Murakami, Niigata

Murakami (村上市, Murakami-shi) is a city located in Niigata Prefecture, Japan. As of 1 July 2019, the city had an estimated population of 58,309 in 22,843 households,[1] and a population density of 49.7 persons per km². The total area of the city was 1,174.26 square kilometres (453.38 sq mi).

Murakami

村上市
City
Murakami Taisai Festival
Flag
Seal
Location of Murakami in Niigata Prefecture
Murakami
 
Murakami
Murakami (Japan)
Coordinates: 38°13′26.4″N 139°28′48″E
Country Japan
RegionChūbu (Kōshin'etsu) (Hokuriku)
PrefectureNiigata
Area
 • Total1,174.26 km2 (453.38 sq mi)
Population
 (July 1, 2019)
 • Total58,309
 • Density50/km2 (130/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+9 (Japan Standard Time)
Symbols 
• TreeFagus crenata
• FlowerRosa rugosa
• BirdSpizaetus nipalensis
Phone number0254-53-2111
Address1-1, Sannochō, Murakami-shi, Niigata-ken 958-8501
WebsiteOfficial website
Murakami City Hall
Murakami City, seen from the castle ruins on Oshiroyama

Geography

Murakami is located on the Sea of Japan coast of far northern Niigata Prefecture, bordered by Yamagata Prefecture to the north and east.

Surrounding municipalities

Climate

Murakami has a Humid climate (Köppen Cfa) characterized by warm, wet summers and cold winters with heavy snowfall. The average annual temperature in Murakami is 12.6 °C. The average annual rainfall is 2122 mm with September as the wettest month. The temperatures are highest on average in August, at around 25.9 °C, and lowest in January, at around 0.9 °C.[2]

Climate data for Murakami, Niigata (1981-2010)
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Average high °C (°F) 4.5
(40.1)		 5.0
(41.0)		 8.8
(47.8)		 15.7
(60.3)		 21.0
(69.8)		 24.7
(76.5)		 28.0
(82.4)		 30.4
(86.7)		 25.9
(78.6)		 19.7
(67.5)		 13.4
(56.1)		 7.8
(46.0)		 17.1
(62.7)
Daily mean °C (°F) 1.4
(34.5)		 1.5
(34.7)		 4.3
(39.7)		 10.1
(50.2)		 15.4
(59.7)		 19.8
(67.6)		 23.5
(74.3)		 25.3
(77.5)		 20.8
(69.4)		 14.5
(58.1)		 8.8
(47.8)		 4.2
(39.6)		 12.5
(54.4)
Average low °C (°F) −1.3
(29.7)		 −1.6
(29.1)		 0.1
(32.2)		 4.6
(40.3)		 10.2
(50.4)		 15.4
(59.7)		 19.7
(67.5)		 21.0
(69.8)		 16.6
(61.9)		 10.1
(50.2)		 4.7
(40.5)		 1.0
(33.8)		 8.4
(47.1)
Average precipitation mm (inches) 207.0
(8.15)		 144.3
(5.68)		 128.7
(5.07)		 116.8
(4.60)		 128.0
(5.04)		 139.3
(5.48)		 211.3
(8.32)		 167.7
(6.60)		 182.4
(7.18)		 207.8
(8.18)		 250.9
(9.88)		 236.7
(9.32)		 2,120.9
(83.5)
Mean monthly sunshine hours 34.5 53.8 104.4 160.4 181.3 165.7 154.0 196.8 138.6 127.3 78.4 42.6 1,437.8
Source: Japan Meteorological Agency

Demographics

Per Japanese census data,[3] the population of Murakami has declined steadily over the past 40 years.

Census Year Population
1970 83,107
1980 80,206
1990 76,511
2000 73,902
2010 66,427

History

The area of present-day Murakami was part of ancient Echigo Province. Murakami developed as a port and a castle town for the Murakami Domain under the Tokugawa shogunate in the Edo period. Even today, the downtown area shows the influence of its past existence as a residence of samurai and merchants. Following the Meiji restoration, the area was organized as part of Iwafune District, Niigata, and the town of Murakami was established with the establishment of the modern municipalities system on April 1, 1889. Murakami was raised to city status on March 31, 1954. On April 1, 2008, the towns of Arakawa and Sanpoku and the villages of Asahi and Kamihayashi (all from Iwafune District) were merged into Murakami.

Government

Murakami has a mayor-council form of government with a directly elected mayor and a unicameral city legislature of 26 members.

Education

Murakami has 21 public elementary schools and seven public middle schools operated by the city government. There is one public middle school and three public high schools operated by the Niigata Prefectural Board of Education. The prefecture also operates one special education school.

Transportation

Railway

JR East - Uetsu Main Line

JR East - Yonesaka Line

Highway

Sister city relations

Local attractions

Famous products of Murakami are tea (Murakami is the northernmost tea-growing spot in Japan), salmon, and Murakami beef. The city is also a tourist spot because of famous Senami Onsen and as a jumping off point to Awashima Island.

  • Salmon in Murakami
  • Samurai residence
  • Sasagawa-nagare
  • Senami Beach

Festivals

Murakami Taisai, a traditional regional festival, has been held in the downtown area on July 6 and 7, annually, since 1868.

References
  1. Murakami City official statistics(in Japanese)
  2. Murakami climate data
  3. Murakami population statistics
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