Azumino

Azumino is a combination of two words, "Azumi" and "no". "Azumi" comes from the Azumi people, who are said to have moved to the "no" (plain) in ancient times. The Azumi people originally lived in northern Kyushu, and were famed for their skills in fishing and navigation. "The Azumi people" can be translated as "the people who live on the sea." The reason why the seafaring people migrated to this mountainous region is a mystery.

Azumino is located in the Azumino Plateau on the northwestern end of the Matsumoto Basin, between mountain ranges to the west and east. The range of mountains on the western border is known as the Northern Alps (Hida Mountains) and is popular among hikers all over Japan. To the south is the city of Matsumoto, Nagano prefecture's second largest city. To the north lies the city of Ōmachi, and north of Ōmachi is the village of Hakuba. Hakuba was the site of many of the ski events during the 1998 Winter Olympic Games. Mount Jōnen at {{convert|2857|m|ft}} is the highest elevation in the city.

• Nagano Prefecture
• Chikuhoku
• Ikeda
• Ikusaka
• Matsukawa
• Matsumoto
• Ōmachi

The city has a climate characterized by characterized by hot and humid summers, and relatively mild winters (Köppen climate classification Cfa). The average annual temperature in Azumino is {{cvt|11.8|C}}. The average annual rainfall is {{cvt|1108.7|mm}} with September as the wettest month. The temperatures are highest on average in August, at around {{cvt|24.7|C}}, and lowest in January, at around {{cvt|-0.8|C}}. The mountainous portions of the city are considered part of the snow country of Japan, with heavy accumulations of snow in winter.

{{Weather box

|width=auto

|collapsed =

|single line = Y

|metric first = Y

|location = Hotaka, Azumino (1991−2020 normals, extremes 1978−present)

|Jan record high C = 17.9

|Feb record high C = 20.6

|Mar record high C = 27.3

|Apr record high C = 31.0

|May record high C = 34.5

|Jun record high C = 37.7

|Jul record high C = 37.8

|Aug record high C = 37.7

|Sep record high C = 36.1

|Oct record high C = 29.8

|Nov record high C = 24.8

|Dec record high C = 20.4

|Jan record low C = -16.7

|Feb record low C = -17.1

|Mar record low C = -12.8

|Apr record low C = -7.5

|May record low C = -0.5

|Jun record low C = 5.7

|Jul record low C = 12.0

|Aug record low C = 10.9

|Sep record low C = 3.8

|Oct record low C = -1.8

|Nov record low C = -6.2

|Dec record low C = -14.2

|Jan high C = 4.3

|Feb high C = 5.8

|Mar high C = 10.7

|Apr high C = 17.8

|May high C = 23.4

|Jun high C = 26.1

|Jul high C = 29.6

|Aug high C = 31.1

|Sep high C = 25.9

|Oct high C = 19.5

|Nov high C = 13.5

|Dec high C = 7.3

|Jan mean C = -0.8

|Feb mean C = 0.1

|Mar mean C = 4.1

|Apr mean C = 10.4

|May mean C = 16.2

|Jun mean C = 20.0

|Jul mean C = 23.8

|Aug mean C = 24.7

|Sep mean C = 20.2

|Oct mean C = 13.6

|Nov mean C = 7.2

|Dec mean C = 1.9

|Jan low C = -5.3

|Feb low C = -5.0

|Mar low C = -1.4

|Apr low C = 3.8

|May low C = 9.9

|Jun low C = 15.1

|Jul low C = 19.5

|Aug low C = 20.2

|Sep low C = 15.9

|Oct low C = 8.9

|Nov low C = 2.1

|Dec low C = -2.5

|precipitation colour = green

|Jan precipitation mm = 45.4

|Feb precipitation mm = 45.5

|Mar precipitation mm = 83.8

|Apr precipitation mm = 83.5

|May precipitation mm = 95.6

|Jun precipitation mm = 123.7

|Jul precipitation mm = 145.5

|Aug precipitation mm = 106.7

|Sep precipitation mm = 155.8

|Oct precipitation mm = 126.6

|Nov precipitation mm = 58.4

|Dec precipitation mm = 38.2

|year precipitation mm = 1108.7

|unit precipitation days = 1.0 mm

|Jan precipitation days = 6.4

|Feb precipitation days = 6.6

|Mar precipitation days = 9.4

|Apr precipitation days = 8.6

|May precipitation days = 8.9

|Jun precipitation days = 10.6

|Jul precipitation days = 12.5

|Aug precipitation days = 10.1

|Sep precipitation days = 10.5

|Oct precipitation days = 8.7

|Nov precipitation days = 6.6

|Dec precipitation days = 6.9

|Jan sun = 139.9

|Feb sun = 148.3

|Mar sun = 172.1

|Apr sun = 193.9

|May sun = 201.6

|Jun sun = 149.0

|Jul sun = 151.2

|Aug sun = 184.3

|Sep sun = 131.4

|Oct sun = 137.1

|Nov sun = 135.1

|Dec sun = 130.2

|year sun = 1874.1

|source 1 = Japan Meteorological Agency{{cite web

| url = https://www.data.jma.go.jp/obd/stats/etrn/view/rank_a.php?prec_no=48&block_no=0404&year=&month=&day=&view=h0

