Uonuma, Niigata
Encyclopedia
Niigata Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan located on the island of Honshū on the coast of the Sea of Japan. The capital is the city of Niigata. The name "Niigata" literally means "new lagoon".- History :...
, 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 has an area of 946.93 km² and a population of 41,894 (as of January 1, 2009).
It is famous for its rice – the koshihikari
Koshihikari
Koshihikari is a popular variety of rice cultivated in Japan as well as Australia and the United States.Koshihikari was first created in 1956, by combining 2 different strains of Nourin No.1 and Nourin No.22 at the Fukui Prefectural Agricultural Research Facility. It has become very popular now in...
rice grown in Uonuma is the most sought-after and most expensive rice in Japan. This fame is due to the ideal growing conditions in the area.
History
- The city was established on November 1, 2004 by the merger of the towns of HorinouchiHorinouchi, NiigataHorinouchi was a town located in Kitauonuma District, Niigata, Japan.As of 2003, the town was estimated population of 9,403 and a density of 136.28 persons per km²...
and KoideKoide, Niigatawas a town located in Kitauonuma District, Niigata, Japan. It is famous for its snowy ski resort.As of 2003, the town had an estimated population of 12,735 and a density of 423.93 persons per km²...
, and the villages of HirokamiHirokami, NiigataHirokami was a village located in Kitauonuma District, Niigata, Japan.As of 2003, the village had an estimated population of 8,892 and a density of 84.17 persons per km²...
, IrihiroseIrihirose, NiigataIrihirose was a village located in Kitauonuma District, Niigata, Japan.As of 2003, the village had an estimated population of 1,907 and a density of 7.01 persons per km²...
, SumonSumon, NiigataSumon was a village located in Kitauonuma District, Niigata, Japan.As of 2003, the village had an estimated population of 4,663 and a density of 38.85 persons per km²...
and YunotaniYunotani, NiigataYunotani was a village located in Kitauonuma District, Niigata, Japan.As of 2003, the village had an estimated population of 6,433 and a density of 18.38 persons per km²...
, all from Kitauonuma DistrictKitauonuma District, Niigatawas a district located in Niigata, Japan.- History :* On 1954, areas now covering Ojiya merged and gained city status.* On November 1, 2004 towns of Horinouchi and Koide, and the villages of Hirokami, Irihirose, Sumon and Yunotani merged to create the new city of Uonuma; leaving the village of...
.
Notable natives
- Ken WatanabeKen Watanabeis a Japanese stage, film, and television actor. To English-speaking audiences he is known for playing tragic hero characters, such as General Tadamichi Kuribayashi in Letters from Iwo Jima and Lord Katsumoto Moritsugu in The Last Samurai, for which he was nominated for the Academy Award for Best...
, actor in many Japanese and American productions. - Shuji Miya, poet
- Sohachi Yamaoka, novelist
- Tsuneo Ikeda, journalist