surrounding moat of the former castle are impressive. The Mogami Yoshiaki Historical Museum nearby features items from Yoshiaki's time like his battle helmet and other swords and armor, and information on these exhibits and the history of the castle town is also available in English. It also contains a small public museum with displays of natural and social history.
Transportation
Yamagata City is served by the Yamagata Shinkansen (bullet train) from Tokyo, which detaches from the Tōhoku Shinkansen at Fukushima Station. The train takes just under three hours from Tokyo, and the one-way cost is about 10,000 yen.
Train stations
Major roads
- Tōhoku Chūō Expressway: Yamagata-chūō, Yamagata-Kaminoyama interchanges
- Yamagata Expressway: Yamagata-Zaō, Yamagata-kita, Sekizawa interchanges
- Route 13, Route 48, Route 112, Route 286, Route 348, Route 458
Climate
Yamagata City is located in a wide central valley that can heat up quickly in spring and summer and is often grey and humid, while to the east in Miyagi Prefecture on the Pacific coast it is usually clearer and more temperate. The opposite is the case in winter with the valley seeing frequent snow and the Pacific coast remaining clear and fine.
| Climate data for Yamagata City | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 18.1 (64.6) |
17.3 (63.1) |
23.7 (74.7) |
33.3 (91.9) |
33.4 (92.1) |
35.6 (96.1) |
40.8 (105.4) |
38.9 (102.0) |
36.1 (97.0) |
32.3 (90.1) |
26.9 (80.4) |
20.1 (68.2) |
40.8 (105.4) |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 3 (37) |
4 (39) |
8 (46) |
16 (61) |
22 (72) |
25 (77) |
28 (82) |
30 (86) |
25 (77) |
19 (66) |
12 (54) |
6 (43) |
16 (61) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | −4 (25) |
−4 (25) |
−1 (30) |
4 (39) |
10 (50) |
15 (59) |
19 (66) |
20 (68) |
16 (61) |
9 (48) |
3 (37) |
−1 (30) |
7 (45) |
| Record low °C (°F) | −20.0 (−4.0) |
−19.0 (−2.2) |
−15.5 (4.1) |
−7.3 (18.9) |
−1.8 (28.8) |
3.0 (37.4) |
6.7 (44.1) |
8.4 (47.1) |
3.0 (37.4) |
−2.4 (27.7) |
−7.2 (19.0) |
−15.0 (5.0) |
−20.0 (−4.0) |
| Average precipitation mm (inches) | 75 (3.0) |
70 (2.8) |
67 (2.6) |
68 (2.7) |
81 (3.2) |
103 (4.1) |
144 (5.7) |
149 (5.9) |
134 (5.3) |
76 (3.0) |
81 (3.2) |
77 (3.0) |
1,125 (44.3) |
| Average snowfall cm (inches) | 163 (64) |
147 (58) |
71 (28) |
3 (1.2) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
12 (4.7) |
92 (36) |
491 (193) |
| Average snowy days | 26.6 | 22.2 | 16.5 | 2.5 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0 | 4.2 | 18.5 | 90.5 |
| Average relative humidity (%) | 81 | 77 | 69 | 62 | 65 | 72 | 77 | 75 | 77 | 77 | 78 | 80 | 74 |
| Mean monthly sunshine hours | 84.8 | 98.9 | 140.3 | 176.1 | 191.5 | 158.8 | 143.7 | 178.4 | 128.7 | 132.1 | 99.2 | 80.7 | 1,613.2 |
| Source: Japan Meteorology Office http://www.jma.go.jp/jma/index.html | |||||||||||||
- Yamagata registered the highest temperature ever recorded in Japan (40.8˚ C on July 25, 1933) until the record was broken by two cities (40.9˚ in Kumagaya, Saitama and Tajimi, Gifu) on August 16, 2007[2]
Education
The city is also the home of the Kojirakawa Campus and Iida Campus of Yamagata University. The Kojirakawa Campus houses the Faculty of Literature & Social Science, the Faculty of Science and the Faculty of Education, Art & Science. The Iida Campus includes the Faculty of Medicine, which also includes the School of Nursing and the University Hospital.
Gallery
-
Kajō Central -
Yamagata City Hall -
Yamagata Old Prefecture Office "Bunshokan" -
Yamagata Prefectural Government -
Central Street -
Nonokamachi Street -
Kajō Park -
Yamagata Museum -
-
Omosiroyama Highland
Notable people from Yamagata
- Yoshiharu Abe, musician
- Joji Kato, speed skater
- Yuko Oga, basketball player
- Shozo Sasahara, sport wrestler
- Chihiro Suzuki, voice actor
- Miyuki Takahashi, volleyball player
- Eriko Watanabe, actress
Twin towns and sister cities
Kitzbühel, Austria (since 1963)
Swan Hill, Victoria, Australia (since 1980)
Ulan-Ude, Russia (since 1991)
Boulder, Colorado, United States (since 1994)
