Minobu, Yamanashi

Minobu (身延町, Minobu-chō) is a town located in Yamanashi Prefecture, Japan. As of 1 June 2019, the town had an estimated population of 11,674 in 5447 households,[1] and a population density of 39 persons per km2. The total area of the town is 302.00 square kilometres (116.60 sq mi).

Minobu

身延町
Town
Mount Minobu
Flag
Seal
Location of Minobu in Yamanashi Prefecture
Minobu
 
Coordinates: 35°28′03″N 138°26′33″E
CountryJapan
RegionChūbu
Tōkai
PrefectureYamanashi Prefecture
DistrictMinamikoma
Government
 • MayorHitoshi Mochizuki (since October 2008)
Area
 • Total302.00 km2 (116.60 sq mi)
Population
 (June 1, 2019)
 • Total11,674
 • Density39/km2 (100/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+9 (Japan Standard Time)
City symbols 
• TreePrunus pendula
• FlowerLilium auratum
• BirdOriental dollarbird
• BirdFirefly
Phone number0556-42-2111
Address350 Kiriishi, Minobu-chō, Minamikoma-gun, Yamanashi-ken 409-3392
WebsiteOfficial website
Minobu Town Hall
Hokusai -The back of the Fuji from the Minobu river

Geography

Minobu is in south-central Yamanashi Prefecture. The Fuji River passes through the town, which is dominated by the sacred Mount Minobu. It also shares Lake Motosu with neighbouring Fujikawaguchiko.

Neighboring municipalities

Yamanashi Prefecture

Shizuoka Prefecture

Demographics

Per Japanese census data,[2] the population of Minobu has declined over the past 30 years.

Historical population
YearPop.±%
1950 39,550—    
1960 35,616−9.9%
1970 27,697−22.2%
1980 23,222−16.2%
1990 20,849−10.2%
2000 18,021−13.6%
2010 14,460−19.8%

Climate

The town has a climate characterized by characterized by hot and humid summers, and relatively mild winters (Köppen climate classification Cfa). The average annual temperature in Minobu is 14.1 °C. The average annual rainfall is 1540 mm with September as the wettest month. The temperatures are highest on average in August, at around 26.0 °C, and lowest in January, at around 2.6 °C.[3]

History

Minobu developed from the Kamakura period as a temple town outside the gates of the important Buddhist temple of Kuon-ji, one of the primary head temples of the Nichiren Shū.

During the reform of the early Meiji period on April 1, 1889, Minamikoma District within Yamanashi Prefecture was created and organized into 22 villages. Minobu village was raised to town status on January 1, 1931. On February 11, 1955 the town expanded by annexing three neighboring villages. On September 13, 2004, Minobu absorbed the towns of Nakatomi, also from Minamikoma District, and Shimobe, from Nishiyatsushiro District.

Education
  • Minobusan University
  • Minobu has three public elementary schools and one public junior high school operated by the town government. The town as two public high schools operated by the Yamanashi Prefectural Board of Education and one private high school.

Transportation

Railway

Highway

Local attractions
  • Kuon-ji – Buddhist temple which is the supreme head temple of Nichiren sect
  • Nakayama Kinzan, ruins of a Sengoku period gold mine and National Historic Site

References
  1. Minobu Town official statistics(in Japanese)
  2. Minobu population statistics
  3. Minobu climate data

Media related to Minobu, Yamanashi at Wikimedia Commons

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