Tonami (砺波市, Tonami-shi) is a city in Toyama Prefecture, Japan. As of 31 March 2018[update], the city had an estimated population of 48,659 in 16,739 households [1] and a population density of 384 persons per km². Its total area was 127.03 square kilometres (49.05 sq mi).[2]
Geography
"dispersed settlements" (散居村, Sankyo-son) in Tonami
Tonami is located in the Tonami plains of western Toyama Prefecture. Much of the area is a dispersed settlement typical of this region of Japan.
Tonami has a humid continental climate (Köppen Cfa) characterized by mild summers and cold winters with heavy snowfall. The average annual temperature in Himi is 13.8 °C. The average annual rainfall is 2414 mm with September as the wettest month. The temperatures are highest on average in August, at around 26.4 °C, and lowest in January, at around 2.4 °C.[3]
Climate data for Tonami (1991−2020 normals, extremes 1976−present)
Per Japanese census data,[6] the population of Tonami has recently plateaued after a long period of growth.
Historical population
Year
Pop.
±%
1970
41,403
—
1980
43,530
+5.1%
1990
44,521
+2.3%
2000
48,092
+8.0%
2010
49,410
+2.7%
2020
48,154
−2.5%
History
The area of present-day Tonami was part of ancient Etchū Province, and was part of the holdings of Kaga Domain under the Edo periodTokugawa shogunate. The town of Tonami was founded on April 1, 1952 by the merger of the town of Demachi with the villages of Gokaya, Aburaden, Shoge, Nakamura and Hayashi. The villages of Aoshima and Ogami joined two months later on June 1, 1952. The villages of Ota, Minamihannya, Higachi-Nojiri, Yanaze and Nishi-Tonami were annexed on January 15, 1954, followed by Sendan, Sendanyama, Hannya, and Higashi-Hannya on March 1. The expanded town of Tonami was raised to city status on April 1, 1954. On November 1, 2004, the town of Shōgawa (from Higashitonami District) was merged into Tonami.
Government
Tonami has a mayor-council form of government with a directly elected mayor and a unicameral city legislature of 18 members.
Education
Tonami has eight public elementary schools and four public junior high schools operated by the town government, and two public high schools operated by the Toyama Prefectural Board of Education.[citation needed]
Yotaka festival, held in June, with many parade floats which purposely collide during the festival, drawing large crowds to witness the spectacle. The Yotaka festival event originally began in the neighboring town of Fukuno. It features competitions between groups carrying mikoshi portable shrines. "Yoiyasa" is a traditional saying shouted by many during the event. When it is night, lamps using paper shades are lit. This festival is a prayer for a good harvest of the fields.
There is a tulip park in Tonami, as well as a nationally recognized tulip festival that is held every year. There is a windmill transferred by the Netherlands, inscribed "DE VRIENDSCHAP" (friendship). The Tonami tulip festival has over 600 different kinds of tulips, and more than 2.5 million tulips in recent years.[9]
^ abc"International Exchange". List of Affiliation Partners within Prefectures. Council of Local Authorities for International Relations (CLAIR). Retrieved 21 November 2015.
^増山城跡. Cultural Heritage Online (in Japanese). Agency for Cultural Affairs. Retrieved 25 December 2017.
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