Oyama, Shizuoka

Oyama (小山町, Oyama-chō) is a town located in Suntō District, Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan. As of 1 August 2019, the town had an estimated population of 18,458 in 7516 households [1] and a population density of 140 persons per km2. The total area of the town is 135.74 square kilometres (52.41 sq mi).[2]

Oyama

小山町
Town
Oyama Town Hall
Flag
Seal
Location of Oyama in Shizuoka Prefecture
Oyama
 
Coordinates: 35°21′36.3″N 138°59′14.2″E
CountryJapan
RegionChūbu
Tōkai
PrefectureShizuoka
DistrictSuntō
Area
 • Total135.74 km2 (52.41 sq mi)
Population
 (July 2019)
 • Total18,458
 • Density140/km2 (350/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+9 (Japan Standard Time)
Symbols 
• TreeSakura
• FlowerRapeseed
• BirdJapanese bush-warbler
Phone number0550-76-1111
Address57-2 Fujimagari, Oyama-chō, Suntō-gun, Shizuoka-ken 410-1395
WebsiteOfficial website
Fuji Speedway

Geography

Oyama is located in the far northeastern corner of Shizuoka Prefecture, bordering on Yamanashi and Kanagawa Prefectures. Located in between the Tanzawa Mountains and the foothills of Mount Fuji, the town has an average altitude of 800 meters, and has a cool climate with heavy rainfall. Some 65% of the town is covered in forest.

Surrounding municipalities

Demographics

Per Japanese census data,[3] the population of Oyama has been in decline over the past 50 years.

Historical population
YearPop.±%
1940 9,170—    
1950 10,768+17.4%
1960 25,944+140.9%
1970 24,256−6.5%
1980 23,212−4.3%
1990 23,566+1.5%
2000 22,235−5.6%
2010 20,630−7.2%

Climate

The city has a climate characterized by hot and humid summers, and relatively mild winters (Köppen climate classification Cfa). The average annual temperature in Oyama is 12.7 °C. The average annual rainfall is 1817 mm with September as the wettest month. The temperatures are highest on average in August, at around 24.3 °C, and lowest in January, at around 1.7 °C.[4]

History

A small post town existed in this area since the Heian period, as Oyama is located at the base of the Ashigara Pass on the main route connecting the ancient provinces of Sagami with Kai and Suruga Provinces. The area was mostly tenryō territory under direct control of the Tokugawa shogunate in the Edo period. With the establishment of the modern municipalities system in the early Meiji period on April 1, 1889, the area was reorganized into the villages of Rokugo, Kannuma, Ashigara, Kitago and Subashiri within Suntō District, Shizuoka, two months after the opening of Suruga-Oyama Station on the Tōkaidō Main Line (now Gotemba Line).

The villages of Rokugo and Suganuma merged to form Oyama on August 1, 1912. Oyama annexed neighboring Ashigara on April 1, 1955, Kitago Village on August 1, 1956 and Subashiri on September 30, 1956. The Furusawa District of former Kitago transferred from Oyama to Gotemba on September 1, 1957.

Economy

Due to its proximity to the Tokyo metropolitan area, Oyama has a mixed economy of agriculture and light industry. Rice is the principal agricultural crop.

Education

Oyama has five public elementary schools and three public junior high school operated by the town government. The town has one public high school operated by the Shizuoka Prefectural Board of Education.

Transportation

Railway

Highway

Sister city relations

Local attractions
  • Fuji Speedway
  • Fuji Cemetery
  • Higashiguchi Hongū Fuji Sengen Jinja

Notable people from Oyama

References
  1. Oyama Town official statistics (in Japanese)
  2. "Home" (in Japanese). Oyama Town. Retrieved 31 December 2015.
  3. Oyama population statistics
  4. Oyama climate data
  5. "International Exchange". List of Affiliation Partners within Prefectures. Council of Local Authorities for International Relations (CLAIR). Archived from the original on 13 January 2016. Retrieved 21 November 2015.
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