Tsu, Mie

Tsu (津市, Tsu-shi) is the capital city of Mie Prefecture, Japan.

Tsu

津市
City
Tsu City Hall
Flag
Seal
Location of Tsu in Mie Prefecture
Tsu
 
Coordinates: 34°43′6.4″N 136°30′20.6″E
CountryJapan
RegionKansai, Tōkai
PrefectureMie Prefecture
Government
 • -MayorYasuyuki Maeba (since May 2011)
Area
 • Total711.11 km2 (274.56 sq mi)
Population
 (August 2015)
 • Total279,304
 • Density393/km2 (1,020/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+9 (Japan Standard Time)
Symbols 
• TreeZelkova serrata
• FlowerAzalea
• BirdJapanese bush warbler
Phone number059-229-3110
Address23-1 Nishi-Marunouchi, Tsu-shi, Mie-ken 514-8611
Websitewww.info.city.tsu.mie.jp
DownTown of TsuCity
Tsu Castle from the air

As of August 2015, the city had an estimated population of 279,304 and a population density of 393 persons per km2. The total area was 711.11 square kilometres (274.56 sq mi).

Geography

Tsu is located in east-central Kii Peninsula, in central Mie Prefecture. It stretches the width of Mie Prefecture, and is bordered by Ise Bay on the Pacific Ocean to the east, and Nara Prefecture to the west. Parts of the city are within the limits of the Murō-Akame-Aoyama Quasi-National Park.

Neighboring municipalities

Climate

Tsu has a humid subtropical climate (Köppen climate classification Cfa) with hot summers and cool winters. Precipitation is significant throughout the year, but is heaviest from May to September.

Climate data for Omu, Tsu, Mie
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Average high °C (°F) 8.6
(47.5)		 9.1
(48.4)		 12.1
(53.8)		 17.8
(64.0)		 22.3
(72.1)		 25.4
(77.7)		 29.2
(84.6)		 30.8
(87.4)		 26.9
(80.4)		 21.5
(70.7)		 16.4
(61.5)		 11.4
(52.5)		 19.3
(66.7)
Daily mean °C (°F) 4.5
(40.1)		 4.8
(40.6)		 7.5
(45.5)		 13.3
(55.9)		 18.0
(64.4)		 21.8
(71.2)		 25.6
(78.1)		 26.8
(80.2)		 23.1
(73.6)		 17.2
(63.0)		 11.9
(53.4)		 6.9
(44.4)		 15.1
(59.2)
Average low °C (°F) 0.6
(33.1)		 0.9
(33.6)		 3.2
(37.8)		 9.0
(48.2)		 13.9
(57.0)		 18.4
(65.1)		 22.6
(72.7)		 23.5
(74.3)		 19.8
(67.6)		 13.2
(55.8)		 7.6
(45.7)		 2.6
(36.7)		 11.3
(52.3)
Average precipitation mm (inches) 45.3
(1.78)		 60.6
(2.39)		 103.9
(4.09)		 149.0
(5.87)		 162.2
(6.39)		 236.4
(9.31)		 218.6
(8.61)		 175.7
(6.92)		 237.7
(9.36)		 145.3
(5.72)		 80.3
(3.16)		 39.7
(1.56)		 1,654.7
(65.16)
Average snowfall cm (inches) 2
(0.8)		 2
(0.8)		 1
(0.4)		 0
(0)		 0
(0)		 0
(0)		 0
(0)		 0
(0)		 0
(0)		 0
(0)		 0
(0)		 0
(0)		 5
(2)
Average relative humidity (%) 63 64 64 69 72 78 80 78 77 71 69 66 71
Mean monthly sunshine hours 164.9 151.8 178.0 169.0 190.8 144.5 168.9 198.8 139.0 159.7 155.7 165.4 1,986.5
Source: NOAA (1961–1990) [1]

History

Tsu originally developed as a port town known as Anotsu (安濃津) in the Nara and Heian periods. The port was destroyed by a tsunami in the 1498 Meiō Nankaidō earthquake. The town was rebuilt as a castle town and a post station by the Tōdō clan, daimyō of Tsu Domain under the Tokugawa shogunate. During the Edo period, it became a popular stopping point for travelers to Ise shrine, about 40 km to the southeast.

Following the Meiji Restoration, it became the capital of Mie Prefecture in 1871. With the establishment of municipalities on April 1, 1889, Tsu was one of the original 31 cities to be proclaimed.

During World War II, Allied air raids on July 24 and July 28, 1945, destroyed most of the city and killed 1,239 people

On January 1, 2006, the neighboring city of Hisai, the towns of Anō, Geinō and Kawage, and the village of Misato (all in Age District), the towns of Hakusan, Ichishi and Karasu, and the village of Misugi (all in Ichishi District) were merged into Tsu. As a result of the merger, the city became the second largest in Mie by population behind Yokkaichi, and the largest in Mie by area ahead of Matsusaka.

Economy
Hyakugo Bank

Imuraya Confectionery, a confectionery company,[2] and ZTV, a cable television operator, are headquartered in Tsu.[3]

Education

Colleges and universities

Primary and secondary education
  • Tsu has 56 public elementary schools, 21 public and two private middle schools, and nine public and three private high schools
  • The city also has six special education schools.

Transportation

Rail

Highways

Seaports
  • Port of Tsu-Matsusaka

Sister city relations

Local attractions

Tsu is famous for its Tōjin Odori (唐人踊り), a festival commemorating the arrival of the Joseon Tongsinsa delegation from Korea during the feudal period.[5] There are two other cities that celebrate Tōjin Odori: Suzuka city in Mie Prefecture and Ushimado-chō in Okayama Prefecture.[6]

The ruins of Tsu Castle have been made into a downtown city park.

Kitabatake Shrine and Yūki Shrine are notable local Shinto shrines.

Notable people

References
  1. "Tsu Climate Normals 1961–1990". National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Retrieved December 31, 2012.
  2. "Corporate profile." Imuraya Confectionery. March 30, 2008. Retrieved on January 11, 2010.
  3. Home page. ZTV. Retrieved on October 2, 2009.
  4. "International Exchange". List of Affiliation Partners within Prefectures. Council of Local Authorities for International Relations (CLAIR). Archived from the original on 5 February 2016. Retrieved 21 November 2015.
  5. http://www.searchnavi.com/~hp/tojin/eng/ Toujin House
  6. http://www006.upp.so-net.ne.jp/asao/toujin.htm 唐人踊り (Tōjin Odori)
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.