Aizuwakamatsu, Fukushima

Aizuwakamatsu
会津若松市
—  City  —
Aizuwakamatsu Skyline

Flag
Location of Aizuwakamatsu in Fukushima prefecture
Aizuwakamatsu
 
Coordinates:
Country Japan
Region Tōhoku
Prefecture Fukushima prefecture
Government
 • Mayor Ichirō Kanke
Area
 • Total 383.03 km2 (147.9 sq mi)
Population (May 1, 2011[1])
 • Total 125,341
 • Density 327.2/km2 (847.5/sq mi)
Time zone Japan Standard Time (UTC+9)
City symbols
- Tree Japanese Red Pine
- Flower Common Hollyhock
- Bird Common cuckoo
Phone number 0242-39-1111
Address 3-46 Higashisakaemachi,
Aizuwakamatsu-shi, Fukushima-ken
965-8601
Website Aizuwakamatsu City

Aizuwakamatsu (会津若松市 Aizuwakamatsu-shi?) is a city located in the Aizu region of Fukushima Prefecture, Japan.

As of May 2011, the city has an estimated population of 125,341.[1] The total area is 383.03 km²[2].

Contents

History

During the Boshin War the city was besieged by the imperial forces. Aizu was a loyal supporter of the Tokugawa Shogun who had recently abdicated power to the Emperor. Although Aizu agreed to surrender to the imperial forces, they were treated more harshly than other domains loyal to the Tokugawa. It is believed this was due to the high level of loyalty Aizu had for the Shogun as well as due to Aizu having been assigned by the Shogun as the Protector of Kyoto prior to the Meiji Restoration. As Protector of Kyoto, Aizu had many enemies due to the harshness of their actions.

The city was (re)founded on April 1, 1899.

Geography

Aizuwakamatsu is located in the western part of Fukushima Prefecture, in the Southeast part of Aizu basin. The main transport hub is Aizu Wakamatsu Station.

Mountains

Rivers

Lakes

Hot springs

Climate

Although it is located in an inland valley, Aizuwakamatsu’s climate basically resembles that of the Hokuriku region on the Sea of Japan coast. Snowfall is very heavy during the winter at 4.78 metres (190 in), and snow cover reaches an average maximum of 0.39 metres (15.35 in) and has reached as much as 1.15 metres (45.3 in) for short periods, a figure one would usually associate with much colder regions like the Labrador Peninsula.

Climate data for Aizuwakamatsu (1981~2010)
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °C (°F) 13.1
(55.6)
15.9
(60.6)
22.8
(73.0)
30.5
(86.9)
33.3
(91.9)
34.3
(93.7)
36.7
(98.1)
38.1
(100.6)
35.4
(95.7)
30.9
(87.6)
24.5
(76.1)
20.9
(69.6)
38.1
(100.6)
Average high °C (°F) 2.6
(36.7)
3.6
(38.5)
8.2
(46.8)
16.4
(61.5)
22.1
(71.8)
25.4
(77.7)
28.6
(83.5)
30.6
(87.1)
25.6
(78.1)
19.0
(66.2)
11.8
(53.2)
5.7
(42.3)
16.7
(62.1)
Average low °C (°F) −3.7
(25.3)
−3.6
(25.5)
−1
(30)
4.2
(39.6)
10.0
(50.0)
15.5
(59.9)
19.5
(67.1)
20.6
(69.1)
16.3
(61.3)
9.2
(48.6)
3.1
(37.6)
−0.9
(30.4)
7.4
(45.3)
Record low °C (°F) −14.4
(6.1)
−15.2
(4.6)
−11.9
(10.6)
−4.6
(23.7)
−1.2
(29.8)
6.9
(44.4)
9.1
(48.4)
10.3
(50.5)
4.8
(40.6)
−1.5
(29.3)
−5.9
(21.4)
−14.4
(6.1)
−15.2
(4.6)
Precipitation mm (inches) 95.3
(3.752)
71.4
(2.811)
71.7
(2.823)
64.3
(2.531)
80.0
(3.15)
110.8
(4.362)
175.8
(6.921)
134.3
(5.287)
136.9
(5.39)
100.1
(3.941)
78.9
(3.106)
93.8
(3.693)
1,213.3
(47.768)
Snowfall cm (inches) 171
(67.3)
142
(55.9)
66
(26)
5
(2)
0
(0)
0
(0)
0
(0)
0
(0)
0
(0)
0
(0)
6
(2.4)
83
(32.7)
473
(186.2)
humidity 82 79 74 67 68 73 78 76 79 80 82 83 76.8
Avg. precipitation days (≥ 0.5 mm) 18.7 16.2 16.8 12.0 11.4 12.4 14.8 11.0 12.9 12.9 15.1 17.5 171.7
Avg. snowy days 27.0 24.3 12.3 0.8 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 1.0 12.4 77.8
Sunshine hours 78.5 98.8 138.2 172.7 193.6 161.9 159.8 198.7 132.1 121.1 86.8 70.7 1,612.9
Source no. 1: Japan Meteorological Agency[3]
Source no. 2: Japan Meteorological Agency (records)[4]

Districts

There are 11 districts in the city.[5]

Transportation

Railway

Central station: Aizu-Wakamatsu Station

JR East Lines

Higashi-Nagahara - Hirota - Aizu-Wakamatsu - Dōjima
Aizu-Wakamatsu - Nanukamachi - Nishi-Wakamatsu - Aizu-Hongō

Aizu Railway Line

Nishi-Wakamatsu - Minami-Wakamatsu - Monden - Amaya - Ashinomaki-Onsen - Ōkawa-Dam-Kōen - Ashinomaki-Onsen-Minami

Roads

Highway buses

Media

Television

Newspapers

Radio

Education

Universities and colleges

Senior high schools

Public (prefectural)

Private

Junior high schools

Public (municipal, except for Aizu Gakuhō Junior High School)

Private

Culture

Festivals

Foods

Others

Sightseeing

Twinning

Japanese sister cities

International sister cities

Famous people born in Aizuwakamatsu

Mergers

Neighboring municipalities

References

External links