|script-title=ja:観測史上1～10位の値（年間を通じての値）

| publisher = JMA

| access-date = April 21, 2022}}{{cite web

| url = https://www.data.jma.go.jp/obd/stats/etrn/view/nml_amd_ym.php?prec_no=48&block_no=0404&year=&month=&day=&view=h0

|script-title=ja:気象庁 / 平年値（年・月ごとの値）

| publisher = JMA

| access-date = April 21, 2022}}}}

The area of present-day Azumino was part of ancient Shinano Province. The area was part of the holdings of Matsumoto Domain during the Edo period. The modern city of Azumino was established on October 1, 2005, by the merger of the town of Akashina (from Higashichikuma District), the towns of Hotaka and Toyoshina, and the villages of Horigane and Misato (all from Minamiazumi District).

Per Japanese census data,[https://www.citypopulation.de/php/japan-nagano.php Azumino population statistics] the population of Azumino has recently plateaued after several decades of growth.

{{Historical populations

| 1960 | 66,564

| 1970 | 65,690

| 1980 | 75,209

| 1990 | 83,154

| 2000 | 92,864

| 2010 | 96,461

| 2020 | 94,222

|align = none

| footnote =

}}

Azumino has a mayor-council form of government with a directly elected mayor and a unicameral city legislature of 22 members.

Azumino has ten public elementary schools and seven public middle schools. The city has four public high schools operated by the Nagano Prefectural Board of Education.

• 20px East Japan Railway Company - Ōito Line
• {{STN|Azusabashi|x}} - {{STN|Hitoichiba|x}} - {{STN|Nakagaya|x}} - {{STN|Minami-Toyoshina|x}} - {{STN|Toyoshina|x}} - {{STN|Hakuyachō|x}} - {{STN|Hotaka|x}} - {{STN|Ariake|x|Nagano}} - {{STN|Azumi-Oiwake|x}}
• 20px East Japan Railway Company - Shinonoi Line
• {{STN|Tazawa|x}} - {{STN|Akashina|x}}

• Image:JP Expressway E50.svg Nagano Expressway
• {{jct|country=JPN|Route|19}}
• {{jct|country=JPN|Route|143}}
• {{jct|country=JPN|Route|147}}
• {{jct|country=JPN|Route|304}}

• Misato, Saitama, Saitama Prefecture
• Edogawa, Tokyo
• Musashino, Tokyo
• Manazuru, Kanagawa
• Sangō, Nara
• Higashi-ku, Fukuoka

• {{flagicon|Austria}} - Kramsach, Austria, since November 25, 1993 [http://www.city.azumino.nagano.jp/soshiki/6/404.html Azumino city official home page] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170308223403/http://www.city.azumino.nagano.jp/soshiki/6/404.html |date=2017-03-08 }}{{in lang|ja}}
• {{flagicon|USA}} - Collierville, Tennessee, United States

File:Daio wasabi farm02c.jpg

• Azumino is home to the world's largest wasabi farm, Daio Wasabi Farm.{{Cite web |url=http://welcome.city.matsumoto.nagano.jp/contents03+index.id+15.htm |title=Matsumoto Welcomes You! - Sightseeing - Daio Wasabi Farm |access-date=2014-02-21 |archive-date=2016-04-08 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160408143144/http://welcome.city.matsumoto.nagano.jp/contents03+index.id+15.htm |url-status=dead }}
• Jōkyō Gimin Memorial Museum
• Hotaka Jinja
• Mount Jōnen
• Mount Chō

• Keikoku Fujimori (1835–1905), artist & educator
• Kigenji Iguchi (1870–1938), educator
• Masaaki Iinuma (1912–1941), pilot & aviation pioneer
• Kiyoshi Kiyosawa (1890–1945), journalist
• Kei Kumai (1930–2007), film director
• Kyūsaku Matsuzawa (1855–1887), people's rights activist
• Risaku Mutai (1890–1974), philosopher
• Rokuzan Ogiwara (1879–1910), sculptor
• Aizō Sōma (1870–1954), founded Nakamuraya
• Tada Kasuke (?–1687), executed farmer
• Setsuro Takahashi (1914–2007), lacquerware artist
• Etsujirō Uehara (1877–1962), political scientist & politician
• Bumpei Usui, a professional artist, came from Tōmi in Horikin Village, Minami Azumino County, Nagano Prefecture.
• Yoshimi Usui (1905–1987), editor & writer

{{reflist}}

{{Wikivoyage|Azumino}}

{{commons category-inline}}

• [http://www.city.azumino.nagano.jp/ Official Website] {{in lang|ja}}

{{Nagano}}

{{Authority control}}

Category:Cities in Nagano Prefecture