Higashine, Yamagata

Higashine 東根市
City
Higashine City Hall
Flag Seal
Location of Higashine in Yamagata Prefecture
Higashine
Coordinates: 38°26′N 140°24′E / 38.433°N 140.400°E / 38.433; 140.400Coordinates: 38°26′N 140°24′E / 38.433°N 140.400°E / 38.433; 140.400
Country	Japan
Region	Tōhoku
Prefecture	Yamagata
Area
• Total	207.17 km2 (79.99 sq mi)
Population (October 2013)
• Total	47,159
• Density	228/km2 (590/sq mi)
Time zone	Japan Standard Time (UTC+9)
- Tree	Japanese Zelkova
- Flower	Cherry
Phone number	0237-42-1111
Address	1-1-1 Chūō, Higashine-shi, Yamagata-ken 999-3795
Website	Official website

Higashine (東根市, Higashine-shi) is a city located in Yamagata Prefecture, Japan.

As of October 2013, the city had an estimated population of 47,159 and a population density of 228 persons per km². The total area was 207.17 square kilometres (80 sq mi).

Geography

Higashine is located in the Yamagata Basin of central Yamagata, surrounded by mountains to the north, east and south. The city's western border is the Mogami River.

Neighboring municipalities

• Yamagata Prefecture
  • Murayama, Yamagata
  • Tendō, Yamagata
  • Kahoku, Yamagata
  • Obanazawa, Yamagata
  • Yamagata, Yamagata
• Miyagi Prefecture
  • Sendai, Miyagi

Climate

Higashine has a Humid continental climate (Köppen climate classification Dfa) with large seasonal temperature differences, with warm to hot (and often humid) summers and cold (sometimes severely cold) winters. Precipitation is significant throughout the year, but is heaviest from August to October.

History

The area of present-day Higashine was part of ancient Dewa Province and is mentioned in the Engishiki records of the early Heian period. After the start of the Meiji period, the area became part of Kitamurayama District, Yamagata Prefecture. The modern village of Higashine was established on April 1, 1889 and was raised to town status on June 15, 1896. It attained city status on November 3, 1958.

Economy

Higashine is known as "The Fruit Kingdom" and is especially well known for its cherries as well as for apples, pears and persimmons. The city mascot is a pear with cherry earrings and a staff with an apple. Higashine is the largest producer of cherries in Yamagata Prefecture, which is the third largest producer of cherries in Japan.^{[citation needed]}

The city of Higashine has a large industrial park. Some of the businesses include 3M, Casio, THK, ODELIC, and Kyocera. Many of these businesses are involved in manufacturing and research and development.

Transportation

Airports

• Yamagata Airport

Railway

• JR East - Yamagata Shinkansen
  • Sakuranbo Higashine
• JR East - Ōu Main Line
  • Jinmachi - Sakuranbo Higashine - Higashine

Highway

• Tōhoku Chūō Expressway: Higashine interchange
• National Route 13
• National Route 48
• National Route 287

Military

The 6th Division (第6師団) is one of nine active divisions of the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force is headquartered in at JGSDF Camp Jinmachi in Higashine. Its responsibility is the defense of Fukushima Miyagi and Yamagata prefectures.

Noted people from Higashine

• Kazushige Abe – Akutagawa Prize winning novelist
• Masatoshi Abe - politician
• Tomoaki Honma - professional wrestler

External links

Media related to Higashine, Yamagata at Wikimedia Commons

• Official website (Japanese)
• Higashine Community
• Yamagata Tourism (English)
• MarksMaps.info has lots of local information about places in the city.

v t e Yamagata Prefecture Cities Higashine Kaminoyama Murayama Nagai Nan'yō Obanazawa Sagae Sakata Shinjō Tendō Tsuruoka Yamagata (capital) Yonezawa Akumi Yuza Higashimurayama Nakayama Yamanobe Higashiokitama Kawanishi Takahata Higashitagawa Mikawa Shōnai Kitamurayama Ōishida Mogami Funagata Kaneyama Mamurogawa Mogami Ōkura Sakegawa Tozawa Nishimurayama Asahi Kahoku Nishikawa Ōe Nishiokitama Iide Oguni Shirataka