Oyama 小山町 | |
|---|---|
Oyama Town Hall | |
Location of Oyama in Shizuoka Prefecture | |
| Coordinates:35°21′36.3″N138°59′14.2″E / 35.360083°N 138.987278°E /35.360083; 138.987278 | |
| Country | Japan |
| Region | Chūbu Tōkai |
| Prefecture | Shizuoka |
| District | Suntō |
| Area | |
• Total | 135.74 km2 (52.41 sq mi) |
| Population (July 2019) | |
• Total | 18,458 |
| • Density | 135.98/km2 (352.19/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC+9 (Japan Standard Time) |
| Symbols | |
| • Tree | Sakura |
| • Flower | Rapeseed |
| • Bird | Japanese bush-warbler |
| Phone number | 0550-76-1111 |
| Address | 57-2 Fujimagari, Oyama-chō, Suntō-gun, Shizuoka-ken 410-1395 |
| Website | Official website |

Oyama (小山町,Oyama-chō) is atown located inSuntō District,Shizuoka Prefecture,Japan. As of 1 October 2023[update], the town had an estimatedpopulation of 17,297 in 7496 households[1] and apopulation density of 127 persons per km2. The total area of the town is 135.74 square kilometres (52.41 sq mi).[2]
Oyama is located in the far northeastern corner of Shizuoka Prefecture, bordering onYamanashi andKanagawa Prefectures. Located in between theTanzawa Mountains and the foothills ofMount Fuji, the town has an average altitude of 800 meters, and has a cool climate with heavy rainfall. Some 65% of the town is covered in forest.
Per Japanese census data,[3] the population of Oyama has been in decline over the past 50 years.
| Year | Pop. | ±% |
|---|---|---|
| 1940 | 9,170 | — |
| 1950 | 10,768 | +17.4% |
| 1960 | 25,944 | +140.9% |
| 1970 | 24,256 | −6.5% |
| 1980 | 23,212 | −4.3% |
| 1990 | 23,566 | +1.5% |
| 2000 | 22,235 | −5.6% |
| 2010 | 20,630 | −7.2% |
| 2020 | 18,568 | −10.0% |
The city has a climate characterized by hot and humid summers, and relatively mild winters (Köppen climate classificationCfa). The average annual temperature in Oyama is 12.7 °C. The average annual rainfall is 1817 mm with September as the wettest month. The temperatures are highest on average in August, at around 24.3 °C, and lowest in January, at around 1.7 °C.[4]
A smallpost town existed in this area since theHeian period, as Oyama is located at the base of theAshigara Pass on the main route connecting the ancient provinces ofSagami withKai andSuruga Provinces. The area was mostlytenryō territory under direct control of theTokugawa shogunate in theEdo period. With the establishment of the modern municipalities system in the earlyMeiji period on April 1, 1889, the area was reorganized into the villages of Rokugo, Kannuma, Ashigara, Kitago and Subashiri within Suntō District, Shizuoka, two months after the opening ofSuruga-Oyama Station on theTōkaidō Main Line (nowGotemba Line).
The villages of Rokugo and Suganuma merged to form Oyama on August 1, 1912. Oyama annexed neighboring Ashigara on April 1, 1955, Kitago Village on August 1, 1956 and Subashiri on September 30, 1956. The Furusawa District of former Kitago transferred from Oyama to Gotemba on September 1, 1957.
Due to its proximity to theTokyo metropolitan area, Oyama has a mixed economy of agriculture and light industry. Rice is the principal agricultural crop.
Oyama has five public elementary schools and three public junior high school operated by the town government. The town has one public high school operated by the Shizuoka Prefectural Board of Education.