Article

06203 ／つるおかし

Tsuruoka City

Castle tiles carried to silkworm houses.

Matsugaoka Kaikonjo, silk houses

Photo by MChew (CC BY-SA 4.0)

01 ／ Western-style offices

The former Nishitagawa District Office and theformer Tsuruoka Police Station: one local carpenter.

Western-style offices in Tsuruoka City — Photo by Ippukucho (CC BY 3.0)

The former Nishitagawa District Office dates from 1881 and the former Tsuruoka Police Station from 1884; both are Important Cultural Properties. The Agency for Cultural Affairs says the former office is known for keeping its original form best among Yamagata's former district offices, and the police station is one of the region's pseudo-Western buildings.

Former Nishitagawa District Office, 1881
Former Tsuruoka Police Station, 1884
Both Important Cultural Properties

02 ／ Church

The church was designed by a French priestand built by Japanese carpenters.

Church in Tsuruoka City — Photo by Ippukucho (CC BY 3.0)

This wooden church of 1903 is an Important Cultural Property. The Agency for Cultural Affairs describes a three-aisled basilica plan in a Romanesque style with Gothic touches. The church's own website says it stands inside the samurai gate of a former Shonai domain elder's residence.

Completed 1903
Important Cultural Property, designated 1979
23.7 m high (church website)

03 ／ Slash-and-burn

In the hills of Atsumi, red turnips growon logged cedar slopes set alight.

Yakihata Atsumi turnips are red turnips grown in the hills of Atsumi, Tsuruoka, by burning off a field. According to the council's website, grass and branches on a sloped cedar clearing are burned around August 10, on a fair day with almost no wind, with the fire lowered from the top of the slope.

Hills of the Atsumi area
Burning around August 10
Harvest from early October to December

Tsuruoka City from the sky

Now and 1974–78. Tap a photo to zoom in.

Now1974–78

Wide (about 6 km across)

Close (about 1.5 km across)

Now (shot June 2024)Shot 1974–78

Source: Geospatial Information Authority of Japan (GSI) GSI Tiles（全国最新写真（シームレス）／国土画像情報（第一期：1974〜1978年撮影））

Open in GSI Maps (now)Open in GSI Maps (1974–78)

Living here

About four hours from Tokyo Station by Shinkansen and train.

about 120,000 people

The city's tourism website says it takes about four hours from Tokyo Station to Tsuruoka Station on the Joetsu Shinkansen and the Uetsu Main Line. For the Yamagata Shinkansen, it suggests the highway bus from Yamagata Station. On October 1, 2005, the city merged with Fujishima Town, Haguro Town, Kushibiki Town, Asahi Village and Atsumi Town.

People living here: 122,347people
Area: 1,311.51km²
Households: 45,666households
Rent (average for rentals): 43,204yen
Healthcare: 6 hospitals ／ 99 clinics

Area and habitable land at the same scalee-Stat B1101 / B1103

Population from 2005 onward (municipal boundary changed).2005-10-01 に新設合併（藤島町・羽黒町・櫛引町・朝日村・温海町）。2005年調査から市域が変わっている。

Children waiting for childcare: —40 nurseries and similar
Home purchase subsidy: —
Average annual temperature: —

These 3 items are waiting on a nationwide data source. We do not fill them with estimates.

Shape

Borders 5 municipalities across 1 prefectures.

Tsuruoka City in Japan38.727°N 139.827°E

Territory of Tsuruoka City

Boundaries: National Land Numerical Information (Administrative Area Data), MLIT. Processed by Machigatari.

North to south

56.6km

Yamagata Prefecture: Shonai Town, Nishikawa Town, Mikawa Town, Sakata City
Niigata Prefecture: Murakami City

Travel times per leg are not published by the municipality, so they are not shown.

Tsuruoka City isthis kind of town.

01Matsugaoka Kaikonjo is a national historic site where about 3,000 former samurai began reclaiming land; four three-story silkworm houses were completed in April 1875 with roof tiles carried from Tsuruoka Castle
02The former Nishitagawa District Office and the former Tsuruoka Police Station are Important Cultural Properties by the same local carpenter. The Tsuruoka Catholic Church was designed by a French priest and built by Japanese carpenters
03In the hills of Atsumi, red turnips are grown by slash-and-burn. It takes about four hours from Tokyo Station to Tsuruoka Station by Shinkansen and train

See the town as it is now.

Facebooktsuruokacity ↗

Source: Wikidata (P2002, P2003, P2013, P2397)

If something caught your eye, ask the town itself.

Tsuruoka City official site ↗Wikipedia ↗

From this town's themes