| InTsugaru |
| Providing Information About Life in Tsugaru City |
| Copyright (C) Tsugaru City Planning Division. All Rights Reserved. |
| City Information |
| City Info |
| Tsugaru City was created on February 11th, 2005, in a regional merger involving the Town of Kizukuri and the former Villages of Morita, Kashiwa, Inagaki, and Shariki. The city faces the Sea of Japan on the Tsugaru Peninsula in western Aomori Prefecture and is home to the Tsugaru Plain, the most prominent rice growing region in Aomori. In addition to being an area of immense natural beauty, the city is also home to several archaeological sites of historical importance dating back to Japan's ancient Jomon Period (11,000-300 BCE). |
| City Introduction |
| Tsugaru City is located in western Aomori Prefecture on the very north of Japan's main island of Honshu. Getting here from Tokyo takes approximately 4-5 hours by bullet train, or 10 hours by car or bus. Flights from Tokyo's Haneda Airport take about 1 hour to get to Aomori Airport, from which the city can be reached in 1 hour by car. The capital of Aomori Prefecture, Aomori City, is also approximately 1 hour away by car. |
| Location |
| Those coming to Tsugaru City for the first time will likely be struck by the beauty of Mt. Iwaki as it presides over the vast Tsugaru Plain. Each season reveals a different character of both the mountain and the rice fields that surround it, with brilliant greens during the spring rice planting, stunning golds prior to the fall harvest, and a blanket of pure white throughout the winter. The Byobuzan hills flank the city's western border along the Sea of Japan, protecting the rice fields from the harsh winds that blow in from the ocean. Looking south from the city reveals a beautiful view of the Shirakami Mountains, a UNESCO world heritage site. Tsugaru City spans an area of approximately 100 square miles, accounting for about 2.6% of the total land area of Aomori Prefecture. 56% of that land is used for agriculture, 4.5% for housing, 13.7% is mountainous forest, and the remaining 25.8% is used for other purposes. |
| Topography |
| The Tsugaru region is blessed with four distinct and beautiful seasons. Spring weather melts off latent snow in late March or early April as temperatures rise into the upper 60s. Summer highs are usually about 80-90 degrees on most days, and Aomori's northern latitude makes for a much shorter rainy season than is experienced in Tokyo and other areas to the south. Humidity can be high, but not unbearable enough to convince most locals to purchase an air conditioner. Temperatures begin to cool in September and continue to drop throughout the fall, when daily highs are usually a crisp 60 degrees. Winter makes its appearance in late November or early Dedember, and is by far the area's longest and most distinct season. Snow begins to fall in the first few weeks of December, and daily highs usually hover around freezing for most of the winter. The area's location along the Sea of Japan produces a high amount of snowfall, and strong winds blowing in from the ocean often create blizzard-like conditions. The area is famous throughout Japan for its "ji-fubuki"--a blizzard where the winds are so strong it appears to snow up from the ground, not down from the sky. |
| Climate and Weather |