Susono (裾野市, Susono-shi) is a city located in eastern Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan. As of 1 December 2020, the city had an estimated population of 51,216 in 21,858 households,[1] and a population density of 370 persons per km². The total area of the city is 138.12 square kilometres (53.33 sq mi).

Susono
裾野市
Susono City Hall
Susono City Hall
Flag of Susono
Official seal of Susono
Location of Susono in Shizuoka Prefecture
Location of Susono in Shizuoka Prefecture
Susono is located in Japan
Susono
Susono
 
Coordinates: 35°10′26.2″N 138°54′24.4″E / 35.173944°N 138.906778°E / 35.173944; 138.906778
CountryJapan
RegionChūbu (Tōkai)
PrefectureShizuoka
First official recorded110 AD (official)
Town settledApril 1, 1952
City settledJanuary 1, 1971
Government
 • MayorHarukaze Murata (from January 2022)
Area
 • Total
138.12 km2 (53.33 sq mi)
Population
 (December 2020)
 • Total
51,216
 • Density370/km2 (960/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC 9 (Japan Standard Time)
- TreeJapanese cedar
- FlowerAzalea
- BirdBush warbler
Phone number055-992-2640
Address1059 Sano, Susono-shi, Shizuoka-ken 410-1192
WebsiteOfficial website
Susono with Mount Fuji

Mottos of Susono city

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  1. Enjoy working and make a healthy city.
  2. Be kind to people and make living in the city more pleasant.
  3. Maintain social order and build a peaceful city.
  4. Protect nature and make a beautiful city.
  5. Respect old traditions and make a cultured city.

Geography

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Susono is located in far eastern Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan, in the foothills of Mount Fuji, Mount Ashitaka, and the Hakone Mountains. The climate is temperate maritime, with hot humid summers and mild winters.

Surrounding municipalities

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Kanagawa Prefecture

Shizuoka Prefecture

Demographics

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Per Japanese census data,[2] the population of Susono has been increasing over the past 70 years.

Historical population
YearPop.±%
1940 16,530—    
1950 22,072 33.5%
1960 22,336 1.2%
1970 31,612 41.5%
1980 41,025 29.8%
1990 49,039 19.5%
2000 52,682 7.4%
2010 54,528 3.5%

Climate

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The city has a climate characterized by hot and humid summers, and relatively mild winters (Köppen climate classification Cfa). The average annual temperature in Susono is 13.8 °C. The average annual rainfall is 1916 mm with September as the wettest month. The temperatures are highest on average in August, at around 25.0 °C, and lowest in January, at around 3.3 °C.[3]

History

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During the Edo period, the area was mostly tenryō territory under direct control of the Tokugawa shogunate. After the Meiji Restoration, on February 1, 1889, a train station was opened in the center of rural Suntō District on what later became the Tōkaidō Main Line connecting Tokyo with Shizuoka. With the establishment of the modern municipalities system in April of the same year, the area was reorganized into 24 villages. Originally called "Sano Station", the train station was renamed Susono Station in 1915. Susono Town was founded on April 4, 1952, through the merger of Koizumi and Izumi Villages. On September 30, 1956, Fukara Village merged with Susono Town, and on September 1, 1957, Tomioka and Suyama Villages also merged. Susono became a city on January 1, 1971. The design of the city flag represents the union of the original five villages.

Government

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Susono has a mayor-council form of government with a directly elected mayor and a unicameral city legislature of 19 members.

Economy

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Susono has a mixed economy. As an industrial city, it hosts several automobile or automotive components plants, including a plant owned by Toyota Motor Corporation and one by its subsidiary Kanto Auto Works. Mitsubishi Aluminum Corporation and Canon also have factories in the city. In April, 2007, the head office of Yazaki Corporation, an automotive components manufacturer, was moved from Yokohama to Susono.

Agricultural products include Strawberries, bamboo shoots, and pork.

Toyota has begun the construction of the smart city, Woven City, in 2021.[4]

Education

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Susono has eight public elementary schools and five public middle schools operated by the city government, and one public high school (Shizuoka Prefectural Susono High School) operated by the Shizuoka Prefectural Board of Education. There is also one private combined middle/high school.

Transportation

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Railways

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Highways

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Local attractions

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Recreational facilities

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  • Campsites in Jurigi
  • Chuchan Stock Farm
  • Citizen Culture Center
  • Fuji Safari Park]
  • Gurimpa (amusement park)
  • The Mount Fuji Museum
  • Healthy Park Susono
  • Sports Park (baseball ground, tennis court, long roller slide, large grass area to play other sports)
  • Welfare Health Hall
  • Yeti (ski resort)

Events held in Susono

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  • Japanese/English Speech Contest
  • JLPGA Stanley Ladies Golf Tournament
  • Mount Fuji International Snowball Fight Contest
  • Mount Fuji Japanese Apricot Festival
  • Mount Fuji Walking Festival
  • Susono Summer Festival

Sister cities

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References

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  1. ^ Susono City official statistics (in Japanese)
  2. ^ Susono population statistics
  3. ^ Susono climate data
  4. ^ Jones, Jonathan Spencer (11 June 2021). "Toyota's Woven City – a future smart city prototype". Smart Energy International.
  5. ^ "International Exchange". List of Affiliation Partners within Prefectures. Council of Local Authorities for International Relations (CLAIR). Retrieved 21 November 2015.
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  Media related to Susono, Shizuoka at Wikimedia Commons