Located in the middle of its prefecture, Toyama is a seaside city by the coast of theSea of Japan. Its municipal territory borders with theGifu Prefecture and with the municipalities ofImizu,Namerikawa,Tonami,Nanto,Hida andTakayama.[4]The nearest towns areImizu (west), andNamerikawa (east), both by the sea and part of the Toyama urban area. The nearest major city isKanazawa, the capital of Ishikawa Prefecture, which is 65 km (40 miles) away.
Toyama has ahumid subtropical climate (Köppen climate classificationCfa) with hot, humid summers and cool winters. Precipitation is abundant throughout the year, particularly in July, September and from November through January. Despite winter in Toyama being relatively mild, its position near the Sea of Japan places it within the heavy snow belt of Japan and on average 3.8 m (12 ft) of snow falls each season, almost all of it from December through March, as well as occasionally experiencing some tremendous amounts of snowfall.
Climate data for Toyama (1991−2020 normals, extremes 1939−present)
The area of present-day Toyama city was part of ancientEtchū Province. The Toyama Plain is good farmland and historically it was a point of strategic and traffic importance since prehistoric times.
During theSengoku period, it was frequently a battlefield, coming under the control of warlordSassa Narimasa, who built acastle town aroundToyama Castle and channeled rivers to bringing about a flourishing agricultural industry.
The area subsequently became part ofKaga Domain under theMaeda clan during theEdo period, during which time a positive industrial promotion policy was implemented on the production ofChinese medicine andwashi (Japanese paper).Also, thanks to the improvement ofkitamaebune sea transportation routes, these industries thrived and Toyama became known nationwide as the province of medicine.
After theMeiji Restoration, with the creation of the municipalities system, the city of Toyama was established on April 1, 1889, as one of the first 30 cities in Japan. Economically, the area developed heavy and chemical industries based on abundant hydroelectric electricity. Toyama has become one of the most influential cities on theSea of Japan with its good water supply, drainage system and thriving agricultural, forestry, fishery, commercial and manufacturing industries.
DuringWorld War II,Allied prisoners of war (POWs) were sent to Toyama as forced labor.[6] The city was almost completely destroyed on the night of August 1–2, 1945. At the time of the bombing, the city was a center for aluminum,ball-bearing and special steel production. Left unscathed however, were the war-related factories just outside the city.[7][8] The city during the time had a population of around 150,000 residents. The city also heldKakure Kirishitan, or "Hidden Christians" in Japan, forced from Nagasaki into internment camps after the Tokugawa government tried to punish them for their Christian beliefs.
Gallery
Higasiaimon-cho Street in Toyama City in late Meiji era.
On April 1, 2005, the towns ofŌsawano andŌyama (both fromKaminiikawa District), the towns ofFuchū andYatsuo, and the villages ofHosoiri andYamada (all fromNei District) were merged into Toyama. Kaminiikawa District and Nei District were both dissolved as a result of this merger.
Toyama has 65 public elementary schools and 26 public middle schools operated by the city government. There is also one public elementary school and one public middle school operated by the national government. The city has fourteen public high schools operated by the Toyama Prefectural Board of Education. and one public combined middle/high school operated by the national government. There are also seven private high schools.Toyama Shogyo High School is a commercial high school.
ToyamaChindon Contest (Toyama Band of musical sandwichmen contest) – proposed by the Toyama Chamber of Commerce in 1955 and is held annually in early April. This event has become a festival, and many bands ofsandwichmen (men wearing sandwich boards for advertisements) participate, attracting many tourists every year.
Kaze No Bon – held annually on September 1 to 3, in the Yatsuo region.[16]
^"UEA Code Tables". Center for Spatial Information Science, University of Tokyo. Archived fromthe original on January 9, 2019. RetrievedJanuary 26, 2019.
^NHK Broadcasting Culture Research Institute, ed. (24 May 2016).NHK日本語発音アクセント新辞典 (in Japanese). NHK Publishing.
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