Yamagata (山形市; -shi, lit. mountain shape) -
The capital city of Yamagata Prefecture in Japan.
The famed temple of Yamadera (Ryushakuji) lies within the
city limits, 15 minutes by train from the center.
As of 2003, the city had an estimated population of 255,304
and a density of 669.49 persons per km². The total area is
381.34 km².
The Hanagasa festival (花笠祭り; Hanagasa Matsuri), one of
Tohoku's major summer festivals, is held in the city every
August. Yamagata also hosts the bi-annual Yamagata
International Documentary Film Festival. An autumn tradition
is Imoni-kai (taro potato party). Taro potatoes, thin-sliced
meat, and vegetables are cooked in a large pot at picnic
spots. The banks of the Mamigasaki River are popular. Once a
year, the city government serves thousands of bowls from its
giant imoni pot.
Yamagata City is served by the Yamagata Shinkansen (bullet
train) from Tokyo, which detaches from the Tohoku Shinkansen
at Fukushima City. The express train takes under three
hours, and the one-way cost is about 10,000 yen.
Yamagata City is located in a wide central valley (bonchi)
that can heat up quickly in spring and summer and is often
grey and humid, while to the east in Miyagi Prefecture on
the Pacific coast it is usually clearer and more temperate.
The opposite is the case in winter with the valley seeing
frequent snow and the Pacific coast remaining clear and
fine.
In the center of town west of the train station is the
extensive Kajo park, the grounds of the keep of feudal
warlord Mogami Yoshiaki. While most of the park is athletic
fields and public function buildings, the rebuilt walls,
eastern main gate, and surrounding moat of the former castle
are impressive. In spring, the park is filled with cherry
blossoms and clouded with many people. It contains a small
public museum with nice displays of natural and social
history.
The city is also the home of the Kojirakawa Campus and Iida
Campus of Yamagata University. The Kojirakawa Campus houses
the Faculty of Literature & Social Science, the Faculty of
Science and the Faculty of Education, Art & Science. The
Iida Campus includes the Faculty of Medicine, which also
includes the School of Nursing and the University Hospital.
The city was founded on April 1, 1889.
Information source: “Yamagata, Yamagata.” wikipedia.org. Article
date: 1 Mar. 2008. Retrieved: Wikipedia. 4 Mar. 2008 <Yamagata, Yamagata>. |
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