Fujiyoshida, Yamanashi
Encyclopedia
Cities of Japan
||A is a local administrative unit in Japan. Cities are ranked on the same level as and , with the difference that they are not a component of...
located in Yamanashi Prefecture
Yamanashi Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan located in the Chūbu region of the island of Honshū. The capital is the city of Kōfu.-Pre-history to the 14th century:People have been living in the Yamanashi area for about 30,000 years...
, Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
, in the center of the Japanese main island of Honshū
Honshu
is the largest island of Japan. The nation's main island, it is south of Hokkaido across the Tsugaru Strait, north of Shikoku across the Inland Sea, and northeast of Kyushu across the Kanmon Strait...
.
Geography
It is considered a high-elevation city in Japan, at 2,140 to 2,800 feet above sea level. The city is also located between two of the five Fuji LakesFuji Five Lakes
is the name of the area located at the base of Mount Fuji in the Yamanashi prefecture of Japan. It has a population of about 100,000. and sits approximately 1,000 meters above sea level. The name Fuji Five Lakes comes from the fact that there are five lakes formed by previous eruptions of Mount Fuji...
.
Geology
Fujiyoshida was founded on March 20, 1951. The city rests at the base of majestic Mount FujiMount Fuji
is the highest mountain in Japan at . An active stratovolcano that last erupted in 1707–08, Mount Fuji lies about south-west of Tokyo, and can be seen from there on a clear day. Mount Fuji's exceptionally symmetrical cone is a well-known symbol of Japan and it is frequently depicted in art and...
, and is built upon old lava flows.
Industry
For several centuries, artisans around the Fujiyoshida area have produced high quality textileTextile
A textile or cloth is a flexible woven material consisting of a network of natural or artificial fibres often referred to as thread or yarn. Yarn is produced by spinning raw fibres of wool, flax, cotton, or other material to produce long strands...
s, and now the city is the center of commerce and high technology in southern Yamanashi Prefecture.
Tourism
Fujiyoshida is the largest city on the North Slope of Mount Fuji and features access to historical sites, amusement parks, hot springs, access to hiking and camping in the Fuji Five Lakes system, and is the traditional Northern gateway to climbing Mount Fuji.Historical sites
Kitaguchi Hongū Fuji Sengen Jinja (北口本宮冨士浅間神社) - A Shinto shrine dedicated to Mount Fuji. Fuji Sengen Jinja is the historical starting point for pilgrims climbing the mountain. The main structure was originally built in 788 and underwent reconstruction in the 17th century. Additional buildings include a shrine dedicated to Takeda ShingenTakeda Shingen
, of Kai Province, was a preeminent daimyo in feudal Japan with exceptional military prestige in the late stage of the Sengoku period.-Name:Shingen was called "Tarō" or "Katsuchiyo" during his childhood...
(1521–1573), and a red torii
Torii
A is a traditional Japanese gate most commonly found at the entrance of or within a Shinto shrine, where it symbolically marks the transition from the profane to the sacred...
(gate) at the entrance. This gate is taken down and rebuilt every "Fuji Year" (60 years).
Fire Festival
Opening and closing ceremonies for the annual Fujiyoshida Himatsuri, or Fire FestivalFire Festival
"Fire Festival" should not be confused with the traditional Himatsuri fire festivals in JapanThe Fire Festival is an annual professional wrestling round-robin tournament held by Pro Wrestling ZERO1-MAX to determine the top wrestler in the promotion, typically contested in late July/early August...
on August 26 and "Susuki Matsuri" on 27th of every year. The Fire Festival is labeled one of Japan's three most unique festivals, "Nihon San-Kisai"(日本三奇祭).
Climbing
A ceremony on July 1 called "Yama-Biraki" marks the opening of the Mount Fuji climbing season.Noh
In August, the shrine plays host to a performance of traditional Noh theater. In the autumn, sacred deer, which live on the shrine grounds, receive a ritualistic shearing of their antlers. This ceremony is performed by a Shinto priest.Local history museum
A display of items from Fujiyoshida's past including household items, farm implements, clothing and samples of the cities' famous textiles. Also features recreated Edo period households.Attractions
Fuji-Q HighlandFuji-Q Highland
Fuji-Q Highland is an amusement park in Fujiyoshida, Yamanashi, Japan.The theme park is near the base of Mount Fuji. It has a number of roller coasters, as well as The Haunted Hospital, the world's second largest haunted attraction, and Thomas Land, a children's area with a Thomas the Tank Engine...
- An amusement park with a variety of attractions suitable for adults and children. Home to one of the world's fastest rollercoasters
Dodonpa
is a roller coaster at Fuji-Q Highland, Fujiyoshida, Yamanashi in Japan. It opened in 2001 and is a steel sit-down roller coaster with a compressed air launch. The ride was built by S&S Power of Utah, U.S.A....
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Mt. Fuji Visitors Center- Features interactive displays, videos, books and guides about Mount Fuji.
Mt. Fuji Radar Dome Museum A tribute to the meteorologists who built a radar research facility at the summit of Mt. Fuji. Features a room which simulates the conditions at the summit of the mountain.
