Tsushima, Aichi

Tsushima (津島市, Tsushima-shi^?) is a city located in Aichi Prefecture in the Chūbu region of Japan. As of April 1, 2011, the city has an estimated population of 66,448, with a household number of 25,398, and the density of 2,649.44 persons per km². The total area is 25.08 km².

The city was founded on March 1, 1947. In late July, Tsushima hosts Tenno Matsuri (天王祭り), a festival with a history of over two hundred years. The highlight of this two day event is the evening festival in which a dozen boats, each decorated with nearly 400 paper lanterns, float down the Tenno River.

Tsushima has 4 public Junior High Schools and 8 public Elementary schools. Each of these schools is attended by one of 4 English teachers living in the city who are employed under the JET Programme. Current JETs include 2 British and 2 Australians.

The city is served by the Meitetsu (Nagoya Railroad) train company, with journey times to nearby Nagoya taking around 30–40 minutes.

Average winter temperatures range from around 0-10 degrees with occasional snowfall. Summer is hot and humid with occasional typhoons. Summer temperatures are regularly around 30 degrees. East Asian rainy season occurs in June.

Tsushima was hit by Typhoon Vera (1959) (known locally as the Ise-Wan Typhoon) in 1959 which caused widespread damage and flooding.

Tsushima and the wider Tokai area is overdue a large earthquake (approximately magnitude 8). The forecast earthquake is known as the Tokai Earthquake and is likely to cause substantial damage to the area. Like many other cities in the region, every year on the 1st September schools and public facilities practice earthquake evacuation drills.

Notable people from Tsushima

• Yone Noguchi (1875–1947), a writer of poetry
• Mitsuharu Kaneko (1895–1975), a poet
• Kiyoshi Takayama (b. 1947), a yakuza tycoon

External links

Media related to [//commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Tsushima,_Aichi Tsushima, Aichi] at Wikimedia Commons

• Tsushima official website (Japanese)