For the city in Akita Prefecture of Japan, see Yuzawa, Akita.
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Yuzawa (湯沢町, Yuzawa-machi) is a town located in Niigata Prefecture, Japan. As of 1July2019[update], the town had an estimated population of 7,926, and a population density of 22.2 persons per km2. The total area of the town was 357.29 square kilometres (137.95sqmi). The town is famous for its hot springs.
Yuzawa is located in southwestern Niigata Prefecture, in a mountainous area bordering northern Nagano Prefecture and northern Gunma Prefecture. Due to its geographical location between the Sea of Japan and the surrounding Japanese Alps it has one of the highest annual snowfalls in Japan. There are numerous ski resorts within the region. Mount Naeba (2143 meters) is partly located within the town limits. Much of the town is within the borders of either the Jōshin'etsu-kōgen National Park or the Uonuma Renpo Prefectural Park.
Yuzawa has a Humid continental climate (Köppen Dfa) characterized by warm, wet summers and cold winters with heavy snowfall. The average annual temperature in Yuzawa is 11.7°C (53.1°F). The average annual rainfall is 2,301.9mm (90.63in) with September as the wettest month. The temperatures are highest on average in August, at around 24.7°C (76.5°F), and lowest in January, at around −0.4°C (31.3°F).[1]
Climate data for Yuzawa, elevation 340m (1,120ft), (1991−2020 normals, extremes 1978−present)
Per Japanese census data,[3] the population of Yuzawa has declined over the past 30 years.
Historical population
Year
Pop.
±%
1970
8,374
—
1980
9,514
+13.6%
1990
9,986
+5.0%
2000
9,130
−8.6%
2010
8,396
−8.0%
2020
7,767
−7.5%
History
The area of present-day Yuzawa was part of ancient Echigo Province. The villages of Yuzawa, Futai (二居村, Futai-mura), Asakai (浅貝村, Asakai-mura), Kandatsu (神立村, Kandatsu-mura), Tsuchidaru (土樽村, Tsuchidaru-mura), and Mitsumata (三俣村, Mitsumata-mura) were created on 1 April 1889 as part of the modern municipalities system. On 1 November 1901, Futai and Asakai merged to become the village of Mikuni (三国村, Mikuni-mura). Yuzawa, Mikuni, Kandatsu, Tsuchidaru, and Mitsumata merged on 1 April 1955 to become the town of Yuzawa.
Education
Yuzawa has one public elementary school and one public middle school operated by the town government. The town no longer has a high school.
There are many ski resorts in Yuzawa and the surrounding area of Minamiuonuma and Minakami. The town is served by the Echigo-Yuzawa and Gala-Yuzawa stations on the Jōetsu Shinkansen line, making it one of the most accessible winter sports areas from Tokyo, and the town's economy is mainly based on skiing and snowboarding. There are 10 ski resorts in Yuzawa, and the most frequent users for the 2023-2024 season were Naeba Ski Resort, GALA Yuzawa Ski Resort, Iwappara Ski Resort, and Kagura Ski Resort, in that order.[4]
Once a year, the Fuji Rock Festival, Japan's largest outdoor music event, is held at Naeba Ski Resort.
Number of visitors to each resort for the 2023-2024 season.[4]
Yuzawa has at least 27 onsen (hot springs ) and onsen ryokan (traditional inns with onsen).[5] The most famous of these is Kaikake Onsen (ja), which first appeared in documents in the 1400s. During the Sengoku Period, Uesugi Kenshin had his troops bathe in the onsen to heal their wounds. During the Edo period, it was popular as a hot spring that cured eye diseases.[6]
Akayu Onsen is a hidden onsen located along a mountain stream southeast of Mount Naeba and is reached by a 2.5-hour hike.[7]
Kaikake Onsen
Akayu Onsen
Ponshu-kan
Pomshu-kan
Niigata Prefecture is famous for its sake, and there is a sake-themed facility outside the ticket gates of Echigo-Yuzawa Station that has become a tourist attraction. At the facility, called "Ponshu-kan" (meaning "Sake House"), visitors receive 5 coins for every 500 yen they spend, which they can put into vending machines to sample nearly 130 brands of Niigata Prefecture sake. Sake can also be purchased and visitors can take a bath in a onsen filled with sake.[8]
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