Goshogawara

Goshogawara

五所川原市
Goshogawara 五所川原市
City
	Goshogawara City Hall
	Flag Seal
	Location of Goshogawara in Aomori Prefecture
	Goshogawara
	Coordinates: 40°48′28.9″N 140°26′24.3″E
Country	Japan
Region	Tōhoku
Prefecture	Aomori
Government
• Mayor	Masatoshi Hirayama
Area
• Total	404.20 km2 (156.06 sq mi)
Population (January 31, 2023)
• Total	51,578
• Density	130/km2 (330/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+9 (Japan Standard Time)
Phone number	0173-35-2111
Address	12 Iwakichō, Goshogawara-shi, Aomori-ken 037-8686
Climate	Cfa/Dfa
Website	Official website
Symbols
Bird	Oriental greenfinch
Flower	Nohanashōbu (iris ensata var. spontanea)
Tree	Japanese elm

Goshogawara (五所川原市, Goshogawara-shi) is a city located in Aomori Prefecture, Japan. As of 31 January 2023^[update], the city had an estimated population of 51,578 in 25,615 households,^[1] and a population density of 130 persons per km². The total area of the city is 404.18 square kilometres (156.05 sq mi).

Quick Facts 五所川原市, Country ...

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Geography

Goshogawara occupies two discontinuous areas on Tsugaru Peninsula in western Aomori Prefecture. The Iwaki River flows through the city. The larger section is landlocked, and is in the middle of the peninsula. It contains the original town of Goshogawara, and is the population centre of the city. The smaller exclave to the north is on the Sea of Japan coast. Parts of the city are within the borders of the Tsugaru Quasi-National Park.

Neighbouring municipalities

Aomori Prefecture

Climate

The city has a humid continental climate (Köppen Dfa) characterized by warm short summers and long cold winters with heavy snowfall. The average annual temperature in Goshogawara is 10.6 °C. The average annual rainfall is 1281 mm with September as the wettest month. The temperatures are highest on average in August, at around 23.4 °C, and lowest in January, at around -1.5 °C.^[2]

More information Climate data for Goshogawara (1991−2020 normals, extremes 1976−present), Month ...

Climate data for Goshogawara (1991−2020 normals, extremes 1976−present)
Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Year
Record high °C (°F)	10.1 (50.2)	15.0 (59.0)	21.2 (70.2)	29.0 (84.2)	33.5 (92.3)	33.8 (92.8)	36.4 (97.5)	39.0 (102.2)	36.2 (97.2)	28.0 (82.4)	23.6 (74.5)	17.5 (63.5)	39.0 (102.2)
Mean daily maximum °C (°F)	1.7 (35.1)	2.6 (36.7)	6.6 (43.9)	13.8 (56.8)	19.4 (66.9)	22.8 (73.0)	26.5 (79.7)	28.2 (82.8)	24.6 (76.3)	18.2 (64.8)	11.0 (51.8)	4.4 (39.9)	15.0 (59.0)
Daily mean °C (°F)	−1.1 (30.0)	−0.7 (30.7)	2.5 (36.5)	8.5 (47.3)	14.1 (57.4)	18.0 (64.4)	22.0 (71.6)	23.4 (74.1)	19.5 (67.1)	13.1 (55.6)	6.9 (44.4)	1.3 (34.3)	10.6 (51.1)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F)	−4.2 (24.4)	−4.2 (24.4)	−1.5 (29.3)	3.5 (38.3)	9.4 (48.9)	14.1 (57.4)	18.4 (65.1)	19.6 (67.3)	15.0 (59.0)	8.5 (47.3)	3.0 (37.4)	−1.7 (28.9)	6.7 (44.0)
Record low °C (°F)	−14.3 (6.3)	−15.8 (3.6)	−12.4 (9.7)	−5.0 (23.0)	0.4 (32.7)	4.8 (40.6)	9.9 (49.8)	10.7 (51.3)	4.9 (40.8)	0.0 (32.0)	−8.8 (16.2)	−13.7 (7.3)	−15.8 (3.6)
Average precipitation mm (inches)	120.7 (4.75)	81.9 (3.22)	64.1 (2.52)	62.6 (2.46)	69.2 (2.72)	74.9 (2.95)	113.3 (4.46)	139.2 (5.48)	133.9 (5.27)	131.3 (5.17)	147.8 (5.82)	141.5 (5.57)	1,280.4 (50.41)
Average snowfall cm (inches)	186 (73)	143 (56)	80 (31)	3 (1.2)	0 (0)	0 (0)	0 (0)	0 (0)	0 (0)	0 (0)	19 (7.5)	122 (48)	543 (214)
Average precipitation days (≥ 1.0 mm)	22.8	18.5	14.9	11.0	9.7	8.6	9.7	10.1	11.7	14.7	18.4	22.7	172.8
Average snowy days (≥ 3 cm)	20.6	16.5	11.0	0.6	0	0	0	0	0	0	2.0	13.8	64.5
Mean monthly sunshine hours	22.7	49.4	115.7	179.6	202.4	181.2	160.5	184.7	160.2	134.2	74.7	32.0	1,497.4
Source: Japan Meteorological Agency^[3]^[4]

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Demographics

Per Japanese census data,^[5] the population of Goshogawara has declined over the past 40 years.

More information Year, Pop. ...

Historical population

Year

Pop.

±% p.a.

1960

70,222

—

1970

67,047

−0.46%

1980

68,738

+0.25%

1990

63,843

−0.74%

2000

63,208

−0.10%

2010

58,421

−0.78%

2020

51,415

−1.27%

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History

The area of Goshogawara was part of the holdings of the Tsugaru clan of Hirosaki Domain in the Edo period. With the post-Meiji restoration establishment of the modern municipalities system on April 1, 1889, the area became part of Kitatsugaru District, Aomori, and was divided into the villages of Goshogawara, Sakae, Miyoshi, Nakagawa, Nagahashi, Nanawa, Matsushima and Itayanagi on April 1, 1889. On July 1, 1898, Goshogawara was elevated to town status. On October 1, 1954. Goshogawara absorbed the villages of Sakae, Nakagawa, Nagahashi, Matsushima and Iizume to create the city of Goshogawara. On April 1, 1958, Goshogawara absorbed a portion of the town of Kizukuri.

On March 28, 2005, the town of Kanagi, and the village of Shiura were merged into Goshogawara.

In March 2024, the city announced the creation of its own "Citizen's Honor Award", with the intention of making sumo wrestler Takerufuji the first recipient of the prize following his historical championship win.^[6]

Government

Goshogawara has a mayor-council form of government with a directly elected mayor and a unicameral city legislature of 26 members. Goshogawara, together with the town of Nakadomari contribute three members to the Aomori Prefectural Assembly. In terms of national politics, the city is part of Aomori 3rd district of the lower house of the Diet of Japan.

Economy

The economy of Goshogawara is mixed. The city serves as a regional commercial center. Agricultural produce includes rice and apples, and commercial fishing includes clams. The Aomori Technopolis High-Tech Industrial Park is located in the city.^[7]

Education

Goshogawara has 11 public elementary schools and six public junior high schools operated by the city government. The city has five public high schools operated by the Aomori prefectural Board of Education. The city also has two private high schools.