Tsuruoka, Yamagata

Tsuruoka
鶴岡市
City

Tsuruoka City Hall

Flag
Seal

Location of Tsuruoka in Yamagata Prefecture
Tsuruoka

 

Coordinates: 38°43′38″N 139°49′36″E / 38.72722°N 139.82667°E / 38.72722; 139.82667Coordinates: 38°43′38″N 139°49′36″E / 38.72722°N 139.82667°E / 38.72722; 139.82667
Country Japan
Region Tōhoku
Prefecture Yamagata Prefecture
Area
 • Total 1,311.53 km2 (506.38 sq mi)
Population (October 2015)
 • Total 129,639
 • Density 98.8/km2 (256/sq mi)
Time zone Japan Standard Time (UTC+9)
- Tree Japanese beech
- Flower Sakura
Phone number 0235-25-2111
Address 9-25, Babachō, Tsuruoka-shi, Yamagata-ken 997-8601
Website Official website

Tsuruoka (鶴岡市, Tsuruoka-shi) is a city in Yamagata Prefecture, in the Tohoku region of northern Japan.

As of October 2015, the city had an estimated population of 129,639 and a population density of 98.8 persons per km². The total area was 1,311.53 square kilometres (506.38 square miles).

Geography

Tsuruoka is located on the coast of Yamagata Prefecture bordering the Sea of Japan and has some locally popular beaches such as Yunohama and Sanze. All three of the Three Mountains of Dewa are at least partially within the city limits.

Neighboring municipalities

Climate

Tsuruoka has a humid continental climate (Köppen climate classification Dfa) with very warm summers and cool winters. Precipitation is plentiful throughout the year, although the months from February to June have somewhat less rainfall.

History

The area of present-day Tsuruoka was part of ancient Dewa Province, and was under the control of the Shonai Domain under the Tokugawa shogunate in the Edo period. It was a minor port for the kitamaebune coastal trade.

After the start of the Meiji period, the area organized as Tsuruoka Town under Nishitagawa District, Yamagata Prefecture in 1878. It was elevated to city status on October 1, 1924 becoming Japan's 100th city. In 1955, the city expanded by annexing the town of Kamo and nine neighboring villages. The town of Oyama was annexed by Tsuruoka in 1963.

On October 1, 2005, the towns of Fujishima, Haguro and Kushibiki, and the village of Asahi (all fromHigashitagawa District), and the town of Atsumi (from Nishitagawa District) were merged into Tsuruoka.

Economy

Tsuruoka has a mixed economy based on light manufacturing, commercial services, agriculture and commercial fishing.

Transportation

Airports

Railway

Highway

Education

Colleges and Universities

High Schools

Junior High Schools

Elementary Schools

Health care

Media

TV

Newspapers

International relations

Twin towns – Sister cities

Tsuruoka is twinned with:

Local attractions

Local events

Culture

Food

Tsuruoka is known for "dadacha-mame" (だだちゃ豆), a brand of soybean, which have been called "the king of edamame"; they are also used for other products such as nattō and in manjū. There are two theories as to the origin of the name: one is that it derives from dadacha, the Shonai dialectical word for "father" – gagacha is the dialectical word for "mother", while the other is that the beans came from Date, Fukushima, and were originally called Date-no-chamame, which became Date-chamame and then Dadacha-mame.[5]

Notable people from Tsuruoka

References

  1. ↑ 姉妹・友好・兄弟都市 [Twin cities]. Kagoshima International Affairs Division (in Japanese). Archived from the original on 2013-06-02. Retrieved 2013-08-08.
  2. ↑ "US-Japan Sister Cities by State". Asia Matters for America. Honolulu, HI: East-West Center. Retrieved 20 November 2015.
  3. 1 2 "International Exchange". List of Affiliation Partners within Prefectures. Council of Local Authorities for International Relations (CLAIR). Retrieved 21 November 2015.
  4. ↑ Metropolis, "Fortean Japan", 27 June 2008, p. 12.
  5. ↑ Yamagata foods: Dadacha-mame
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