Asahikawa Explained

Asahikawa
Native Name Lang:ja
Settlement Type:Core city
Seal Type:Emblem
Image Map1:Indicator map for Kamikawa and Sorachi Subprefecture in Hokkaido Japan.svg
Map Caption1:Location of Kamikawa Subprefecture in Hokkaido
Pushpin Map:Japan
Pushpin Map Caption:Location in Japan
Coordinates:43.7667°N 164°W
Subdivision Type:Country
Subdivision Name:Japan
Subdivision Type1:Region
Subdivision Name1:Hokkaido
Subdivision Type2:Prefecture
Subdivision Name2:Hokkaido
Subdivision Type3:District
Established Title:First official recorded
Established Date:1877
Established Title2:City Settled
Established Date2:August 1, 1922
Extinct Title:Now part of
Leader Title:Mayor
Leader Name:Hirosuke Imazu
Leader Title1:Vice Mayor
Unit Pref:Metric
Area Total Km2:747.66
Population Total:321906
Population As Of:July 31, 2023
Population Density Km2:auto
Timezone1:JST
Utc Offset1:+09:00
Blank Name Sec1:City hall address
Blank Info Sec1:9-46 Rokujō-dōri, Asahikawa-shi, Hokkaido
070-8525
Module:
Embedded:yes
Mascot:Asappy (あさっぴー) and Yukkirin (ゆっきりん)

is a city in Kamikawa Subprefecture, Hokkaido, Japan. It is the capital of the subprefecture, and the second-largest city in Hokkaido, after Sapporo.[1] [2] It has been a core city since April 1, 2000. The city is currently well known for the Asahiyama Zoo, the Asahikawa ramen and a Ski resort city. On July 31, 2011, the city had an estimated population of 321,906, with 173,961 households, and a population density of 431 persons per km² (1,100 persons per mi²). The total area is 747.66km2.[2]

Asahikawa joined UNESCO's Network of Creative Cities as a Design City on October 31, 2019 on the occasion of World Cities’ Day.[3]

Overview

On August 1, 1922, Asahikawa was founded as Asahikawa City. As the central city in northern Hokkaido, Asahikawa has been influential in industry and commerce. There are about 130 rivers and streams including the Ishikari River and Chūbetsu River, and over 740 bridges in the city.[4] Asahibashi, a bridge over Ishikari River, has been one of the symbols of Asahikawa since its completion in 1932, and it was also registered as one of the Hokkaido Heritage sites on October 22, 2001.[5]

Every winter, the Asahikawa Winter Festival is held on the bank of the Ishikari River, making use of Asahikawa's cold climate and snow. On January 25, 1902, a weather station recorded -41°C, the lowest temperature in Japanese history.[6] Due to its climate and location surrounded by mountains, there are some ski resorts in the outskirts of the city.

Name

The Ainu called the Asahi River Chiu Pet meaning "River of Waves", but it was misunderstood as Chup Pet, meaning "Sun River", and so it came to be called Asahi River in Japanese (Asahi meaning "morning sun").

History

Asahikawa was populated by the mainland Japanese in the Meiji period (1868  - July 1912) as a tondenhei, or state-sponsored farmer-militia settlement.[1]

Kamikawa District set up under Ishikari Province with the villages of Asahikawa, Nagayama and Kamui in 1890.

Asahikawa was elevated to city status in 1922.[2]

Asahikawa thrived as a military city before World War II, when the IJA 7th Division was posted there. During the closing stages of the war, Asahikawa was bombed by American naval aircraft in July 1945.[7] Today, the 2nd Division of the Northern Army of the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force is headquartered in Asahikawa.

Geography

Climate

The climate is hemiboreal humid continental (Dfb, according to Köppen classification).[8] Asahikawa winters are long and cold, with below-freezing average monthly temperatures from November through March. The city also sees an extraordinary amount of snowfall, averaging just under 7.6m (24.9feet) of snow per year. Summers are generally warm and humid in Asahikawa, with average high temperatures in the warmest months hovering around 26°C. Spring and autumn are generally short and transitional in the city.

It is one of the coldest Japanese cities as well as one of the most "continental". Japan's lowest temperature ever was recorded in Asahikawa, colder than other cities registered in Hokkaido,[9] [10] [11] but warmer in absolute numbers than Mount Fuji.[12] On January 12, 1909 the temperature did not rise above -22.5°C, being one of the coldest in history. Some sources consider it the coldest city in Japan.[13] [14] [15]

Demographics

Per Japanese census data,[16] the population of Asahikawa peaked around the year 2000 and has declined slightly in the decades since.

Economy

Asahikawa developed as an industrial center in Hokkaido after World War II. The city is noted for its lumber and brewing industries, as well as the production of furniture and paper pulp.[1]

Education

Universities

National

Private

Colleges

High schools

Public

Private

Transportation

Airport

Asahikawa is served by Asahikawa Airport which stretches over the outskirts of Asahikawa City and Higashikagura, Hokkaido. The airport was first proposed by the Asahikawa City Council in 1955, opened in 1961, and daily flights to Tokyo started in 1970. The present terminal of Asahikawa Airport opened in 2000. It is a second class airport, and also a single-runway regional airport. It serves domestic destinations including Tokyo, but some airlines offer destinations in South Korea.[18] EVA Air added Asahikawa as a destination from Taipei on May 2, 2013.

