Takahashi City HallBitchu Matsuyama Castle floating on a sea of cloudsAerial view of Takahashi city center
Takahashi (高梁市, Takahashi-shi) is a city located in Okayama Prefecture, Japan. As of 28 February 2023[update], the city had an estimated population of 27,538 in 13,678 households.[1] and a population density of 50 persons per km2. The total area of the city is 546.99 square kilometres (211.19 sq mi). Bitchū Matsuyama Castle overlooks the town. Another significant location is Raikyū-ji, a Buddhist temple with a historic garden.
Geography
Takahashi is located in the midwestern part of Okayama Prefecture, about 32 kilometers northwest of the center of the prefectural capital at Okayama city. The Takahashi River, one of the three major rivers in the prefecture, flows north-south through the eastern side of the city, and the Kibi Plateau spreads east-west on both sides of the river. The municipality measures 35 kilometers from east-to-west and 30 kilometers from north-to-south and the fourth largest municipality in Okayama Prefecture in terms of area. Elevation ranges from 50 to 100 meters in the basin and 300 to 500 meters in the hills. In general, the elevation is higher in the west and lower in the east. The central city area is located in the basin that spreads to the north of the point where the Nariwa River joins the Takahashi River, and retains the old townscape of a castle town. The center of the Nariwa district was also a castle town in the basin along the Nariwa River. In the basin of the Nariwa River, which flows through the western part of the city, the geology is limestone karst topography. In terms of land usage, 78.5% of the total area of the city is classified as forest and wilderness, and 8.7% as cultivated land.
Takahashi has a humid subtropical climate (Köppen climate classificationCfa). The average annual temperature in Takahashi is 14.5 °C (58.1 °F). The average annual rainfall is 1,230.3 mm (48.44 in) with July as the wettest month. The temperatures are highest on average in August, at around 27.0 °C (80.6 °F), and lowest in January, at around 2.8 °C (37.0 °F).[2] The highest temperature ever recorded in Takahashi was 39.3 °C (102.7 °F) on 21 August 2020; the coldest temperature ever recorded was −10.0 °C (14.0 °F) on 27 February 1981.[3]
Climate data for Takahashi (1991−2020 normals, extremes 1979−present)
Takahashi was part of ancient Bitchū Province. In the Kamakura period, a cadet branch of the Miura clan was appointed jito and constructed a castle in what is now the center of Takahashi city. From 1331, the area was under the control of Takahashi Muneyasu of the Miyoshi clan, who changed in the name of the castle to "Matsuyama". In the Muromachi period and Sengoku period, the area was highly contested as it was a central transportation hub in Bitchū Province. After the 1600 Battle of Sekigahara, the Tokugawa shogunate established Bitchū-Matsuyama Domain. In the Bakumatsu period, this domain was ruled by a cadet branch of the Itakura clan, and supported the shogunate in the Boshin War. Following the Meiji restoration, the town of Takahashi was established on June 1, 1889 with the creation of the modern municipalities system. It was raised to city status on May 1, 1954.
On October 1, 2004, Takahashi absorbed the town of Ukan (from Jōbō District), and the towns of Nariwa, Kawakami and Bitchū (all from Kawakami District) to become the new and expanded city of Takahashi. Kawakami District was dissolved as a result of this merger.
Government
Takahashi has a mayor-council form of government with a directly elected mayor and a unicameral city legislature of 18 members. The city contributes one member to the Okayama Prefectural Assembly. In terms of national politics, the city is part of Okayama 3rd district of the lower house of the Diet of Japan.
Economy
The economy of Takahashi is largely agricultural. Most of the farmland is located in the plateau area at an altitude of around 400 meters, and fruit trees and vegetables are actively cultivated taking advantage of the cool climate. Takahashi was originally one of the prefecture's leading leaf tobacco producing areas, but due to the shift to highly profitable grape and tomato crops, the shipment volume of leaf tobacco has decreased. Takahashi has also been a tea-producing area since ancient times. In addition to the large temperature difference between day and night, fog weakens ultraviolet rays and has the effect of suppressing bitterness, which helps grow high-quality tea leaves. In terms of poultry farming, there are large-scale poultry farms run by corporations outside the city scattered throughout the city,
Education
Takahashi has 14 public elementary schools and six public junior high schools operated by the city government, and four public high schools operated by the Okayama Prefectural Board of Education. Kibi International University is a private university located in Takahashi.
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