Hida, Gifu
Encyclopedia
Gifu Prefecture
is a prefecture located in the Chūbu region of central Japan. Its capital is the city of Gifu.Located in the center of Japan, it has long played an important part as the crossroads of Japan, connecting the east to the west through such routes as the Nakasendō...
, 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...
. It received its name from the historical province of Hida Province
Hida Province
is an old province located in the area of Gifu Prefecture. It was sometimes called . The province was in the Tōsandō area of central Honshu.-History:...
, which was centered around the same area.
The official kanji
Kanji
Kanji are the adopted logographic Chinese characters hanzi that are used in the modern Japanese writing system along with hiragana , katakana , Indo Arabic numerals, and the occasional use of the Latin alphabet...
for the city is actually 飛驒, which uses the old rendering of the 騨 character. However, the 驒 characters is not included on the official list of usable characters (as decided by the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications
Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications
The ' or Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications is a cabinet-level ministry in the Government of Japan. The English name Ministry of Public Management, Home Affairs, Posts and Telecommunications was used prior to 2004...
), so the 騨 character is often used outside of the city.
History
The city was established on February 1, 2004 by the merger of the towns of Furukawa and Kamioka and the villages of Kawai and Miyagawa, all from Yoshiki DistrictYoshiki District, Gifu
was a district located in Gifu Prefecture, Japan. The district was dissolved on February 1, 2005 when the town and village in the district merged into the expanded city of Takayama....
.
Geography
The city is located on the northern part of the Hida Plateau. The city is geographically divided into two areas, the eastern and western half. The Takahara RiverTakahara River
The has its source at Mount Norikura in the northern part of Gifu Prefecture, Japan, and flows into Toyama Prefecture, where it joins with the Jinzū River...
flows through the eastern half the city and the Miya River flows through the western half (both rivers are part of the Jinzū River
Jinzu River
The is a river that flows from Gifu Prefecture to Toyama Prefecture in Japan. It is called Miya River in Gifu. It is in length and has a watershed of .-Geography:...
river system). A mountainous region separates the two sides and the population generally clusters around the two river valleys.
Much of the area within the city's borders is covered in forests. There are many mountains that reach higher than 1000 feet (305 m), though some peaks in the Hida Mountains
Hida Mountains
The , or , is a Japanese mountain range which stretches through Nagano, Toyama and Gifu prefectures. A small portion of the mountains also reach into Niigata Prefecture. William Gowland coined the phrase "Japanese Alps" during his time in Japan, but he was only referring to the Hida Mountains when...
reach even higher, going beyond 2000 feet (610 m).
Economy
The main two traditional economies in the city are the production of sake and Japanese candles. The Furukawa area of the city is known for both of these crafts, though the Kamioka section is also known for its sake production.Railroad
JR CentralCentral Japan Railway Company
The is the main railway company operating in the Chūbu region of central Japan. It is officially abbreviated in English as JR Central and in Japanese as . Its headquarters are located in the JR Central Towers in Nakamura-ku, Nagoya, Aichi Prefecture.The company's operational hub is Nagoya Station...
operates seven stations within Hida along the Takayama Main Line
Takayama Main Line
is a Japanese railway line between Gifu Station in Gifu and Toyama Station in Toyama, operated by Central Japan Railway Company and West Japan Railway Company . The line directly links Chūkyō Metropolitan Area and Hokuriku region in a shorter distance, but slower than to use Tōkaidō Shinkansen...
. The main station for the city is Hida-Furukawa Station. The other six stations are north of Hida-Furukawa and are, in order: Sugisaki, Hida-Hosoe, Tsunogawa, Sakakami, Utsubo and Sugihara stations.
Highway
The major expressway through the city is the Tōkai-Hokuriku ExpresswayTokai-Hokuriku Expressway
The is a national expressway in the Chūbu region on the island of Honshū in Japan. It is managed by Central Nippon Expressway Company.-Overview:Tōkai and Hokuriku are the names of the two regions of Japan that are linked by the expressway....
, which connects the cities of Nagoya and Gifu
Gifu, Gifu
is a city located in the south-central portion of Gifu Prefecture, Japan, and serves as the prefectural capital. The city has played an important role in Japan's history because of its location in the middle of the country. During the Sengoku period, various warlords, including Oda Nobunaga, used...
with Toyama
Toyama, Toyama
is the capital city of Toyama Prefecture, Japan, located on the coast of the Sea of Japan in the Chūbu region on central Honshū, about 200 km north of the city of Nagoya and 300 km northwest of Tokyo....
. Four national highways run through the city as well: National Routes 41
Japan National Route 41
is a national highway connecting Nagoya, Aichi Prefecture, and Toyama, Toyama Prefecture, Japan. The bulk of the road run throughs Gifu Prefecture. The route is also referred to as Yon-ichi and Shippin, based on the Japanese readings for the route numbering....
, 360, 471 and 472.
Neighboring municipalities
Gifu Prefecture- TakayamaTakayama, Gifuis a city located in Gifu, Japan. As of July, 2011 the city has an estimated population of 92,369. The total area is .Takayama was settled as far back as the Jōmon period. Takayama is best known for its inhabitants' expertise in carpentry. It is believed carpenters from Takayama worked on the...
, ShirakawaShirakawa, Gifu (village)is a village located in Ōno District, Gifu Prefecture, Japan. It is best known for being the site of Shirakawa-gō, a small, traditional village showcasing a style of buildings called gasshō-zukuri....
(Ōno DistrictOno District, Gifuis a district of Japan in Gifu Prefecture.The district is in a mountainous region near the geographic centre of Japan. Prior to 1 February 2005, the district comprised seven small communities, but on that day six of them merged into the expanded city of Takayama...
)
Toyama Prefecture
- ToyamaToyama, Toyamais the capital city of Toyama Prefecture, Japan, located on the coast of the Sea of Japan in the Chūbu region on central Honshū, about 200 km north of the city of Nagoya and 300 km northwest of Tokyo....
, NantoNanto, Toyamais a city located in Toyama Prefecture, Japan.-History:As of 2000, 8 municipalities that merged into the city had an estimated total population of 60,182 with an average population density of 89.98 persons per km². The total area is 668.86 km²...