Matsumoto, Nagano

Matsumoto
松本市
Special city

Matsumoto Castle

Flag

Location of Matsumoto in Nagano Prefecture
Matsumoto

 

Coordinates: 36°14′N 137°58′E / 36.233°N 137.967°E / 36.233; 137.967Coordinates: 36°14′N 137°58′E / 36.233°N 137.967°E / 36.233; 137.967
Country Japan
Region Chūbu (Kōshin'etsu)
Prefecture Nagano Prefecture
Government
 • Mayor Akira Sugenoya
Area
 • Total 978.77 km2 (377.91 sq mi)
Population (July 1, 2012)
 • Total 243,571
 • Density 250/km2 (640/sq mi)
Time zone Japan Standard Time (UTC+9)
- Tree Japanese Red Pine
- Flower Japanese azalea
Phone number 0263-34-3000
Address 3-7 Marunouchi, Matsumoto-shi, Nagano-ken
390-8620
Website City of Matsumoto

Matsumoto (松本市 Matsumoto-shi) is a Japanese city in the Chūbu region on the island of Honshu.[1] It is a city located in Nagano Prefecture.[2] Matsumoto is designated as a Special City.[3]

As of July 1, 2012, the city has an estimated population of 243,571 and a population density of 250 persons per km². The total area is 978.77 km².

Outline

The current city of Matsumoto is a merger of the old city of Matsumoto with four villages. Matsumoto officially absorbed those villages without creating a new municipal organization.

Matsumoto is surrounded by mountains and is acclaimed for its beautiful views. Hiking and climbing locations are readily accessible by local bus transportation. Matsumoto has several historic features, such as Matsumoto Castle (松本城 Matsumoto-jō), Kaichi School Museum (Kaichi gakkō), and Temari (traditional Japanese handball).

Matsumoto is attractive to travellers not only because of the traditional culture but also its calm climate and local products. Matsumoto soba is famous for its delicate taste. The world's largest wasabi farm, Daio Wasabi Farm, is located just north of Matsumoto in Azumino.[4] Wasabi can only be grown in extremely clean water so there is much local pride in this product. In addition, Matsumoto is home to the Saito Kinen Festival Matsumoto, held every August by conductor Seiji Ozawa and featuring the Saito Kinen Orchestra; regular guests have included Robert Mann and Mstislav Rostropovich. It is very difficult to get tickets: Many people wait in line two days before tickets go on sale.

Home to several renowned current and former musical instrument factories, such as Matsumoku (closed in 1986) and FujiGen Gakki.

Matsumoto, like many areas in Japan, has many onsen (温泉 or hot springs). It also is host to a number of summer festivals, including the Bon-Bon Festival on the first Saturday of August, which features its signature dance.

Geography

Surrounding municipalities

The city of Matsumoto is surrounded by 14 municipalities.

The former city of Matsumoto

Since the post merger Matsumoto's (the new city of Matsumoto) area is too big because the city now includes the mountainous areas, the data of the former city (the old city of Matsumoto) is listed on the right.

However, "The city of Matsumoto" is primarily centralized on the old city of Matsumoto because most of the dramas and plays are centralized on Kaichi Gakko (Kaichi School) and Matsumoto Castle.

Since the new city of Matsumoto has absorbed the village of Azumi, the tour guides are calling the area "Matsumoto-Kamikochi Area" instead of "The city of Matsumoto."

The Old Matsumoto City Hall is currently used as the New Matsumoto City Hall. However, the old city of Matsumoto was located within Higashichikuma District, and the district's name came from the former Chikuma Prefecture.

Climate

Matsumoto has a humid subtropical climate (Köppen climate classification Cfa) bordering on a humid continental climate (Köppen Dfa) with hot summers and cold winters. Precipitation is quite high in summer, but the weather is somewhat drier in winter.

