Hida, Gifu

Hida 飛騨市
City
View of Hida old town
Flag Seal
Location of Hida in Gifu Prefecture
Hida
Coordinates: 36°14′17.3″N 137°11′10.4″E
Country	Japan
Region	Chūbu
Prefecture	Gifu
Area
• Total	792.53 km2 (306.00 sq mi)
Population  (November 1, 2017)
• Total	24,726
• Density	31/km2 (81/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+9 (Japan Standard Time)
City symbols
- Tree	Beech
- Flower	Lysichiton camtschatcense
Phone number	0577-73-2111
Address	2-22 Hon-machi, Furukawa-chō, Hida-shi, Gifu-ken 509-4292
Website	Official website

Hida City Hall

Kamioka district in Hida

Furukawa Festival, held annually in April

Hida (飛騨市, Hida-shi) is a city located in Gifu, Japan. As of 1 December 2017, the city had an estimated population of 24,726, and a population density of 31 persons per km², in 8,905 households. The total area of the city was 792.53 square kilometres (306.00 sq mi). The official kanji for the city is actually 飛驒, which uses the old rendering of the 騨 character. However, the 驒 characters is not included on the official list of usable characters (as decided by the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications), so the 騨 character is often used outside of the city.

Geography

Hida is the northernmost city in Gifu Prefecture, and is located in the northern part of the Hida Highlands bordering on Toyama Prefecture to the north. The majority of the area of the city is forested, with many mountains exceeding 1,000 meters within the city borders. The northeastern edge of the Hida Mountain range exceeds 2,000 meters. Most of the population is concentrated along river terraces along the Jinzū River and the Takahara River.

Climate

The city has a climate characterized by hot and humid summers, and mild winters (Köppen climate classification Cfa). The average annual temperature in Hida is 11.5 °C. The average annual rainfall is 1949 mm with September as the wettest month. The temperatures are highest on average in August, at around 24.6 °C, and lowest in January, at around -1.1 °C.

Neighbouring municipalities

• Gifu Prefecture
  • Takayama
  • Shirakawa
• Toyama Prefecture
  • Toyama
  • Nanto

Demographics

Per Japanese census data, the population of Hida has decreased steadily over the past 40 years.

Census Year	Population
1970	40,965
1980	36,100
1990	32,690
2000	30,421
2010	26,732

History

The area around Hida was part of traditional Hida Province. During the Edo period, the area was tenryō territory under the direct control of the Tokugawa shogunate. During the post-Meiji restoration cadastral reforms, the area was organised into Yoshiki District, Gifu. On July 1, 1889 with the establishment of the modern municipalities system, town of Furukawa and the villages of Kawai and Miyagawa were created. The modern city of Hida was established on February 1, 2004, from the merger of these municipalities with the town of Kamioka.

Government

Hida has a mayor-council form of government with a directly elected mayor and a unicameral city legislature of 14 members

Economy

The main two traditional economies in the city are the production of sake and traditional Japanese candles. The Furukawa area of the city is known for both of these crafts, while the Kamioka section is mainly known for its sake production.

Education

Hida has five public elementary schools, two public middle schools and one combined elementary/middle school operated by the city government. The city has two public high schools operated by the Gifu Prefectural Board of Education. Tokyo University's Super-Kamiokande neutrino observatory together with the data processing centre (Kamioka Observatory) has been located in Kamioka since 2002.

Transportation

Railway

JR Tōkai - Takayama Main Line

• Hida-Furukawa - Sugisaki - Hida-Hosoe - Tsunogawa - Sakakami - Utsubo - Sugihara

Highway

•  E41  Tōkai-Hokuriku Expressway, which connects the cities of Nagoya and Gifu with Toyama.
• National Route 41
• National Route 360
• National Route 471
• National Route 472

Sister city relations

• - Leutasch, Austria, friendship city since January 23, 1998
• - Libin, Belgium, sister city since September 9, 1996
• - Xingang, Chiayi, Taiwan, sister city since October 13, 2017

Local attractions

Festivals in Hida

Furukawa Festival, a famous festival in Gifu Prefecture, is held every April.

External links

• Media related to Hida, Gifu at Wikimedia Commons
• Hida City official website (Japanese, English, Korean and Chinese)