Noheji ( 野辺地町 , Noheji-machi ) is a town located in Aomori Prefecture , Japan . As of 28 February 2023, the town had an estimated population of 12,249 in 6313 households, and a population density of 150 persons per km. The total area of the town is 81.68 square kilometers (31.54 sq mi).
14-524: Noheji occupies the southeastern coastline of Mutsu Bay at the base of the Shimokita Peninsula . Aomori Prefecture The town has a cold maritime climate characterized by cool short summers and long cold winters with heavy snowfall ( Köppen climate classification Cfa ). The average annual temperature in Noheji is 10.1 °C. The average annual rainfall is 1243 mm with September as
28-509: A north-south distance of approximately 40 kilometers (22 nmi; 25 mi) at its eastern end, with a total area of approximately 1,667.89 square kilometers (486.28 sq nmi; 643.98 sq mi). Mutsu Bay is the dominant English term used in English for the body of water; however it has historically been referred to as the Gulf of Mutsu . The Japanese name for the body of water
42-932: A pure river flows through a field" in the Ainu language . During the Edo period , the area was controlled by the Nanbu clan of Morioka Domain and prospered due to its fishing industry and location on the road connecting Morioka Domain with the Hirosaki Domain . During the Boshin War of the Meiji Restoration , the Battle of Noheji occurred between the Tokugawa loyalist forces of Morioka Domain and pro-imperial forces of Hirosaki Domain on 11 November 1868, resulting in
56-483: A victory for the Imperial faction. During the post- Meiji restoration creation of the modern municipalities system on 1 April 1889, the village of Noheiji was established. Noheji was elevated to town status on 28 August 1898. Noheji has a mayor-council form of government with a directly elected mayor and a unicameral town council of 12 members. Noheji is part of Shimokita District which contributes four members to
70-525: Is Mutsu-wan ( 陸奥湾 ) . Mutsu Bay is bordered by the Tsugaru Peninsula to the west and the Shimokita Peninsula to the east and north. It has an east-west distance of approximately 40 kilometers (22 nmi; 25 mi) and a north-south distance of approximately 40 kilometers (22 nmi; 25 mi) at its eastern end, with a total area of approximately 1,667.89 square kilometers (486.28 sq nmi; 643.98 sq mi). The outlet of
84-739: Is technically outside Japan's territorial waters. The Tsugaru Strait has eastern and western necks, both approximately 20 km across with maximum depths of 200 m and 140 m respectively. There are also ferry services that operate across the strait, including the Tsugaru Kaikyō Ferry and the Seikan ferry . On September 26, 1954, 1,172 people died when the ferry Tōya Maru sank in the strait. Thomas Blakiston , an English explorer and naturalist, noticed that animals in Hokkaido were related to northern Asian species, whereas those on Honshu to
98-740: The Pacific Ocean . It was named after the western part of Aomori Prefecture . The Seikan Tunnel passes under it at its narrowest point 12.1 miles (19.5 km) between Tappi Misaki on the Tsugaru Peninsula in Aomori Prefecture , Honshu, and Shirakami Misaki on the Matsumae Peninsula in Hokkaido. Western maps made prior to the 20th century also referred to this waterway as the Strait of Sangar . Japan's territorial waters extend to three nautical miles (5.6 km) into
112-630: The Aomori Prefectural Assembly. In terms of national politics, the town is part of Aomori 2nd district of the lower house of the Diet of Japan . The economy of Noheji is heavily dependent on commercial fishing , especially for scallops , and on agriculture with the raising of mountain yams predominating. The town also serves as a commercial and transportation center for the surrounding rural areas. Noheji has three public elementary schools and one public middle school operated by
126-528: The bay is the 14-kilometer (7.6 nmi; 8.7 mi) wide Tairadate Strait which connects Mutsu Bay to the Tsugaru Strait separating the islands of Honshu and Hokkaido . The bay has an average depth of 40 to 45 meters (131 to 148 ft), with a maximum depth of 70 meters (230 ft) near its outlet to the Tsugaru Strait. Mutsu Bay includes Aomori Bay in the southwest, Noheji Bay in
140-509: The eastern Mutsu Bay shoreline to be one of the 500 Important Wetlands in Japan. Pacific white-sided dolphins are regular migrants into the bay annually, and whale watching and surveys using ferries have been conducted. Tsugaru Strait The Tsugaru Strait ( 津軽海峡 , Tsugaru Kaikyō ) is a strait between Honshu and Hokkaido in northern Japan connecting the Sea of Japan with
154-561: The southeast, and Ōminato Bay to the northeast. Economically, the shallow waters of the bay are an important fishery, with the cultivation of scallops predominating. Other products commercially harvested include Sea cucumber , Olive flounder and Ascidiacea . The fisheries were severely damaged by the 2010 Northern Hemisphere summer heat waves . In the year 2002, the Ministry of the Environment classified some tidal flats of
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#1732802562052168-517: The strait instead of the usual twelve, reportedly to allow nuclear -armed United States Navy warships and submarines to transit the strait without violating Japan's prohibition against nuclear weapons in its territory. Despite this, the part of the Tsugaru Strait considered to be in international waters is still within Japan's exclusive economic zone , and the Seikan Tunnel remains entirely under Japanese jurisdiction even though part of it
182-615: The town government, and one public high school operated by the Aomori Prefectural Board of Education. The town also has one private high school. [REDACTED] Aoimori Railway Company - Aoimori Railway Line [REDACTED] East Japan Railway Company (JR East) - Ōminato Line Mutsu Bay Mutsu Bay ( 陸奥湾 , Mutsu-wan ) is a bay located within Aomori Prefecture , in the northern Tōhoku region of northern Japan . It has an east-west distance of approximately 40 kilometers (22 nmi; 25 mi) and
196-584: The wettest month. The temperatures are highest on average in August, at around 22.7 °C, and lowest in January, at around -2.1 °C. Per Japanese census data, the population of Noheji peaked in around the year 1970 and has declined over the past 50 years. The area around Noheji was inhabited by the Emishi people until the historical period, and the name "Noheji" is derived from "Nosobechi", or "place where
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