Utsunomiya, Tochigi

Utsunomiya
宇都宮
—  Core city  —
宇都宮市 · Utsunomiya
Utsunomiya Castle, Statue of gyoza
Futaarayama-jinja Shrine, Oya Stone Museum
Utsunomiya Tower, City view from the tower

Flag
Location of Utsunomiya in Tochigi Prefecture
Utsunomiya
 
Coordinates:
Country Japan
Region Kantō
Prefecture Tochigi Prefecture
Government
 • Mayor Eiichi Sato
Area
 • Total 416.84 km2 (160.9 sq mi)
Population (October 1, 2010)
 • Total 510,416
 • Density 1,224.49/km2 (3,171.4/sq mi)
Time zone Japan Standard Time (UTC+9)
City symbols
- Tree Ginkgo biloba
- Flower Satsuki azalea
Website City of Utsunomiya

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.

Contents

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

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)
Average high °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)
Average low °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)
Precipitation mm (inches) 33.9
(1.335)
42.9
(1.689)
88.4
(3.48)
120.5
(4.744)
146.6
(5.772)
174.7
(6.878)
205.8
(8.102)
209.8
(8.26)
220.4
(8.677)
146.5
(5.768)
68.1
(2.681)
35.5
(1.398)
1,493.1
(58.783)
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)
3
(1.2)
28
(11)
humidity 62 60 61 64 70 77 80 78 79 74 71 66 70.2
Avg. 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
Avg. 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
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 no. 1: Japan Meteorological Agency[1]
Source no. 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.

Sports

Utsunomiya is represented in the J. League of football with its local club Tochigi S.C.

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

References

External links

Media related to [//commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Utsunomiya,_Tochigi Utsunomiya, Tochigi] at Wikimedia Commons