The original name of the Aomori was Utō, named for theRhinoceros auklet (ウトウ), a seabird that is closely related to thepuffin. In 1626 the name was changed toAomori (青森) "blue forest", but this was not fully embraced until 1783.[3]
Aomori literally means blue forest, although it could possibly be translated as "green forest". The name is generally considered to refer to a small forest on a hill which existed near the town. This forest was often used by fishermen as a landmark. A different theory suggests the name might have been derived from theAinu language.[4][5]
The area has been settled extensively since prehistoric times, and numerousJōmon period sites have been found by archaeologists, the most famous being theSannai-Maruyama Site located just southwest of the city center dating to 5500–4000 BC, and theKomakino Site slightly farther south dating to around 4000 BC. The large scale of these settlements revolutionized theories on Jōmon period civilization. During theHeian period, the area was part of the holdings of theNorthern Fujiwara clan, but remained inhabited by theEmishi people well into the historic period. After the fall of the Northern Fujiwara in theKamakura period, the territory was part of the domain assigned to theNambu clan, and into theSengoku period, it came under the control of the rivalTsugaru clan, whose main castle was located inNamioka. After the start of theEdo period, what would become the core of present-day Aomori was a minor port settlement in theHirosaki Domain called Utō (善知鳥村,Utō-mura). The town was rebuilt in 1626 under orders of thedaimyō,Tsugaru Nobuhira and renamed "Aomori", but this name did not come into common use until after 1783; however, the historical accuracy of this claim is debated since there is no written material from the time to definitively connect Utō to Aomori. Some evidence even claims that Aomori and Utō co-existed in different parts of the city in its current state. It was not until 1909 that a local scholar claimed that the village of Utō became Aomori.[3]
After theMeiji Restoration, thefeudal domains were abolished and replaced withprefectures, of which a total of six were initially created in the territory of modern Aomori Prefecture. These were merged into the short-lived Hirosaki Prefecture in July 1871.[citation needed] However, due to the historic enmity between the former Tsugaru territories in the west and the formerNambu territories in the east, the prefectural capital was relocated from Hirosaki to the more centrally-located Aomori immediately after the merger and the prefecture was renamed Aomori Prefecture on 23 September 1871. However, the municipality of Aomori was not given town status withinHigashitsugaru District until 1 April 1889, with the establishment of the modern municipalities system. It was later designated as a city on 1 April 1898.[citation needed]
TheHokkaidō Colonization Office began operations of a ferry service from Aomori toHakodate in Hokkaido from 1872. In September 1891, Aomori was connected with Tokyo by rail with the opening of theTōhoku Main Line. TheŌu Main Line running along theSea of Japan coast opened in December 1894. The development of modern Aomori was primarily due to its prefectural capital status and the singular importance as the terminus of these rail lines and theSeikan Ferry, which officially opened in 1908.[citation needed] The8th Division of theImperial Japanese Army were stationed in Aomori from 1896. In the winter of 1902, 199 of 210 soldiers on a military cold-weather readiness exercise perished while attempting to cross the Hakkōda Mountains from Aomori to Towada in what was later called theHakkōda Mountains incident.
Much of the town burned down in a large fire on 3 May 1910.[6] The port facilities were expanded in 1924, and the city received its firstbus services in 1926.[citation needed]Japan Air Transport began scheduled air services from 1937.
Towards the final stages ofWorld War II, on the night of 28–29 July 1945, Aomori was subject to anair raid as part of thestrategic bombing campaign waged by the United States against military and civilian targets and population centers during theJapan home islands campaign. The28–29 July bombing claimed 1,767 lives and destroyed 88% of the city.[7]
In the post-war period, Aomori was rebuilt as the local political and commercial center. TheTsugaru Line railway opened between Aomori Station andKanita Station in 1951.Aomori Airport was opened in 1964 in nearby Namioka.[8] The city was connected to Tokyo by highway in 1979 with the opening of theTōhoku Expressway.[9] Construction began on a new airport within the city of Aomori in 1982. Aomori's landmark pyramidalAomori Prefecture Tourist Center opened in 1986. The new airport was completed on 19 July 1987.[8] On 1 October 2002, Aomori was proclaimed acore city, granting it an increased level of local autonomy.
On 1 April 2005, Aomori absorbed the town ofNamioka to create the new and expanded city of Aomori; but lost a portion of Namioka to the town ofFujisaki (fromMinamitsugaru District) on 1 September 2007.[10][11]
Aomori is located in central Aomori Prefecture, the northernmost prefecture ofHonshu. It is located in the northeastern part of the Tsugaru region, which refers to the western half of the prefecture, and is centered on Aomori Plain, facing Aomori Bay, a branch bay ofMutsu Bay, to the north, and theHakkōda and Higashidake Mountains, which are the northern end of theŌu Mountains to the south to the east. Among other smaller rivers, the city has two large rivers flowing through it, theKomagome River and its tributary, the Arakawa River. Parts of the city in the southeast are within the borders ofTowada-Hachimantai National Park and is a tourist destination throughout the four seasons. In the northeast isAsamushi-Natsudomari Prefectural Natural Park. There are manyhot springs in the city, includingSukayu Onsen at the foot of Mt. Hakkōda andAsamushi Onsen on the coast.
