Iiyama, Nagano

History

The area of present-day Iiyama was part of ancient Shinano Province. The area was part of the holdings of Iiyama Domain during the Edo period, and the core of the city was the jōkamachi surrounding Iiyama Castle, held by a cadet branch of the Honda clan. The modern town of Iiyama was established within Shimominochi District, Nagano with the establishment of the municipalities system on April 1, 1889. It was raised to city status on August 1, 1954, by the merger of the town of Iiyama with neighboring villages of Akitsu, Tokiwa, Yanagihara, Tozama, Kijima and Zuiho. The villages of Ōta and Okayama were also annexed in 1955.

Demographics

Per Japanese census data, the population of Iiyama has declined over the past 70 years.

Government

Iiyama has a mayor-council form of government with a directly elected mayor and a unicameral city legislature of 16 members.

Economy

The economy of Iiyama is primarily agricultural with emphasis on rice, asparagus, mushrooms and potatoes. Manufacturing includes production of Butsudan, skis and electronics. Seasonal tourism to ski resorts and hot springs also make a major contribution.

The TV and electronics manufacturer Iiyama was founded in the city in 1972, although, after a series of mergers, the company is no longer headquartered there. The old office continues to be used as a manufacturing centre for Iiyama's parent company, Mouse Computer.

Education

Iiyama has seven public elementary schools and two public middle schools operated by the city government. The city has one public high school operated by the Nagano Prefectural Board of Education.

Transportation

Railway

20px East Japan Railway Company - Hokuriku Shinkansen
20px East Japan Railway Company - Iiyama Line
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Highway

24px|link=|alt=E18 Jōshin-etsu Expressway

International relations

– Futian District, Shenzhen, China – friendship city since July 10, 2014.
Bathurst, New South Wales, Australia, — sister city since November 2014.

Local attractions

There are many well known ski resorts in the area. These include Nozawa Onsen Snow Resort, Madarao Sympathique (now closed), Madarao Kogen, Tangram Ski Circus, Togari Onsen, and Hokuryuko
The is a Designated Cultural Landscape of Japan.
Iiyama also hosts a number of popular festivals such as the Iiyama Snow Festival and Kamakura Snow Hut Festival in February and Iiyama Dontokoi in August.
The Shinetsu Trail, that runs through Iiyama along the border between Nagano prefecture and Niigata prefecture, is a popular hiking spot in summer.
In February 2015, Guinness World Records confirmed that the city had officially broken the record for 'most snowmen built in an hour.'