Nan'yō, Yamagata Explained

Nan'yo
Native Name Lang:ja
Settlement Type:City
Pushpin Map:Japan
Pushpin Map Caption: 
Coordinates:38.0551°N 140.1476°W
Subdivision Type:Country
Subdivision Name:Japan
Subdivision Type1:Region
Subdivision Name1:Tōhoku
Subdivision Type2:Prefecture
Subdivision Name2:Yamagata
Leader Title:Mayor
Area Total Km2:160.52
Population Total:31112
Population As Of:March 2020
Population Density Km2:auto
Timezone1:Japan Standard Time
Utc Offset1:+9
Blank Name Sec1:City Symbols
Blank1 Name Sec1:- Tree
Blank1 Info Sec1:Sakura
Blank2 Name Sec1:- Flower
Blank2 Info Sec1:Chrysanthemum
Blank3 Name Sec1:- Bird
Blank4 Name Sec1:-Fish
Blank Name Sec2:Phone number
Blank Info Sec2:0238-40-3211
Blank1 Name Sec2:Address
Blank1 Info Sec2:436-1 Mitsumadori, Nanyō-shi, Yamagata-ken 999-2292

is a city located in Yamagata Prefecture, Japan., the city had an estimated population of 31,112 in 11379 households,[1] and a population density of 190 persons per km². The total area of the city is 160.52km2.

Geography

Nan'yo is located in the northern part of Okitama Basin in southern Yamagata Prefecture, with mountains to the north, east and west and the Mogami River forming its southern border. It is approximately 21 km from Yonezawa, 35 km from Yamagata city, 61 km from Fukushima, and 95 km from Sendai. The city has an altitude of about 200 meters in the plains rising to 450 meters in the northern mountains. Mt. Shirataka (elevation 994 meters) is the highest elevation in the city.

Neighboring municipalities

Climate

Nan'yō has a Humid continental climate (Köppen climate classification Cfa) 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. The average annual temperature in Nan'yō is 11.3 °C. The average annual rainfall is 1486 mm with September as the wettest month. The temperatures are highest on average in August, at around 25.0 °C, and lowest in January, at around -1.4 °C.[2]

Demographics

Per Japanese census data,[3] the population of Nan'yō has declined slightly over the past 30 years.

History

The area of present-day Nan'yo was part of ancient Dewa Province. In Japanese folklore it is the setting of the Tsuru no Ongaeshi legend. After the start of the Meiji period, the area was organized into villages within Higashiokitama District, Yamagata Prefecture with the establishment of the modern municipalities system, including the village of Akayu. Akayu was raised to town status in December 1895.

The city of Nan'yo was established on April 1, 1967 by the merger of the former towns of Miyauchi and Akayu with the village of Wagō. Akayu is famous for its hot springs, cherries and hang gliding and includes the former village of Nakagawa. Miyauchi is famous for its chrysanthemum festival and the Kumano-taisha Shrine, and includes the former villages of Urushiyama, Yoshino, and Kaneyama. The village of Wago was created in 1955 by the merger of the villages of Okigō and Ringō. The English travel-writer Isabella Bird visited Akayu in 1878 and wrote about the town in Unbeaten Tracks in Japan.[4] [5] The city is named after Nanyang, China, where according to legend a chrysanthemum spring can make drinkers immortal.[6]

Government

Nan'yō has a mayor-council form of government with a directly elected mayor and a unicameral city legislature of 17 members. The city contributes one member to the Yamagata Prefectural Assembly. In terms of national politics, the city is part of Yamagata District 2 of the lower house of the Diet of Japan.

Economy

The economy of Nan'yo is based on agriculture, light manufacturing, and tourism. A number of wineries are also located in the city.

Wine

Nan'yō is home to the following three major wineries.

In addition to the three wineries, Nan'yō is also home to a sake brewery called .[10]

Education

Nan'yō has seven public elementary schools and three public middle schools operated by the city government and one public high school operated by the Yamagata Prefectural Board of Education.

High schools

Junior high schools

Elementary schools

Transportation

Railway

East Japan Railway Company -Yamagata Shinkansen

East Japan Railway Company - Ōu Main Line

Yamagata Railway Company - Flower Nagai Line

Highways

Media

Newspapers

Local attractions

Local events

Twin towns and sister cities

See also: List of twin towns and sister cities in Japan.

Notable people from Nan'yo

External links

Notes and References

  1. http://www.city.nanyo.yamagata.jp/ Nan'yō City official statistics
  2. https://en.climate-data.org/asia/japan/yamagata/nanyo-5499/Nan'yō climate data
  3. https://www.citypopulation.de/php/japan-yamagata.php Nan'yō population statistics
  4. Isabella Lucy Bird, Unbeaten tracks in Japan: An account of travels in the interior including visits to the aborigines of Yezo and the shrine of Nikko (1888) online.
  5. Andrew Elliott, "'A perspective close to our own': footsteps travel and the Japanese reception of Isabella Bird’s Unbeaten Tracks in Japan, 1996–2016." Studies in Travel Writing (2017) 21#1: 1-16.
  6. Web site: Profile . Nanyo City Government . 23 January 2019 . ja.
  7. Web site: Sakai Winery.
  8. Web site: Oura Winery.
  9. Web site: Suto Winery.
  10. Web site: Azuma Sake Brewery.
  11. Web site: Okitama Times . 2006-11-07 . https://web.archive.org/web/20070116044023/http://www.okitamatimes.co.jp/ . 2007-01-16 . dead .
  12. Web site: International Exchange. List of Affiliation Partners within Prefectures. Council of Local Authorities for International Relations (CLAIR). 21 November 2015. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20151222095936/http://www.clair.or.jp/cgi-bin/simai/e/03.cgi?p=06&n=Yamagata%20Prefecture. 22 December 2015.