Hida, Gifu

Hida (飛騨市, Hida-shi) is a city located in Gifu, Japan. As of 1 December 2017, the city had an estimated population of 24,726, and a population density of 31 persons per km2, in 8,905 households.[1] The total area of the city was 792.53 square kilometres (306.00 sq mi). The official kanji for the city is actually 飛驒, which uses the old (kyūjitai) rendering of the 騨 character. However, the 驒 character is not included on the official list of usable characters (as decided by the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications), so the 騨 character is often used outside of the city.

Hida

飛騨市
City
View of Hida old town
Flag
Seal
Location of Hida in Gifu Prefecture
Hida
 
Coordinates: 36°14′17.3″N 137°11′10.4″E
CountryJapan
RegionChūbu
PrefectureGifu
Area
 • Total792.53 km2 (306.00 sq mi)
Population
 (November 1, 2017)
 • Total24,726
 • Density31/km2 (81/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+9 (Japan Standard Time)
City symbols 
- TreeBeech
- FlowerLysichiton camtschatcense
Phone number0577-73-2111
Address2-22 Hon-machi, Furukawa-chō, Hida-shi, Gifu-ken 509-4292
WebsiteOfficial website
Hida City Hall
Kamioka district in Hida
Furukawa Festival, held annually in April

Geography

Hida is the northernmost city in Gifu Prefecture, and is located in the northern part of the Hida Highlands bordering on Toyama Prefecture to the north. The majority of the area of the city is forested, with many mountains exceeding 1,000 meters within the city borders. The northeastern edge of the Hida Mountain range exceeds 2,000 meters. Most of the population is concentrated along river terraces along the Jinzū River and the Takahara River.

Geographic Importance

The area surrounding Hida has direct connection with the Hida belt. The Hida belt mainly const of a younger type-1 granite and older type-2 granite. It has been studied that the Hida Belt has separated from the Jiamushi massif, that is located in the eastern margin of the Central Asian Orogenic Belt. After looking into geochronological data and several other data forms it is suggested that the Hida Belt broke off the Central Asian Orogenic Belt.[2]

Climate

The city has a climate characterized by hot and humid summers, and mild winters (Köppen climate classification Cfa). The average annual temperature in Hida is 11.5 °C. The average annual rainfall is 1949 mm with September as the wettest month. The temperatures are highest on average in August, at around 24.6 °C, and lowest in January, at around -1.1 °C.[3]

Neighbouring municipalities

Demographics

Per Japanese census data,[4] the population of Hida has decreased steadily over the past 40 years.

Census Year Population
1970 40,965
1980 36,100
1990 32,690
2000 30,421
2010 26,732
2018 23,439

History

The area around Hida was part of traditional Hida Province. During the Edo period, the area was tenryō territory under the direct control of the Tokugawa shogunate. During the post-Meiji restoration cadastral reforms, the area was organised into Yoshiki District, Gifu. On July 1, 1889 with the establishment of the modern municipalities system, town of Furukawa and the villages of Kawai and Miyagawa were created. The modern city of Hida was established on February 1, 2004, from the merger of these municipalities with the town of Kamioka (this area is the supposed location of Itomori in the movie Your Name).

Government

Hida has a mayor-council form of government with a directly elected mayor and a unicameral city legislature of 14 members

Economy

The main two traditional economies in the city are the production of sake and traditional Japanese candles. The Furukawa area of the city is known for both of these crafts, while the Kamioka section is mainly known for its sake production.

Education

Hida has five public elementary schools, two public middle schools and one combined elementary/middle school operated by the city government. The city has two public high schools operated by the Gifu Prefectural Board of Education. Tokyo University's Super-Kamiokande neutrino observatory together with the data processing centre (Kamioka Observatory) has been located in Kamioka since 2002.[5]

Transportation

Railway

JR Tōkai - Takayama Main Line

Highway

Sister city relations

Local attractions

Festivals in Hida

Furukawa Festival, a famous festival in Gifu Prefecture, is held every April.[6]

Folk Customs Museum

Local museum in Takayama, Gifu Prefecture shows folk culture of the area. The main purpose of this museum is the preservation of farmhouses from Shirakawa, Gifu (village). These buildings were exclusive to Japan and were made to house large families. Having historical farmhouses as the main attraction for this museum put Japanese culture and history as a tourist attraction.[7] The Folk Customs Museum is a center of tourism in the area and in 1988 averaged more than 2,000 visitors a day.[8] Rural heritage and cultural history is an important viewing for tourist. Takayama is a main tourist destination and is trying to account for more of Japan's tourism market. Being a historical town in a mountain location it is an ideal location to grow and expand for tourism.[9]

Hida Furukawa was featured in several key locations in the popular 2016 animated film, Your Name. Due to the film's popularity, the city has become a popular location for tourists.[10]

References
  1. Official city statistics page
  2. Zhao, Xilin (2013). New SHRIMP U–Pb Zircon Ages of Granitic Rocks in the Hida Belt, Japan: Implications for Tectonic Correlation with Jiamushi Massif. pp. 508–521.
  3. Hida climate data
  4. Hida population statistics
  5. http://www.mindat.org/loc-2199.html
  6. "Furukawa Festival". Archived from the original on February 2, 2017. Retrieved January 31, 2017.
  7. Eder, Matthias (Winter 2018). "The Folk Customs Museum in Takayama (Hida, Gifu Prefecture)". Asian Folklore Studies. 31 (2): 141–148. doi:10.2307/1177491. JSTOR 1177491.
  8. Ehrentraut, Adolf (Winter 2019). "Heritage Authenticity and Domestic Tourism in Japan". Annals of Tourism Research. 20 (2): 262–278. doi:10.1016/0160-7383(93)90054-7.
  9. Funck, Carolin (Winter 2018). "The Innovative Potential of Inbound Tourism in Japan for Destination Development − a Case Study of Hida Takayama". Journal of the German Institute for Japanese Studies Tokyo. 24 (2): 121–147. doi:10.1515/cj-2012-0007.
  10. Mike (2016-11-26). "City that inspired settings in hit anime "Your Name" sees unbelievable boost in tourist dollars". SoraNews. Retrieved 24 February 2019.
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