Takayama (高山市) is a city located in Gifu Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 88,473 in 35,644 households, and a population density of 41 persons per km2. The total area of the city was 2177.61 sqkm making it the largest city by area in Japan. The high altitude and separation from other areas of Japan kept the area fairly isolated, allowing Takayama to develop its own culture over about a 300-year period.

Etymology

The city is popularly known as Hida-Takayama (飛騨高山) in reference to the old Hida Province to differentiate it from other places named Takayama. The name 'Takayama' means 'tall mountain'.

Geography

Takayama is located in northern Gifu Prefecture, in the heart of the Japanese Alps. Mount Hotakadake is the highest point in the city at 3190 m. The city has the largest geographic area of any municipality in Japan.

Neighboring municipalities

Climate

The city has a climate characterized by hot and humid summers, and mild winters (Köppen climate classification Dfa). The average annual temperature in Takayama is 11.4 °C. The average annual rainfall is 1776.5 mm with July as the wettest month. The temperatures are highest on average in August, at around 24.4 °C, and lowest in January, at around -1.2 °C. It features four distinct seasons with a wide range of temperatures between the summer and winter, somewhat resembling parts of northern Japan and Hokkaido. Takayama is part of the heavy snow area of Japan (豪雪地帯) with snowfall most days throughout the winter season. Takayama and many other places exposed to the Sea of Japan experience lake-effect snow, generating some of the highest, most consistent snowfall in the world. Spring is short-lived, usually dry with mild temperatures and plenty of sunshine. Cherry blossoms can be seen in Takayama from the middle to the end of April, around three weeks later than Nagoya. Summer begins around the end of May to the beginning of June. It is humid and wet with the arrival of the rainy season (梅雨), receiving high rainfall amounts. It then yields to a hotter and generally less humid end to the summer with daytime temperatures usually higher than 30 °C and occasionally higher than 35 °C coupled with strong sunshine. Autumn approaches during the middle of October and is short and dry. and cool with diminishing sunlight. Colorful foliage from maples (紅葉) can be seen in the Takayama area from the end of October to the first week of November. Winter arrives around the beginning of December and is moderately long, cold, and icy with high amounts of snowfall annually amounting to an average of 5.11 m commonly leading to the development of snowbanks in the outer areas of the city. The first snowfall usually arrives at the end of November and lasts until the beginning of April. Yearly low temperatures in the city center drop as low as −15 °C and occasionally fail to reach above freezing point during the day.

Demographics

Per Japanese census data, the population of Takayama peaked around the year 2000 and has declined since.

History

The area around Takayama was part of traditional Hida Province and was settled as far back as the Jōmon period. During the Sengoku period, Kanamori Nagachika ruled the area from Takayama Castle and the town of Takayama developed as a castle town. During the Edo period, the area was tenryō under the direct control of the Tokugawa shogunate. In the post-Meiji Restoration cadastral reforms, Ōno District in Gifu prefecture was created, and the town of Takayama was established in 1889 with the creation of the modern municipalities system. At the time, it was the most populous municipality in Gifu Prefecture. On November 1, 1936, Takayama merged with the town of Onada, forming the city of Takayama. Takayama annexed the village of Josue in 1943 and the village of Ohachiga in 1955. On February 1, 2005, the town of Kuguno and the villages of Asahi, Kiyomi, Miya, Nyūkawa, Shōkawa, and Takane (all from Ōno District), the town of Kokufu, and the village of Kamitakara (both from Yoshiki District) were absorbed to create the expanded city of Takayama. This made Takayama both the largest city and largest municipality in Japan by area.

Government

Takayama has a mayor-council form of government with a directly elected mayor and a unicameral city legislature of 24 members.

Economy

The economy of Takayama is strongly based on tourism, agriculture, and woodworking.

Education

Colleges and universities

Primary and secondary education

Takayama has 19 public elementary schools and 12 public middle schools operated by the city government. The city has three public high schools operated by the Gifu Prefectural Board of Education, and one private high school.

Transportation

Railway

JR Tōkai – Takayama Main Line

Highway

Sister cities

Local attractions

This city was selected as one of the top ten travel destinations in Asia by Lonely Planet Magazine in the year 2017.

Culture

In Popular Culture

Takayama was the basis for the settings in the anime series Hyouka, adapted from Honobu Yonezawa's Classic Literature Club series. Designs of the fictional city of Kamiyama are based on Takayama. A restaurant in Takayama was featured in the 2016 animated film Your Name.

Notable People