Rail

Asahikawa is one of the major rail hubs of Hokkaido. The Hakodate Main Line connects Asahikawa to Hakodate in the south of Hokkaido, and the Sōya Main Line connects Asahikawa with Wakkanai at the north of Hokkaido. The Sekihoku Main Line connects the city with Abashiri on the Sea of Okhotsk. The Furano Line connects Abashiri with nearby Biei and Furano.[2]

JR Hokkaido

Bus

Municipal buses also serve the city.

Specialties

Sightseeing

Mascots

Asahikawa's mascots are and .

Sister and friendship cities

Sister cities

Friendship cities

Notable people

External links

Notes and References

  1. Encyclopedia: Encyclopedia of Japan . Asahikawa . 2013-11-19 . 2013 . Shogakukan . Tokyo . 56431036 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20070825113418/http://rekishi.jkn21.com/ . 2007-08-25 .
  2. Encyclopedia: Nihon Rekishi Chimei Taikei . ja:旭川市 . http://rekishi.jkn21.com/ . 2013-11-19 . 2013 . Shogakukan . Tokyo . ja . Asahikawa . 173191044 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20070825113418/http://rekishi.jkn21.com/ . 2007-08-25 .
  3. Web site: UNESCO celebrates World Cities Day designating 66 new Creative Cities. 2019-10-30. UNESCO. en. 2019-11-05.
  4. Web site: http://www.city.asahikawa.hokkaido.jp/files/keikan/keikan/hakkei/hakkei.htm. ja:旭川八景. Asahikawa 8 Scenes. ja. City of Asahikawa. 2008-05-05 . https://web.archive.org/web/20080505002057/http://www.city.asahikawa.hokkaido.jp/files/keikan/keikan/hakkei/hakkei.htm. dead .
  5. Web site: 旭橋 | 各地の北海道遺産 | 次の世代に残したい北海道の宝物 北海道遺産. www.hokkaidoisan.org.
  6. http://210.148.92.65/files/sogokeikaku/keikakukossi/sankou.html Asahikawa City 7th General Scheme Gist
  7. Web site: . 朝日新聞デジタル：空襲の記憶 風化させぬ - 北海道 - 地域 . 2022-04-13 . www.asahi.com . ja . 14 April 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220414064109/http://www.asahi.com/area/hokkaido/articles/MTW20151209011470014.html . live .
  8. Web site: Asahikawa, Japan Köppen Climate Classification (Weatherbase). Weatherbase. 2019-03-08.
  9. Web site: Asahikawa Fact File - Location, Weather, Population and other information. www.asahikawa-tourism.com. 2019-03-10.
  10. Web site: Enjoying an Extremely Cold City – Asahikawa, Hokkaido Welcome to Amazing Japan! NHK WORLD RADIO JAPAN. NHK WORLD. en. 2019-03-10.
  11. Web site: Top 10 Coldest Temperature Records in Japan. nbakki. How much is it in Tokyo?. en. 2019-03-10.
  12. Web site: Seasons come and go - but when? - Wild Watch Japan Nature Guides. www.japannatureguides.com. 2019-03-10.
  13. Web site: Hokkaido's cities. www.hisgo.com. 2019-03-10.
  14. Web site: 日本で一番寒い場所はどこ？ - 日本の最低気温ランキング. www.tabi2ikitai.com. 2019-03-10.
  15. Web site: 日本一寒い町！陸別町ってどんなところ！？. NAVER まとめ. 2019-03-10. 2020-08-15. https://web.archive.org/web/20200815144802/https://matome.naver.jp/odai/2148312011951835901. dead.
  16. Web site: 7th Generation, Number of Households and Population (Basic Resident Account). 19 July 2024. ja-jp.
  17. "DIRECTIONS TO HOKKAIDO TOKAI UNIVERSITY (HTU)" . Hokkaido Tokai University. November 20, 2005. Retrieved on April 10, 2015. "5-1-1-1 Minami-sawa, Minami-ku, Sapporo 005-8601, Japan" and "224 Chuwa, Kamui-Cho, Asahikawa 070-8601, Hokkaido, Japan"
  18. Encyclopedia: Nihon Rekishi Chimei Taikei . ja:旭川空港 . http://rekishi.jkn21.com/ . 2013-11-19 . 2013 . Shogakukan . Tokyo . ja . Asahikawa Airport . 173191044 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20070825113418/http://rekishi.jkn21.com/ . 2007-08-25 .
  19. Web site: あさっぴーのプロフィール. Asahikawa.
  20. Web site: ゆっきりんのプロフィール. Asahikawa.
  21. Web site: Interactive City Directory. Sister Cities International. 11 March 2014. https://web.archive.org/web/20140714125734/http://www.sister-cities.org/interactive-map/Bloomington,%20Illinois. 14 July 2014. dead.
  22. Book: Dubreuil . Chisato O. . 2004 . From the Playground of the Gods: The Life and Art of Bikky Sunazawa . Arctic Studies Center, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution . 9780967342986 . 22 April 2019 . en.

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Asahikawa".

Except where otherwise indicated, Everything.Explained.Today is © Copyright 2009-2024, A B Cryer, All Rights Reserved. Cookie policy.