Hitachi, Ibaraki
Hitachi
日立市 | |
---|---|
![]() Hitachi city hall | |
Sakura | |
Tree | Zelkova serrata |
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/a7/Hitachi_Sakura_Festival%2C_Ibaraki_02.jpg/250px-Hitachi_Sakura_Festival%2C_Ibaraki_02.jpg)
Hitachi (日立市, Hitachi-shi) is a city located in Ibaraki Prefecture, Japan. As of 1 January 2024[update], the city had an estimated population of 165,822 in 76,702 households and a population density of 735 persons per km2. The percentage of the population aged over 65 was 32.7%.[1] The total area of the city is 225.71 square kilometres (87.15 sq mi). Hitachi is well known in the world for its brand name of electric products, including power plants and appliances, of the Hitachi company founded in the town in 1910 by Namihei Odaira with considerable properties as its factories in the city.
Geography
Located in northern Ibaraki Prefecture, Hitachi has a long coast along the Pacific Ocean to the east. Japan National Route 6 runs in parallel with the coast, connecting Tokyo and Sendai, and develops residential and commercial areas in the relatively narrow land of the coastal plain. Geologically the city covers Cambrian basement, some 500 million years old, with marble being quarried in the west for manufacturing cement material.
Surrounding municipalities
Ibaraki Prefecture
Climate
Hitachi has a Humid continental climate (Köppen Cfa) characterized by warm summers and cold winters with heavy snowfall. The average annual temperature in Hitachi is 14.3 °C (57.7 °F). The average annual rainfall is 1,455.7 mm (57.31 in) with October as the wettest month. The temperatures are highest on average in August, at around 25.0 °C (77.0 °F), and lowest in January, at around 4.6 °C (40.3 °F).[2]
Climate data for Hitachi (1991−2020 normals, extremes 1978−present) | |||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
Record high °C (°F) | 17.2 (63.0) |
23.2 (73.8) |
25.0 (77.0) |
29.1 (84.4) |
30.6 (87.1) |
33.6 (92.5) |
37.4 (99.3) |
37.0 (98.6) |
35.8 (96.4) |
33.5 (92.3) |
24.9 (76.8) |
24.7 (76.5) |
37.4 (99.3) |
Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 9.1 (48.4) |
9.2 (48.6) |
11.8 (53.2) |
16.3 (61.3) |
20.2 (68.4) |
23.0 (73.4) |
26.9 (80.4) |
28.5 (83.3) |
25.6 (78.1) |
20.8 (69.4) |
16.3 (61.3) |
11.5 (52.7) |
18.3 (64.9) |
Daily mean °C (°F) | 4.6 (40.3) |
4.8 (40.6) |
7.5 (45.5) |
12.1 (53.8) |
16.3 (61.3) |
19.6 (67.3) |
23.4 (74.1) |
25.0 (77.0) |
22.0 (71.6) |
17.1 (62.8) |
12.1 (53.8) |
7.2 (45.0) |
14.3 (57.8) |
Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 0.2 (32.4) |
0.4 (32.7) |
3.1 (37.6) |
7.8 (46.0) |
12.6 (54.7) |
16.6 (61.9) |
20.6 (69.1) |
22.3 (72.1) |
19.1 (66.4) |
13.6 (56.5) |
8.0 (46.4) |
2.8 (37.0) |
10.6 (51.1) |
Record low °C (°F) | −6.2 (20.8) |
−6.9 (19.6) |
−3.7 (25.3) |
−1.9 (28.6) |
3.7 (38.7) |
9.1 (48.4) |
13.0 (55.4) |
15.2 (59.4) |
10.8 (51.4) |
3.7 (38.7) |
−1.1 (30.0) |
−3.9 (25.0) |
−6.9 (19.6) |
Average precipitation mm (inches) | 56.4 (2.22) |
52.4 (2.06) |
107.4 (4.23) |
131.4 (5.17) |
164.2 (6.46) |
159.8 (6.29) |
162.6 (6.40) |
125.4 (4.94) |
179.1 (7.05) |
188.5 (7.42) |
78.8 (3.10) |
49.8 (1.96) |
1,455.7 (57.31) |
Average precipitation days (≥ 1.0 mm) | 5.2 | 5.6 | 9.6 | 10.6 | 11.3 | 12.4 | 12.5 | 8.6 | 11.0 | 11.0 | 7.0 | 5.6 | 110.4 |
Mean monthly sunshine hours | 200.0 | 184.9 | 187.7 | 189.5 | 181.4 | 136.3 | 153.7 | 179.2 | 138.2 | 144.1 | 161.1 | 186.6 | 2,046.8 |
Source: Japan Meteorological Agency[3][2] |
Demographics
Per Japanese census data,[4] the population of Hitachi peaked around 1980 and has steadily declined since.
