Higashidori, Aomori
Encyclopedia
is a village
located in northeastern Aomori Prefecture
in the Tōhoku region
of Japan
. As of 2009, the village had an estimated population
of 7,544 and a density
of 25.6 persons per km². Its total area was 294.39 km².
, facing the Pacific Ocean
and Tsugaru Strait
, with Cape Shiriyazaki forming a boundary between the two waters. The village has a cold maritime climate characterized by cool short summers and long cold winters with heavy snowfall. Parts of the village are within the limits of the Shimokita Hanto Quasi-National Park
.
people, with archaeological remains dating to the Jōmon period
. During the Edo period
, it was controlled by the Nambu clan of Morioka Domain
, but was a sparsely populated area with scattered fishing hamlets. During the cadastral reform of 1889, Higashidōri Village was proclaimed from the merger of twelve small hamlets, although the village administrative center was kept within the town hall of neighboring Tanabu Town (now part of the city of Mutsu). In 1988, to celebrate its 100th anniversary as a village, a village hall was finally built within the borders of Higashidōri.
. However, since the 1980s, there has been massive investment from Tōhoku Electric Power Company
and Tokyo Electric Power Company towards the construction of the Higashidōri Nuclear Power Plant
and related support facilities. In addition, the Iwaya Wind Farm
, with a total generation capacity of 32.5 MW, is the largest in Japan.
Villages of Japan
A is a local administrative unit in Japan.It is a local public body along with , , and . Geographically, a village's extent is contained within a prefecture....
located in northeastern Aomori Prefecture
Aomori Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan located in the Tōhoku Region. The capital is the city of Aomori.- History :Until the Meiji Restoration, the area of Aomori prefecture was known as Mutsu Province....
in the Tōhoku region
Tohoku region
The is a geographical area of Japan. The region occupies the northeastern portion of Honshu, the largest island of Japan. The region consists of six prefectures : Akita, Aomori, Fukushima, Iwate, Miyagi and Yamagata....
of Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
. As of 2009, the village had an estimated population
Population
A population is all the organisms that both belong to the same group or species and live in the same geographical area. The area that is used to define a sexual population is such that inter-breeding is possible between any pair within the area and more probable than cross-breeding with individuals...
of 7,544 and a density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
of 25.6 persons per km². Its total area was 294.39 km².
Geography
Higashidōri occupies the northeastern coastline of Shimokita PeninsulaShimokita Peninsula
The Shimokita Peninsula is the remote northeastern cape of the Japanese island of Honshū, stretching out towards Hokkaidō. Administratively the area is a part of Aomori Prefecture....
, facing the Pacific Ocean
Pacific Ocean
The Pacific Ocean is the largest of the Earth's oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic in the north to the Southern Ocean in the south, bounded by Asia and Australia in the west, and the Americas in the east.At 165.2 million square kilometres in area, this largest division of the World...
and Tsugaru Strait
Tsugaru Strait
is a channel between Honshu and Hokkaido in northern Japan connecting the Sea of Japan with the Pacific Ocean. It was named after the western part of Aomori Prefecture...
, with Cape Shiriyazaki forming a boundary between the two waters. The village has a cold maritime climate characterized by cool short summers and long cold winters with heavy snowfall. Parts of the village are within the limits of the Shimokita Hanto Quasi-National Park
Shimokita Hanto Quasi-National Park
is a quasi-national park in the far northern Tohoku region of Honshū in Japan. It is rated a protected landscape according to the IUCN. The park, which covers most of Shimokita Peninsula, includes the volcanic peaks and caldera lakes of the Osorezan Mountain Range, the coastal rock formations of...
.
Neighbouring municipalities
- MutsuMutsu, Aomoriis a city located in northeastern Aomori in the Tōhoku region of Japan. As of 2009, the city had an estimated population of 61,205 and a density of 70.09 persons per km²...
- Kamikita District, AomoriKamikita District, Aomoriis a district located in Aomori Prefecture, Japan. It occupies the east-central portion of the prefecture, south of Shimokita Peninsula.As of 2010, the district has an estimated population of 100,526 and a density of 78.5 persons per km². The total area was 1281.05 km².- Towns and villages...
- Yokohama
- RokkashoRokkasho, Aomoriis a village located in the Kamikita District of northeastern Aomori Prefecture in the Tōhoku region of Japan. As of 2009, the village had an estimated population of 10,890 and a density of 43 persons per km². Its total area was 253.01 km².-Geography:...
History
The area around Higashidōri was inhabited by the EmishiEmishi
The constituted a group of people who lived in northeastern Honshū in the Tōhoku region. They are referred to as in contemporary sources. Some Emishi tribes resisted the rule of the Japanese Emperors during the late Nara and early Heian periods...
people, with archaeological remains dating to the Jōmon period
Jomon period
The is the time in Japanese prehistory from about 14,000 BC to 300 BC.The term jōmon means "cord-patterned" in Japanese. This refers to the pottery style characteristic of the Jōmon culture, and which has markings made using sticks with cords wrapped around them...
. During the Edo period
Edo period
The , or , is a division of Japanese history which was ruled by the shoguns of the Tokugawa family, running from 1603 to 1868. The political entity of this period was the Tokugawa shogunate....
, it was controlled by the Nambu clan of Morioka Domain
Morioka Domain
The was a han or feudal domain that encompasses present-day the middle-northern part of Iwate Prefecture and eastern part of Aomori Prefecture. It is sometimes colloquially called . The domain was tozama daimyo and was governed by the Satake clan. Its income was 100,000...
, but was a sparsely populated area with scattered fishing hamlets. During the cadastral reform of 1889, Higashidōri Village was proclaimed from the merger of twelve small hamlets, although the village administrative center was kept within the town hall of neighboring Tanabu Town (now part of the city of Mutsu). In 1988, to celebrate its 100th anniversary as a village, a village hall was finally built within the borders of Higashidōri.
Economy
The economy of Higashidōri was traditionally almost completely dependent on commercial fishingCommercial fishing
Commercial fishing is the activity of catching fish and other seafood for commercial profit, mostly from wild fisheries. It provides a large quantity of food to many countries around the world, but those who practice it as an industry must often pursue fish far into the ocean under adverse conditions...
. However, since the 1980s, there has been massive investment from Tōhoku Electric Power Company
Tohoku Electric Power Company
is electric utility, servicing 7.6 million individual & corporate customers in 6 prefectures in Tōhoku region plus Niigata Prefecture. It provides electricity at 100 V, 50 Hz, though some area use 60 Hz....
and Tokyo Electric Power Company towards the construction of the Higashidōri Nuclear Power Plant
Higashidori Nuclear Power Plant
The is a nuclear power plant located in the town of Higashidōri in eastern Aomori Prefecture, on the Shimokita Peninsula, facing the Pacific Ocean. It is unique in Japan in that at this four-unit site, two units are run by one company, the Tōhoku Electric Power Company and two units are run by the...
and related support facilities. In addition, the Iwaya Wind Farm
Wind farm
A wind farm is a group of wind turbines in the same location used to produce electric power. A large wind farm may consist of several hundred individual wind turbines, and cover an extended area of hundreds of square miles, but the land between the turbines may be used for agricultural or other...
, with a total generation capacity of 32.5 MW, is the largest in Japan.