Nanto, Toyama

Nanto (南砺市, Nanto-shi) is a city in Toyama Prefecture, Japan. It is in a mountainous area in the south-west corner of the prefecture just north of Gifu Prefecture. It is home to the Gokayama UNESCO World Heritage site. As of 28 February 2018, the city had an estimated population of 51,669 in 17,761 households[1] and a population density of 75.8 persons per km². Its total area is 668.64 square kilometres (258.16 sq mi).[2]

Nanto
南砺市
City
Nanto City Hall
Nanto City Hall
Flag of Nanto
Flag
Official seal of Nanto
Seal
Location of Nanto in Toyama Prefecture
Location of Nanto in Toyama Prefecture
Nanto is located in Japan
Nanto
Nanto
 
Coordinates: 36°35′16″N 136°55′9.8″E
Country Japan
RegionChūbu (Kōshin'etsu)
Prefecture Toyama
Government
 • MayorMikio Tanaka
Area
 • Total668.64 km2 (258.16 sq mi)
Population
 (October 1, 2020)
 • Total47,976
 • Density71.76/km2 (185.9/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+09:00 (JST)
Postal code
939-1692
Address1550 Araki, Nanto-shi,
Toyama-ken
ClimateCfa
WebsiteOfficial website
Traditional thatched-roofed homes in Ainokura, Gokayama

Geography

Nanto is located in the southwestern Toyama Prefecture, and is bordered by Ishikawa Prefecture to the west and Gifu Prefecture to the south. The northern part of the city is within the Tochi plains, and the southern portion of the city is mountainous. Much of the area is a dispersed settlement typical of this region of Japan. The different regions of Nanto consist of Fukuno, Fukumitsu, Johana, Inokuchi, and Inami.

Surrounding municipalities

Climate

Nanto has a humid continental climate (Köppen Cfa) characterized by mild summers and cold winters with heavy snowfall. The average annual temperature in Nanto is 13.6 °C. The average annual rainfall is 2410 mm with September as the wettest month. The temperatures are highest on average in August, at around 26.3 °C, and lowest in January, at around 2.0 °C.[3]

Climate data for Nanto (1991−2020 normals, extremes 1978−present)
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °C (°F) 19.3
(66.7)		 21.1
(70.0)		 26.7
(80.1)		 31.2
(88.2)		 32.2
(90.0)		 33.3
(91.9)		 36.0
(96.8)		 38.6
(101.5)		 36.9
(98.4)		 34.3
(93.7)		 27.2
(81.0)		 24.4
(75.9)		 38.6
(101.5)
Average high °C (°F) 5.6
(42.1)		 6.3
(43.3)		 10.7
(51.3)		 17.0
(62.6)		 22.2
(72.0)		 25.2
(77.4)		 29.0
(84.2)		 30.5
(86.9)		 26.4
(79.5)		 20.9
(69.6)		 15.0
(59.0)		 9.0
(48.2)		 18.2
(64.7)
Daily mean °C (°F) 1.9
(35.4)		 2.0
(35.6)		 5.6
(42.1)		 11.3
(52.3)		 16.9
(62.4)		 20.7
(69.3)		 24.6
(76.3)		 25.6
(78.1)		 21.6
(70.9)		 15.8
(60.4)		 10.1
(50.2)		 4.8
(40.6)		 13.4
(56.1)
Average low °C (°F) −1.4
(29.5)		 −1.8
(28.8)		 0.9
(33.6)		 5.9
(42.6)		 12.0
(53.6)		 16.8
(62.2)		 21.0
(69.8)		 21.6
(70.9)		 17.7
(63.9)		 11.5
(52.7)		 5.7
(42.3)		 1.1
(34.0)		 9.3
(48.7)
Record low °C (°F) −12.1
(10.2)		 −12.1
(10.2)		 −7.2
(19.0)		 −2.7
(27.1)		 3.7
(38.7)		 9.0
(48.2)		 13.9
(57.0)		 13.9
(57.0)		 7.2
(45.0)		 1.3
(34.3)		 −3.0
(26.6)		 −9.9
(14.2)		 −12.1
(10.2)
Average precipitation mm (inches) 321.9
(12.67)		 204.8
(8.06)		 180.3
(7.10)		 135.7
(5.34)		 117.5
(4.63)		 182.6
(7.19)		 231.6
(9.12)		 203.5
(8.01)		 221.7
(8.73)		 184.4
(7.26)		 261.7
(10.30)		 351.9
(13.85)		 2,597.3
(102.26)
Average precipitation days (≥ 1.0 mm) 23.7 19.1 18.2 13.1 11.4 11.6 14.4 11.0 13.6 13.6 17.5 22.8 190
Mean monthly sunshine hours 52.9 74.2 125.6 172.2 193.1 133.9 132.6 175.5 122.6 129.5 100.1 62.4 1,474.5
Source: Japan Meteorological Agency[4][5]

Demographics

Per Japanese census data,[6] the population of Nanto has declined over the past 60 years.