Like most of the Tōhoku region, Aomori has a humid temperate climate with warm summers, and cold, though not extreme, winters. The city has a cold,humid continental climate (KöppenDfa) closely bordering theHumid Subtropical climate (KöppenCfa) using the 0.0 °C (32.0 °F) isotherm with both January and February monthly averages being too cold to be of the latter, characterized by warm, short summers and long, cold winters with heavy snowfall. The average annual temperature in Aomori is 10.7 °C (51.3 °F). The average annual rainfall is 1,285 mm (50.6 in) with September as the wettest month. The temperatures are highest on average in August, at around 23.5 °C (74.3 °F), and lowest in January, at around −2.1 °C (28.2 °F).[12]
Aomori and the surrounding areas are known for having theheaviest snowfall in the world.[13] In February 1945, the city recorded a maximum snow cover of 209 cm (82 in), but the record low of −24.7 °C (−12 °F) was recorded 14 years earlier. In contrast,Sapporo's heaviest snowfall which occurred in 1939 was 164 cm (65 in), andWakkanai which is located further north has recorded similar maxima. The particularly heavy snow is caused by several winds that collide around the city and make the air rise and cool, resulting in quick, thick cloud formation followed by intenseprecipitation.
In summer, a cool wind called "Yamase" often blows from the east, which sometimes results in abnormally cool weather and poor harvests. Additionally, thick fogs from theOyashio Current are often observed in mountainous areas in the summer. Due to this fog, flights toAomori Airport are often cancelled.[14]
Climate data for Aomori (1991−2020 normals, extremes 1882−present)
A person living in or from Aomori is referred to as an Aomorian.[17] Per Japanese census data,[18] the population of Aomori has remained relatively steady over the past 40 years.
Graphs are unavailable due to technical issues. Updates on reimplementing the Graph extension, which will be known as the Chart extension, can be found onPhabricator and onMediaWiki.org.
Aomori serves as the regional commercial center for central Aomori Prefecture. Agriculture andcommercial fishing form only 4% of the city economy, withmanufacturing forming 16.2% and theservice sector forming 78.2%.
Aomori is the only prefectural capital in Japan which has nonational university, instead, nearby Hirosaki became the site for the prefecture's highest educational facility. The city has 45 public elementary schools and 19 public junior high schools operated by the city government, as well as two private junior high schools. The city has 10 public high schools operated by the Aomori Prefectural Board of Education and three private high schools. The prefecture also operates eight special education schools for the handicapped.
Aomori Airport - (established in 1964 with international flights from 1995) is about a 35-minute drive from the city center, with a bus service available. There are daily flights toTokyo,Osaka,Nagoya andSapporo. There are also international flights toSeoul andTaipei.
Odate–Noshiro Airport - is located quiet far from the city centre as it was located in Northern Akita Prefecture. It is solely used byAll Nippon Airways service toTokyo as the airline did not served the Tokyo-Aomori route.
Aomori Station has been the main station of the city since 1891. The two trunk lines of the Tōhoku region, theTōhoku Main Line (now theAoimori Railway) and theŌu Main Line, terminated at Aomori Station and continued to Hakodate by theSeikan Ferry. In 1988,Seikan Tunnel replaced the ferry's role as the connector of Honshu and Hokkaido's rail networks, but the station still functioned as the connecting point between main line trains and trains for the Aomori-Hakodate section.
Port of Aomori – TheSeikan Ferry andTsugaru Kaikyō Ferry operates ferries toHakodate. It takes about four hours to go by ferry from Aomori to Hakodate. From 1908 to 1988 the ferry served as the primary transport between the island ofHonshū and the northern island of Hokkaido. In March 1988, theSeikan Tunnel opened up, traveling under theTsugaru Strait, this quickly replaced the slow-moving ferry as the primary transportation between the two islands.[citation needed]
^"人口・世帯数等（住民基本台帳）" [Population and number of households (Basic Resident Register)] (in Japanese). 1 April 2020.Archived from the original on 8 May 2020. Retrieved24 April 2020.
^ab"概要" [Overview]. Aomori Airport Administration Office. Archived fromthe original on 16 April 2015. Retrieved8 February 2020.
^"高速道路開通の歴史" [Expressway History] (in Japanese).Archived from the original on 5 April 2022. Retrieved8 January 2020.
^"青森市が進めるコンパクトシティについて" [Aomori Compact City Promotion] (in Japanese). April 2007.Archived from the original on 24 September 2020. Retrieved8 February 2020.
^"広報あおもり平成19年9月15日号PDF版" [Aomori Public Information 15 September Heisei 19-PDF version](PDF).Aomori Official Website (in Japanese). Aomori City. 19 September 2007. Archived fromthe original(PDF) on 24 March 2011. Retrieved8 February 2020.
^"青森県の衆議院小選挙区の区割りについて(平成29年以降)" [About the division of Aomori Prefecture's House of Representatives single-member constituency (2017-)] (in Japanese).Archived from the original on 4 June 2020. Retrieved23 April 2020.
^"面積広げた合浦公園-14" [Expanded area of Gappo Park-14].Mutsu Shimpō (in Japanese). 3 November 2014.Archived from the original on 20 September 2020. Retrieved14 April 2020.
^"青い森公園" [Aoimori Park] (in Japanese). Aomori Prefecture Government. 8 May 2020.Archived from the original on 29 October 2020. Retrieved28 August 2020.
^"都市公園" [City parks] (in Japanese). Aomori City. 16 January 2020.Archived from the original on 28 October 2020. Retrieved28 August 2020.
^"青森・函館ツインシティ" (in Japanese).Archived from the original on 3 December 2019. Retrieved3 December 2019.
^abcd"International Exchange".List of Affiliation Partners within Prefectures. Council of Local Authorities for International Relations (CLAIR).Archived from the original on 20 December 2019. Retrieved27 November 2019.
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