Kasama, Ibaraki

Coordinates: 36°20′42.6″N 140°18′15.5″E / 36.345167°N 140.304306°E / 36.345167; 140.304306
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Kasama
笠間市
City
Kasama city hall
Kasama city hall
Sakura
Kasama Inari Jinja

Kasama (笠間市, Kasama-shi) is a city located in Ibaraki Prefecture, Japan. As of 1 July 2020, the city had an estimated population of 73,805 in 29,362 households and a population density of 307 persons per km². The percentage of the population aged over 65 was 32.2%.[1] The total area of the city is 240.400 square kilometres (92.819 sq mi).

Geography

Kasama is located in the central Ibaraki Prefecture, bordering on Tochigi Prefecture to its extreme northwest. Kasama is surrounded by mountains on all sides.

Surrounding municipalities

Ibaraki Prefecture

Tochigi Prefecture

Climate

Kasama has a humid subtropical climate (Köppen Cfa) characterized by hot summers and mild winters with rare snowfall. The average annual temperature in Kasama is 13.8 °C (56.8 °F). The average annual rainfall is 1,383.1 mm (54.45 in) with September as the wettest month. The temperatures are highest on average in August, at around 25.6 °C (78.1 °F), and lowest in January, at around 2.4 °C (36.3 °F).[2]

Climate data for Kasama (1991−2020 normals, extremes 1978−present)
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °C (°F) 17.9
(64.2) 		23.6
(74.5) 		26.0
(78.8) 		31.2
(88.2) 		34.4
(93.9) 		35.3
(95.5) 		38.2
(100.8) 		38.2
(100.8) 		36.8
(98.2) 		33.4
(92.1) 		25.1
(77.2) 		25.0
(77.0) 		38.2
(100.8)
Mean daily maximum °C (°F) 9.2
(48.6) 		10.0
(50.0) 		13.3
(55.9) 		18.6
(65.5) 		23.0
(73.4) 		25.5
(77.9) 		29.5
(85.1) 		30.9
(87.6) 		27.2
(81.0) 		21.7
(71.1) 		16.5
(61.7) 		11.5
(52.7) 		19.7
(67.5)
Daily mean °C (°F) 2.4
(36.3) 		3.3
(37.9) 		6.9
(44.4) 		12.1
(53.8) 		17.0
(62.6) 		20.5
(68.9) 		24.4
(75.9) 		25.6
(78.1) 		22.0
(71.6) 		16.2
(61.2) 		10.1
(50.2) 		4.7
(40.5) 		13.8
(56.8)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F) −3.4
(25.9) 		−2.6
(27.3) 		0.7
(33.3) 		5.8
(42.4) 		11.6
(52.9) 		16.4
(61.5) 		20.6
(69.1) 		21.7
(71.1) 		17.9
(64.2) 		11.5
(52.7) 		4.6
(40.3) 		−1.0
(30.2) 		8.6
(47.6)
Record low °C (°F) −13.3
(8.1) 		−10.9
(12.4) 		−7.2
(19.0) 		−3.9
(25.0) 		0.4
(32.7) 		7.5
(45.5) 		11.5
(52.7) 		12.6
(54.7) 		6.3
(43.3) 		−0.1
(31.8) 		−4.6
(23.7) 		−8.0
(17.6) 		−13.3
(8.1)
Average precipitation mm (inches) 50.2
(1.98) 		49.5
(1.95) 		97.6
(3.84) 		122.0
(4.80) 		138.3
(5.44) 		143.3
(5.64) 		161.4
(6.35) 		128.8
(5.07) 		190.0
(7.48) 		180.7
(7.11) 		76.0
(2.99) 		45.3
(1.78) 		1,383.1
(54.45)
Average precipitation days (≥ 1.0 mm) 4.7 5.4 9.5 10.2 11.0 12.5 12.4 9.4 11.3 10.6 6.9 5.2 109.1
Mean monthly sunshine hours 205.7 188.5 192.5 190.7 193.4 135.3 151.7 179.6 136.9 144.6 162.0 184.0 2,063.7
Source: Japan Meteorological Agency[3][2]

Demographics

Per Japanese census data,[4] the population of Kasama peaked around the year 2000 and has declined slightly since.

Historical population
YearPop.±%
1950 67,832—    
1960 64,806−4.5%
1970 65,105+0.5%
1980 73,070+12.2%
1990 77,782+6.4%
2000 82,358+5.9%
2010 79,409−3.6%
2020 73,173−7.9%

History

Kasama was once a

Meiji period (1868–1912). Stone quarrying was its main activity. Utensils for the Japanese tea ceremony, flower vases, and sake containers made from the Kasama ware pottery continued to the economy.[5]
After the Meiji Restoration, the town of Kasama was established with the creation of the modern municipalities system on April 1, 1889, within Nishiibaraki District. The town of Shishido, a former castle town of Shishido Domain, was likewise established within Nishiibaraki District on the same day. In 1955, Shishido merged with the neighboring villages of Kitakawane and Ohara to form the town of Tomobe. Kasama was elevated to city status on August 1, 1958.

On March 19, 2006, Kasama absorbed the towns of Tomobe and Iwama (both from Nishiibaraki District), and the new city hall was located at the former Tomobe Town Hall. Tomobe became the new city's administrative center, since it was more populous than the former Kasama town.

The former town of Iwama is known for having been the residence of

Ue o muite arukō
" also plays at Tomobe train station to announce departures.

Government

Kasama has a

Diet of Japan
.

Economy

Kasama has a mixed industrial base of light manufacturing and food processing. The main agricultural crops are rice and chestnuts. The area is also famous for stone quarrying of a form of granite called mikage-ishi, widely used in construction and for grave stones.

Education

Kasama has ten public elementary schools and five public middle schools operated by the city government, and two public high schools operated by the Ibaraki Prefectural Board of Education.

Transportation

Railway

JR East – Jōban Line

JR East – Mito Line

Highway

Local attractions

Notable people from Kasama

References

  1. ^ "Ibaraki prefectural official statistics" (in Japanese). Japan.
  2. ^ a b 気象庁 / 平年値（年・月ごとの値）. JMA. Retrieved March 31, 2022.
  3. ^ 観測史上1～10位の値（年間を通じての値）. JMA. Retrieved March 31, 2022.
  4. ^ Kasama population statistics
  5. ISBN 4-06-205938-X
    .
  6. ^ "Zatoichi's Revenge (1965)".

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Kasama, Ibaraki.
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