is a town

Towns of Japan

A town is a local administrative unit in Japan. It is a local public body along with prefecture , city , and village...

 located in Suntō District

Sunto District, Shizuoka

is a district located in Shizuoka, Japan. The area is part of former Suruga Province.As of 2009, the district has an estimated population of 93,038 and a density of 543 persons per km². The total area is 171.48 km².-Towns and villages:...

, Shizuoka

Shizuoka Prefecture

is a prefecture of Japan located in the Chūbu region on Honshu island. The capital is the city of Shizuoka.- History :Shizuoka prefecture was formed from the former Tōtōmi, Suruga and Izu provinces.The area was the home of the first Tokugawa Shogun...

, 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 February 2008, the town has 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 20,968 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 154 persons per km². The total area is 136.13 km².

Geography

Oyama is located in the far northeastern corner of Shizuoka Prefecture, bordering on Yamanashi

Yamanashi Prefecture

is a prefecture of Japan located in the Chūbu region of the island of Honshū. The capital is the city of Kōfu.-Pre-history to the 14th century:People have been living in the Yamanashi area for about 30,000 years...

 and Kanagawa Prefecture

Kanagawa Prefecture

is a prefecture located in the southern Kantō region of Japan. The capital is Yokohama. Kanagawa is part of the Greater Tokyo Area.-History:The prefecture has some archaeological sites going back to the Jōmon period...

s. Located in between the Tanzawa Mountains and the foothills of Mount Fuji

Mount Fuji

is the highest mountain in Japan at . An active stratovolcano that last erupted in 1707–08, Mount Fuji lies about south-west of Tokyo, and can be seen from there on a clear day. Mount Fuji's exceptionally symmetrical cone is a well-known symbol of Japan and it is frequently depicted in art and...

, the town has an average altitude of 800 meters, and has a cool climate with heavy rainfall. Some 65% of the town is covered in forest. Fuji Speedway

Fuji Speedway

is a race track standing in the foothills of Mount Fuji, in Oyama, Suntō District, Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan. It was built in the early 1960s and hosted the first Formula One race in Japan in 1976. In the 1980s, Fuji Speedway was used for the FIA World Sportscar Championship and national racing...

 is also located in this town.

Surrounding municipalities

Shizuoka Prefecture

• Gotemba
• Fujinomiya
  Fujinomiya, Shizuoka
  is a city located in central Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan. As of 2010, the city had an estimated population of 122,464 and the density of 389 persons per km². The total area was 314.81 km².-Geography:...
  
  

Kanagawa Prefecture

• Hakone
  Hakone, Kanagawa
  is a town in Ashigarashimo District in Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan. As of 2010, the town had an estimated population of 13,339 and a density of 144 persons per km². The total area was 92.82 km².-Geography:...
  
  
• Yamakita
  Yamakita, Kanagawa
  is a town located in Ashigarakami District, Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan. As of 2010, the town had an estimated population of 11,863 and a density of 52.8 persons per km². The total area was 224.70 km².-Geography:...
  
  
• Minamiashigara
  Minamiashigara, Kanagawa
  is a city located in the far southwestern corner of Kanagawa, Japan. As of 2010, the city had an estimated population of 44,190 and population density of 574 persons per km²...
  
  

Yamanashi Prefecture

• Fujiyoshida
  Fujiyoshida, Yamanashi
  is a city located in Yamanashi Prefecture, Japan, in the center of the Japanese main island of Honshū.-Geography:It is considered a high-elevation city in Japan, at 2,140 to 2,800 feet above sea level. The city is also located between two of the five Fuji Lakes.-Geology:Fujiyoshida was founded on...
  
  
• Yamanakako
  Yamanakako, Yamanashi
  is a village located in Minamitsuru District, Yamanashi, Japan.As of 2003, the village has an estimated population of 5,356 and a density of 101.42 persons per km². The total area is 52.81 km².-External links:*...
  
  

History

A small post town

Shukuba

were post stations during the Edo period in Japan, generally located on one of the Edo Five Routes or one of its sub-routes. They were also called shukueki . These post stations were places where travelers could rest on their journey around the nation...

 existed in this area since the Heian period

Heian period

The is the last division of classical Japanese history, running from 794 to 1185. The period is named after the capital city of Heian-kyō, or modern Kyōto. It is the period in Japanese history when Buddhism, Taoism and other Chinese influences were at their height...

