Fuji, Shizuoka ~ Travel

Wednesday, 14 September 2011

Fuji, Shizuoka

02:33

homesweethome

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Fuji (富士市 Fuji-shi^?) is a city in eastern Shizuoka Prefecture. Fuji is the 3rd largest city in terms of population in Shizuoka Prefecture, trailing Hamamatsu and Shizuoka. As of February 2010, the city has an estimated population of 254,113 and a population density of 1040 persons per km². The total area is 245.02 km².

History

In the Edo period, the Tōkaidō passed through the area that is now Fuji, with a post station at Yoshiwara-juku. During the Edo period, the area was mostly tenryō territory under direct control of the Tokugawa shogunate. During the cadastral reform of the early Meiji period in 1889, the area was reorganized into the town of Yoshiwara (吉原町) and the villages of Shimada (島田村) Denbō (伝法村), Imaizumi (今泉村), Motoyoshiwara (元吉原村), Sudo (須津村), Yoshinaga (吉永村), Harada (原田村), Ōbuchi (大淵村), Kajima (加島村), Tagoura (田子浦村), Iwamatsu (岩松村), and Takaoka (鷹岡村) within Fuji District.

Kajima became the town of Fuji on August 1, 1929. Neighboring Takaoka was elevated to town status on January 1, 1933. Shimada merged into Yoshiwara in 1940, Denbō in 1941, and Imaizumi in 1942. Yoshiwara was elevated to city status on April 1, 1948. the city expanded through annexation of Motoyoshiwara, Sudo, Yoshinaga, and Harada villages in 1955 and Ōbuchi in 1956.

Tagoura and Iwamatsu merged with Fuji to form the city of Fuji on March 31, 1954. The city expanded through annexation of neighboring Ukijima and San area from Hara, Suntō District in 1956.

On November 1, 1966 Fuji and Yoshiwara merged together with Takaoka to form the new city of Fuji, which attained the status of a Special City on April 1, 2001 with greater autonomy from the central government.

Economy

Fuji is one of the major industrial centers of Shizuoka Prefecture, and the city has hosted numerous paper factories including Nippon Paper Industries (former Daishowa Paper Industries) and Oji Paper Company since the Meiji period. Other industries include food processing, metals and transportation equipment. Agriculture in the area is concentrated on green tea production and horticulture.