Chureito Peace Pagoda- Built on a hilltop facing Mt. Fuji, Chureito offers an excellent view of the mountain and is a popular place to take photographs.
Sister cities
Sister Cities of Fujiyoshida include Colorado Springs, ColoradoColorado Springs, Colorado
Colorado Springs is a Home Rule Municipality that is the county seat and most populous city of El Paso County, Colorado, United States. Colorado Springs is located in South-Central Colorado, in the southern portion of the state. It is situated on Fountain Creek and is located south of the Colorado...
and the city of Chamonix-Mont Blanc, France
Chamonix
Chamonix-Mont-Blanc or, more commonly, Chamonix is a commune in the Haute-Savoie département in the Rhône-Alpes region in south-eastern France. It was the site of the 1924 Winter Olympics, the first Winter Olympics...
. All three cities are related by famous mountains: Pikes Peak
Pikes Peak
Pikes Peak is a mountain in the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains, west of Colorado Springs, Colorado, in El Paso County in the United States of America....
in Colorado Springs, Mont Blanc
Mont Blanc
Mont Blanc or Monte Bianco , meaning "White Mountain", is the highest mountain in the Alps, Western Europe and the European Union. It rises above sea level and is ranked 11th in the world in topographic prominence...
in Chamonix, and Mount Fuji
Mount Fuji
is the highest mountain in Japan at . An active stratovolcano that last erupted in 1707–08, Mount Fuji lies about south-west of Tokyo, and can be seen from there on a clear day. Mount Fuji's exceptionally symmetrical cone is a well-known symbol of Japan and it is frequently depicted in art and...
in Fujiyoshida.
Colorado Springs
Fujiyoshida and Colorado Springs entered into a sister city relationship in 1962. Fujiyoshida was the second city in Yamanashi prefecture to have a sister city relationship, and the 49th city in Japan. On June 10, 1966 the Colorado Springs Downtown Rotary Club erected a torii gate to commemorate the Sister City relationship on the grassy median at the intersection of Nevada and Bijou streets in downtown Colorado Springs. According to a book by Omura Sakae, a long time sister city supporter who stayed in Colorado Springs and taught at Colorado College
Colorado College
The Colorado College is a private liberal arts college in Colorado Springs, Colorado, United States, in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains. It was founded in 1874 by Thomas Nelson Haskell...
, the torii gate was funded by the Downtown Rotary Club for $1500 dollars, which included a Japanese garden. Fujiyoshida sent Fujizakura trees (Fuji cherry trees, Fujiyoshida's city flower) to Colorado Springs to commemorate the event, but the torii gate itself was planned and funded in Colorado Springs. William Vandel (d. 1975) was the sister city president in Colorado Springs at the time, and the gate was designed by him. The gate was rebuilt in 1991. The kanji characters at the top of the gate read shimai-toshi, which means "sister city." The torii gate is one of Colorado Springs' most recognizable landmarks. Reciprocal mayoral visits occurred in 2002 to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the sister cities. The two cities will celebrate their 50th anniversary in 2012.
Every August, the city of Fujiyoshida sends sixteen students from local junior high schools and two chaperones to Colorado Springs for ten days. Chaperones are chosen among employees of Fujiyoshida City Hall and teachers. Group activities include tours to the top of Pikes Peak
Pikes Peak
Pikes Peak is a mountain in the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains, west of Colorado Springs, Colorado, in El Paso County in the United States of America....
, the Garden of the Gods
Garden of the Gods
Garden of the Gods is a public park located in Colorado Springs, Colorado, USA.-Genesis of the park:Entrance to the park is free according to the wish of Charles Elliott Perkins, whose children donated the land to the city of Colorado Springs in 1909....
, and the Garden of the Gods Trading Post.
Fujiyoshida City currently employs three Colorado Springs natives as part of the JET program. Two are Assistant Language Teacher
Assistant Language Teacher
Assistant Language Teacher is a term that was created by the Japanese Ministry of Education at the time of the creation of the JET Programme as a translation of the term 外国語指導助手 or literally "foreign language instruction assistant." The terms AET , ELT and NESA Assistant Language Teacher (ALT)...
s (ALT) at local junior high schools, and the third is a Coordinator for International Relations
Coordinator for International Relations
A , or CIR, is a partipant on the JET Programme residing and working in Japan. Although responsibilities for a CIR vary according to his or her contracting organization, the majority of a CIR's time is spent organizing and assisting various projects related to adjusting Japanese society to an...
(CIR) at Fujiyoshida City Hall.
Chamonix-Mont Blanc
Fujiyoshida became sister cities with the city of Chamonix-Mont Blanc, France in 1978. Since then, the two cities have enjoyed numerous exchange activities including the Double Summit Challenge in 2005, an event where citizens of the two sister cities climbed the summits of their respective mountain peaks: Mt. Fuji and Mont Blanc
Mont Blanc
Mont Blanc or Monte Bianco , meaning "White Mountain", is the highest mountain in the Alps, Western Europe and the European Union. It rises above sea level and is ranked 11th in the world in topographic prominence...
.
External links
} English version PDMZ.com's pictures & reviews of Fujiyoshida's Famous Udon Shops Article, pictures and video about Kitaguchi Hongu Fuji Sengen Jinja