, as Oyama is located at the base of the Ashigara Pass on the main route connecting the ancient provinces of Sagami

Sagami Province

was an old province in the area that is today the central and western Kanagawa prefecture. It was sometimes called . Sagami bordered on Izu, Musashi, Suruga provinces; and had access to the Pacific Ocean through Sagami Bay...

 with Kai

Kai Province

, also known as , is an old province in Japan in the area of Yamanashi Prefecture. It lies in central Honshū, west of Tokyo, in a landlocked mountainous region that includes Mount Fuji along its border with Shizuoka Prefecture....

 and Suruga Province

Suruga Province

was an old province in the area that is today the central part of Shizuoka prefecture. It was sometimes called . Suruga bordered on Izu, Kai, Sagami, Shinano, and Tōtōmi provinces; and had access to the Pacific Ocean through Suruga Bay.-History:...

s. The area was mostly tenryō territory under direct control of the Tokugawa shogunate

Tokugawa shogunate

The Tokugawa shogunate, also known as the and the , was a feudal regime of Japan established by Tokugawa Ieyasu and ruled by the shoguns of the Tokugawa family. This period is known as the Edo period and gets its name from the capital city, Edo, which is now called Tokyo, after the name was...

 in 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....

. During the cadastral reform of the early Meiji period

Meiji period

The , also known as the Meiji era, is a Japanese era which extended from September 1868 through July 1912. This period represents the first half of the Empire of Japan.- Meiji Restoration and the emperor :...

 on April 1, 1889, the area was reorganized into the villages of Rokugo, Kannuma, Ashigara, Kitago and Subashiri within Suntō District, Shizuoka, two months after the opening of Suruga-Oyama Station

Suruga-Oyama Station

is a railway station on the Gotemba Line located in the western part of Oyama, Shizuoka Prefecture. It is operated by Central Japan Railway Company...

 on the Tōkaidō Main Line

Tokaido Main Line

The is the busiest trunk line of the Japan Railways Group , connecting Tōkyō and Kōbe stations. It is long, not counting its many freight feeder lines around the major cities...

 (now Gotemba Line).

The villages of Rokugo and Suganuma merged to form Oyama on August 1, 1912. Oyama annexed neighboring Ashigara on April 1, 1955, Kitago Village on August 1, 1956 and Subashiri on September 30, 1956. The Furusawa District of former Kitago transferred from Oyama to Gotemba on September 1, 1957.

Economy

Due to its proximity to the Tokyo

Tokyo

, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...

 metropolitan area, Oyama has a mixed economy of agriculture and light industry. Rice is the principal agricultural crop.

Highway

• Tōmei Expressway
  Tomei Expressway
  The is a national expressway on the island of Honshū in Japan. It is operated by Central Nippon Expressway Company. It is a part of Asian Highway Network -Naming:The word Tōmei is an acronym consisting of two kanji characters...
  
   - Gotemba Interchange
• Japan National Route 138
• Japan National Route 246

Rail

• East Japan Railway Company
  East Japan Railway Company
  is the largest passenger railway company in the world and one of the seven Japan Railways Group companies. The company name is officially abbreviated as JR East in English, and as in Japanese. The company's headquarters are in Yoyogi, Shibuya, Tokyo....
  
   - Gotemba Line
  • Suruga-Oyama Station
    Suruga-Oyama Station
    is a railway station on the Gotemba Line located in the western part of Oyama, Shizuoka Prefecture. It is operated by Central Japan Railway Company...
    
    , Ashigara Station
    Ashigara Station (Shizuoka)
    is a railway station on the Gotemba Line located in the eastern part of Oyama, Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan. It is operated by Central Japan Railway Company .- Station history :...
    
    

Sister city relations

- Shōō, Okayama

Shoo, Okayama

is a town located in Katsuta District, Okayama, Japan.As of 2003, the town has an estimated population of 11,342 and a density of 209.61 persons per km². The total area is 54.09 km².This town is said to be the place Kintarō died.-External links:*...

, 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...

 from November 24, 1973 - Ōe, Kyoto

Oe, Kyoto

was a town located in Kasa District, Kyoto, Japan.On January 1, 2006 Ōe, along with the towns of Miwa and Yakuno, both from Amata District, was merged into the expanded city of Fukuchiyama....

, Japan from May 29, 1982 - Mission, British Columbia

Mission, British Columbia

Mission, the core of which was formerly known as Mission City, is a district municipality in the province of British Columbia, Canada. It is situated on the north bank of the Fraser River overlooking the City of Abbotsford and with that city is part of the Central Fraser Valley. Mission is the...

, Canada

Canada

Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...

, from October 7, 1996

External links

• Oyama official website (Japanese)
• Mount Fuji Subashiri Trail