Year | Pop. | ±% |
---|---|---|
1950 | 132,124 | — |
1960 | 172,232 | +30.4% |
1970 | 202,856 | +17.8% |
1980 | 215,489 | +6.2% |
1990 | 215,069 | −0.2% |
2000 | 206,589 | −3.9% |
2010 | 193,129 | −6.5% |
2020 | 174,508 | −9.6% |
History
Human settlement in the Hitachi area dates to at least the
The village of Hitachi was formed on April 1, 1889 with the establishment of the modern municipalities system. The area rapidly developed towards the end of the
The city suffered from major damage in
In 1976 the disassembled MiG-25 fighter jet that Soviet pilot Viktor Belenko had defected in was returned to the Soviet Union from the port of Hitachi. It had been extensively examined at the nearby Hyakuri Air Base.[6]
The borders of Hitachi expanded in 1955–1956 through the annexation of the neighboring villages of Hidaka, Sakamoto, Higashiosawa, Nakasato, Toyoura, the towns of Taga and Kuji. The Hitachi Copper Mine closed in 1981.
On November 1, 2004, the neighboring town of Jūō (from Taga District) was merged into Hitachi.
The city suffered from minor damage in the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami with no fatalities reported.
Government
Hitachi has a
Economy
Hitachi is a major industrial center, and is the former location of the headquarters of Hitachi and various of its group companies.
Education
- Ibaraki University – engineering department
- Ibaraki Christian University
- Hitachi has 24 public elementary schools and 14 public middle schools and one public compulsory education schools operated by the city government. There are also one private elementary school and one private combined middle/high school. The Ibaraki prefectural Board of Education operates five public high schools and one combined middle/high school, in addition to one special education school. There are also four private high schools in the city.
- The Hitachi council has been providing Hitachi original school bag to all the year 1 elementary school students since 1975. The students have option to choose from black or red randoseru. Hitachi council has donated over 100,000 bags and one of the very rare council who does this and often get TV coverage on this.
Transportation
Railway
- Ōmika – Hitachi-Taga – Hitachi – Ogitsu – Jūō
Highway
Jōban Expressway – Hitachi-Minamiota Interchange, Hitachi-Chuo Interchange, Hitachi-Kita Interchange
National Route 6
National Route 245
National Route 293
National Route 349
National Route 461
Local attractions
- Kamine Zoo
- Yoshida Tadashi Memorial Museum of Music
Sister city relations
– Birmingham, Alabama, USA
– Tauranga, Bay Of Plenty, New Zealand [7]
- Kiryu, Gunma, Japan
– Yamanobe, Yamagata, Japan
Notable people from Hitachi
- Yukihisa Fujita, politician
- Natsuo Yamaguchi, politician
- Hiromitsu Agatsuma, musician
- Kuniaki Shibata, boxer
- Nihongo: 高野信行, Takano Nobuyuki)
- Nihongo: 黒谷昇, Kurotani Noboru)
- Tsubasa Aizawa, professional baseball player
- Hironobu Sakaguchi, creator of Final Fantasy video game series
- Motoharu Kurosawa, racing driver
References
- ^ "Ibaraki prefectural official statistics" (in Japanese). Japan.
- ^ a b 気象庁 / 平年値(年・月ごとの値). JMA. Retrieved March 31, 2022.
- ^ 観測史上1~10位の値(年間を通じての値). JMA. Retrieved March 31, 2022.
- ^ "Ibaraki (Japan): Prefecture, Cities, Towns and Villages - Population Statistics, Charts and Map". City Population.
- ^ "USS Iowa History – World War II". Pacific Battleship Center. Archived from the original on December 26, 2017. Retrieved September 10, 2014.
- ^ UNCLAS State Message 239736, U.S. State Department, 27 September 1976.
- ^ "Sister Cities". Tauranga City Council. Retrieved December 17, 2008.
External links
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/4/4a/Commons-logo.svg/30px-Commons-logo.svg.png)
- Official Website (in Japanese)