- Jōetsu, Niigata
Infobox City Japan
Name= Jōetsu
JapaneseName= 上越市
Map
Region= Chūbu (Hokuriku, Kōshin'etsu)
Prefecture= Niigata
District=
Area_km2= 973.32
PopDate= January 2008
Population= 206,175
Density_km2= 212
Coords=
LatitudeDegrees= 37
LatitudeMinutes= 9
LatitudeSeconds=
LongtitudeDegrees= 138
LongtitudeMinutes= 14
LongtitudeSeconds=
Tree=Sakura
Flower=Camellia
Bird=
Symbol
SymbolDescription= Flag
Mayor=Masayuki Konoura
CityHallPostalCode=943-8601
CityHallAddress= 1-1-3 Kida, Jōetsu-shi, Niigata-ken
CityHallPhone=025-526-5111
CityHallLink= [http://www.city.joetsu.niigata.jp/ Jōetsu City]nihongo|Jōetsu|上越市|Jōetsu-shi is a city located in Niigata,
Japan .As of
2008 , the city has an estimatedpopulation of 206,175 and the density of 212 persons per km². The total area is 973.32 km².The city was founded on
April 29 ,1971 , after the cities of Takada and Naoetsu were consolidated. The city (4/29/1971-12/31/2004) historically, was once part of now-defunct Nakakubiki District.The city absorbed Maki, Oshima, Uragawara, Yasuzuka, Itakura, Kakizaki, Kiyosato, Kubiki, Nakagou, Ogata, Sanwa, Yoshikawa and Nadachi on
January 1 ,2005 and the city is now extended into now-defunct Higashikubiki and Nishikubiki District areas.Climate
It is known as one of the most snowy districts in Japan, and it has the record of the largest snowfall in Japan (3.77m in
February 26 ,1945 ).History
It was the ancient capital of
Echigo Province . Around theSengoku period ,Kasugayama Castle was a significant base fordaimyo such asUesugi Kenshin .Maejima Hisoka , aMeiji era politician who is regarded as the father of the Japanese postal system, was born here.Theodor von Lerch , anAustria n major who visited the army base in Joetsu after theRusso-Japanese War , introducedskiing to Japan for the first time.Transportation
Railway
Two of JR passenger railway companies, JR West and JR East, run the
Hokuriku Main Line and theShinetsu Main Line in the city.Hokuetsu Express connects the city toTokyo metropolitan area.Hokuriku Shinkansen is under construction. Despite its name,Jōetsu Shinkansen does not reach the city at all as the line name has no direct relation to the city name.Expressway
Hokuriku Expressway goes through the city.Joshinetsu Expressway branches off at the Joetsu Junction.External links
* [http://www.city.joetsu.niigata.jp/ Joetsu official website] in Japanese
* [http://www.city.joetsu.niigata.jp/english/contents.html Joetsu official website] in English
* [http://www.city.joetsu.niigata.jp/kankou/inter/english/index.html Joetsu official travel guide] in English
* [http://klarbooks.com/guides/jgtg/index.htm The Joetsu "goodo" Travel Guide] Constructed by a formerJET Program teacher in the area (in English)
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