Nanao, Ishikawa

See Nanao for other places named Nanao.

Nanao 七尾市
—  City  —
Ishizaki Kiriko Lantern Festival in August
Location of Nanao in Ishikawa
Nanao
Coordinates: 37°2′N 136°58′E / 37.033°N 136.967°E / 37.033; 136.967Coordinates: 37°2′N 136°58′E / 37.033°N 136.967°E / 37.033; 136.967
Country	Japan
Region	Hokuriku
Prefecture	Ishikawa
Government
- Mayor	Bunpei Takemoto
Area
- Total	318.02 km2 (122.8 sq mi)
Population (2010)
- Total	58,204
- Density	183/km2 (474/sq mi)
Time zone	Japan Standard Time (UTC+9)
City symbols
- Tree	Japanese Evergreen
- Flower	Azalea
- Bird	Seagull
- Fish	Red Snapper
Phone number	0767-53-1111
Address	I-25 Sodegaemachi, Nanao-shi, Ishikawa-ken 926-8611
Website	City of Nanao

The Dekayama, a large mikoshi on wheels, passing through the crowd at the Seihakusai matsuri of Nanao

Nanao (七尾市, nanao-shi^?) is a city located in Ishikawa prefecture, Japan.

As of March 1, 2010, the city has an estimated population of 58,204 and a population density of 183 persons per km². Nanao is the fifth largest city by population in Ishikawa, behind Kanazawa, Hakusan, Komatsu, and Kaga.

Nanao is situated in the middle of the Noto Peninsula and was the ancient capital of Noto Province. It has several popular onsen (hot springs) such as Wakura Onsen, a resort town which is regarded as one of the best onsen in Japan.

On March 25, 2007, the 2007 Noto earthquake shook Nanao and nearby communities.

History

The city of Nanao was founded on July 20, 1939. The name "Nanao" (七尾) literally means "Seven Tails" and is said to be named for the seven mountain ridges (or "tails") surrounding Nanao that are visible when viewed from Joyama (七尾城山), site of the city's historical castle ruins. These ridges are called Kikuo (菊尾, "Chrysanthemum Tail"), Kameo (亀尾, "Turtle Tail"), Matsuo (松尾, "Pine Tail"), Torano'o (虎尾, "Tiger Tail"), Takeo (竹尾, "Bamboo Tail"), Umeo (梅尾, "Plum Tail"), and Tatsuo (龍尾, "Dragon Tail").

City merger

On October 1, 2004, Nanao expanded due to the merger of the old Nanao-shi (七尾市^?) with the towns of Tatsuruhama, Nakajima, and Notojima, all from the Kashima District.

Notable persons

• Min Ayahana — manga artist
• Hasegawa Tōhaku — ancient Japanese painter
• Wajima Hiroshi — sumo wrestler

Sister cities

• Jinzhou, Dalian, China (unknown)^{[citation needed]}
• Gimcheon, North Gyeongsang, South Korea
• Bratsk, Irkutsk Oblast, Russia
• Monterey, California, United States
• Morgantown, Kentucky United States^[1]

References

1. ^ "七尾市 リンク集". http://www.city.nanao.lg.jp/other/link.html. Retrieved 2009-08-11. 

External links

• Nanao (Japan) travel guide from Wikitravel
• Official website (Japanese)
• A list of festivals in Nanao (Japanese)