Yoshikawa, Saitama Explained

Yoshikawa 
Native Name Lang:ja
Settlement Type:City
Pushpin Map:Japan
Coordinates:35.8939°N 139.8414°W
Subdivision Type:Country
Subdivision Type1:Region
Subdivision Name1:Kantō
Subdivision Type2:Prefecture
Established Title:First official recorded
Established Date:late 5th century (official)
Established Title2:Town settled
Established Date2:November 1, 1915
Established Title3:City settled
Established Date3:April 1, 1996
Leader Title:Mayor
Leader Name:Shigeto Nakahara
Area Total Km2:31.7
Population Total:73262
Population As Of:February 1, 2021
Population Density Km2:auto
Timezone1:Japan Standard Time
Utc Offset1:+9
Postal Code Type:Postal code
Postal Code:342-8501
Blank Name Sec1:Symbols
Blank Info Sec1: 
Blank1 Name Sec1:• Tree
Blank1 Info Sec1:Osmanthus fragrans
Blank2 Name Sec1:• Flower
Blank2 Info Sec1:Rhododendron indicum
Rhododendron
Blank3 Name Sec1:• Bird
Blank Name Sec2:Phone number
Blank Info Sec2:048-982-5111
Blank1 Name Sec2:Address
Blank1 Info Sec2:1-1 Kiyomino,
Yoshikawa-shi,
Saitama-ken

is a city located in Saitama Prefecture, Japan., the city had an estimated population of 73,262 in 31,031 households and a population density of 2300 persons per km2.[1] The total area of the city is 31.66sqkm.

Geography

Located in far southeastern Saitama Prefecture, Yoshikawa is on the central reaches of the Edo River and the Naka River, and is approximately 20 kilometers from downtown Tokyo.

Surrounding municipalities

Climate

Yoshikawa has a humid subtropical climate (Köppen Cfa) characterized by warm summers and cool winters with light to no snowfall. The average annual temperature in Yoshikawa is 14.8 °C. The average annual rainfall is 1408 mm with September as the wettest month. The temperatures are highest on average in August, at around 26.8 °C, and lowest in January, at around 4.1 °C.[2]

Demographics

Per Japanese census data,[3] the population of Yoshikawa has nearly quadrupled over the past 50 years.

History

The area of Yoshikawa was tenryō territory within Shimōsa Province during the Edo period Tokugawa shogunate. In 1871, it was transferred to the new Saitama Prefecture. The village of Yoshikawa was created within Kitakatsushika District, Saitama with the establishment of the modern municipalities system on April 1, 1889. It was raised to town status on November 1, 1915. On March 1, 1955, Yoshikawa annexed the neighboring villages of Asahi and Miwanoe. The population began to rapidly increase in the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s, and Yoshikawa was elevated to city status on April 1, 1996. (Modern-day)Yoshikawa's land is owned by the "Yoshikawa" family of Japan, dating back centuries ago. Although they did lose an unknown amount of their real estate after WW2, they are still considered to be tycoons in Japan's real estate economy. The Yoshikawa family is known to be very private about their wealth, putting it in untouched accounts, and not spending their generation's worth of wealth. Instead, they are known to be big donators to the many people living in Yoshikawa.

Government

Yoshikawa has a mayor-council form of government with a directly elected mayor and a unicameral city council of 20 members. Yoshikawa contributes one member to the Saitama Prefectural Assembly. In terms of national politics, the city is part of Saitama 14th district of the lower house of the Diet of Japan.

Economy

Due to this location, Yoshikawa is primarily a bedroom community with over 19% of its population commuting to the Tokyo metropolis for work. The area was historically known for its production of catfish.

Saizeriya, the chain of yoshoku restaurants, is based in Yoshikawa.[4]

Education

Yoshikawa has eight public elementary schools and four public middle schools operated by the city government, and one public high school operated by the Saitama Prefectural Board of Education.

Transportation

Railway

JR EastMusashino line

Highway

Twin towns and sister cities

Yoshikawa is twinned with:

Noted people from Yoshikawa

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Yoshikawa city official statistics. Japan. ja.
  2. https://en.climate-data.org/asia/japan/saitama/yoshikawa-5654/ Yoshikawa climate data
  3. https://www.citypopulation.de/php/japan-saitama.php Yoshikawa population statistics
  4. Web site: 企業情報. Saizeriya. 2021-05-27. 本社 〒342-0008 埼玉県吉川市旭2番地5.