Historical population
YearPop.±%
1960 76,908—    
1970 68,979−10.3%
1980 66,844−3.1%
1990 65,113−2.6%
2000 60,182−7.6%
2010 54,724−9.1%
2020 47,937−12.4%

History

The area of present-day Nanto was part of ancient Etchū Province.

The modern city of Nanto was established on November 1, 2004, from the merger of the towns of Fukuno, Inami and Jōhana, the villages of Inokuchi, Kamitaira, Taira and Toga (all from Higashitonami District), and the town of Fukumitsu (from Nishitonami District).[2]

Government

Nanto has a mayor-council form of government with a directly elected mayor and a unicameral city legislature of 20 members.

The current Mayor is Mikio Tanaka who is currently serving his second term after initially being elected on November 16, 2008.[7]

Industry

Nanto is home to the P.A. Works animation studio, which is responsible for making shows like Canaan, Angel Beats!, Charlotte, and Sakura Quest. Nanto is also the location of the headquarters of KAWADA Technologies Inc. as well as a head office of the Daiken Corporation.[8] Nanto is also well known for the Inami woodcarving town, which is believed to have been practicing the craft since 1390 C.E.[9]

Places of Interest/Tourist Locations

Gokayama

Gokayama is a area in Nanto that is a part of the UNESCO World Heritage List thanks to its traditional gassho built houses, which preserve a traditional architectural style that has a steep steeple shape to cope with the 2 to 3 meters of snow buildup the area gets in the winter.[10] The village holds considerable history with some of the structures being dated back to the Nara Period (710 C.E.).[11] Activities in the area in include participating in weaving and dying fabrics as well as making buckwheat (soba) noodles.

Zentokuji Temple

This temple in Johana was founded roughly 530 years ago.[12] It is a major temple of the Otani sect of Pure Land Buddhism and is home to over 10,000 treasured items including a collection of writings from the sect founder Shinran.[12]

Inami Woodcarving Town
Inami town old street

In this village roughly 200 woodcarving artisans work and carve wooden pieces of art that fill the town. The town has been a center for the woodcarving industry in Japan for about 250 years. Many of the woodcarvings can be seen walking down Yokamachi Road from Zuisenji Temple. The temple is also known for the wood carvings in the architecture of the building.[13]

IOX-AROSA

Located in Fukumitsu, in the summer, one can take a gondola up much of Mt. Iozen from here and get a view of most of Nanto City. In the winter it offers skiing and snowboarding down slopes from high up on the Mountain.[14]

Education

Nanto has nine public elementary schools and eight public junior high schools operated by the town government, and three public high schools operated by the Toyama Prefectural Board of Education.[15]

Transportation

Railway

Bus Routes

Highway

International relations

In media

The city Monoyama in the anime Sakura Quest is modeled after Nanto City where the anime studio P.A. Works is headquartered.

See also

References
  1. home page official statuistics(in Japanese)
  2. "A Survey of Nanto City". Nanto City. Archived from the original on 10 November 2017. Retrieved 16 July 2017.
  3. Nanto climate data
  4. 観測史上1～10位の値（年間を通じての値）. JMA. Retrieved March 6, 2022.
  5. 気象庁 / 平年値（年・月ごとの値）. JMA. Retrieved March 6, 2022.
  6. Nanto population statistics
  7. ja:南砺市
  8. ja:南砺市#経済・産業
  9. ja:井波彫刻
  10. "History & Culture｜GOKAYAMA SAISAIGOKAYAMA Official Travel Guide".
  11. http://gokayama-info.jp/en/history/history.php
  12. "Johana Betsuin Zentokuji Temple｜Sightseeing｜NANTO｜TOYAMA JAPAN｜GOKAYAMA". www.tabi-nanto.jp. Archived from the original on 2012-06-14.
  13. Nanto City Tourism Pamphlet(Japanese)
  14. "Home". iox-arosa.jp.
  15. http://www.city.nanto.toyama.jp/cms-sypher/www/section/index.jsp official home page
  16. "International Exchange". List of Affiliation Partners within Prefectures. Council of Local Authorities for International Relations (CLAIR). Archived from the original on 8 February 2012. Retrieved 21 November 2015.
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