Climate data for Matsumoto, Nagano (1981～2010)
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °C (°F) 18.8
(65.8)		 21.1
(70)		 25.9
(78.6)		 30.9
(87.6)		 32.3
(90.1)		 35.9
(96.6)		 37.9
(100.2)		 38.5
(101.3)		 35.3
(95.5)		 31.8
(89.2)		 25.6
(78.1)		 21.5
(70.7)		 38.5
(101.3)
Average high °C (°F) 5.0
(41)		 6.0
(42.8)		 10.5
(50.9)		 17.8
(64)		 22.9
(73.2)		 26.0
(78.8)		 29.4
(84.9)		 31.1
(88)		 25.7
(78.3)		 19.3
(66.7)		 13.6
(56.5)		 8.0
(46.4)		 17.9
(64.2)
Average low °C (°F) −5.2
(22.6)		 −4.8
(23.4)		 −1.5
(29.3)		 4.1
(39.4)		 9.9
(49.8)		 14.9
(58.8)		 19.2
(66.6)		 20.2
(68.4)		 15.9
(60.6)		 8.4
(47.1)		 2.1
(35.8)		 −2.7
(27.1)		 6.7
(44.1)
Record low °C (°F) −24.8
(−12.6)		 −20.4
(−4.7)		 −17.9
(−0.2)		 −10.1
(13.8)		 −2.7
(27.1)		 2.3
(36.1)		 10.2
(50.4)		 8.0
(46.4)		 3.0
(37.4)		 −3.6
(25.5)		 −8.4
(16.9)		 −19.2
(−2.6)		 −24.8
(−12.6)
Average precipitation mm (inches) 35.9
(1.413)		 43.5
(1.713)		 79.6
(3.134)		 75.3
(2.965)		 100.0
(3.937)		 125.7
(4.949)		 138.4
(5.449)		 92.1
(3.626)		 155.6
(6.126)		 101.9
(4.012)		 54.9
(2.161)		 28.1
(1.106)		 1,031
(40.591)
Average snowfall cm (inches) 28
(11)		 24
(9.4)		 17
(6.7)		 1
(0.4)		 0
(0)		 0
(0)		 0
(0)		 0
(0)		 0
(0)		 0
(0)		 0
(0)		 9
(3.5)		 79
(31)
Average precipitation days (≥ 0.5 mm) 6.0 6.6 9.6 9.1 9.7 11.1 13.1 9.7 11.2 9.0 6.3 5.4 106.8
Average snowy days 11.2 9.8 4.9 0.4 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.1 3.7 30.1
Mean monthly sunshine hours 170.7 163.5 185.0 202.1 209.0 163.6 171.3 205.4 141.8 159.9 159.2 166.0 2,097.5
Source #1: Japan Meteorological Agency[5]
Source #2: Japan Meteorological Agency (records)[6]

History

Meiji Era

Taishō Era

Shōwa Era

Heisei Era

Sister cities

Within Japan

Overseas

Signed in 1958
Signed on November 17, 1989
Signed on March 21, 1995 as a friendship city
Signed with the village of Azumi on April 20, 1972 (Assumed the sister city honors on April 1, 2005 after the village of Azumi was merged into the city of Matsumoto.)

Tourist attractions

Matsumoto Castle was built more than 400 years ago. It is also called Crow Castle (Karasu Jō) because of its black appearance. The castle is open to tourists and displays many ancient weapons from and inspired by Europe including muskets and rifles.
Kaichi School is the first junior high school in Japan. The beautiful appearance of Kaichi School is much acclaimed.

Sports

Matsumoto is represented in the J. League of football with its local club, Matsumoto Yamaga FC They play in Alwin Stadium in Kambayashi.

Food

A variety of food can be enjoyed in Matsumoto due to its relatively large size in comparison to the surrounding towns. There is a famous yakitori in Matsumoto near Matsumoto Station where the main cook sprinkles salt onto the meat and catching some in his hat.

Education

The city has a North Korean school, Nagano Korean Elementary and Junior High School (長野朝鮮初中級学校).

Gallery

References

  1. ↑ Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005). "Maatsumoto" in Japan Encyclopedia, p. 618; "Chūbu" at p. 126.
  2. ↑ Japan National Tourism Organization (JNTO), "Matsumoto/Shiojiri Area"; retrieved 2012-2-11.
  3. ↑ Jacobs, A.J. "Japan's Evolving Nested Municipal Hierarchy: The Race for Local Power in the 2000s," Urban Studies Research, (2011); Table 3; retrieved 20132-2-11.
  4. ↑ http://welcome.city.matsumoto.nagano.jp/contents03+index.id+15.htm
  5. ↑ "平年値（年・月ごとの値）". Japan Meteorological Agency. Retrieved 2010-03-06.
  6. ↑ "観測史上1～10位の値（年間を通じての値）". Japan Meteorological Agency. Retrieved 2011-11-18.

External links

Media related to Matsumoto, Nagano at Wikimedia Commons

Wikivoyage has a travel guide for Matsumoto.
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