Tōyama

Tōyama City 東山
東山市
Skyline of Tōyama City
Official seal of Tōyama City Seal
Motto: "Kauvara's port to the world"
Country	Nation/Kauvara
Provincia	Shizuoka (静岡県)
Region	Kaigani (海岸谷地方)
Founded	Unknown (before 900BC)
Joined Imperium Vulpes	1749 December 27
Incorporated into Imperium Kauvara	1997 Augustus 1
Government
• Type	Praefectorial Stratocracy
• Chief Administrator	Jun Kitayama
Area
• Land	299,326 km2 (115,570 sq mi)
Population (2010)
• Total	1,802,544,957
• Density	6,022/km2 (15,600/sq mi)
Demonym	Tōyamajin

Tōyama (東山市 Tōyama-shi, lit. "City of Eastern Mountains") is a city located on the south-eastern coast of Kauvara, and has the distinction of being the largest and most-populated city in the nation. It is situated on the northern Coscivian Sea, with its territory being referred to as Enoshima Bay. It is one of Kauvara's most important commercial hubs, hosting over 85% of the international commercial vessels that come in and out of the nation.

Another unique fact about Tōyama is that its language has become the lingua mercantilis of Kauvara. Kokusaigo (国際語 Kokusaigo, lit. "International Language") was spoken by the Tōyamajin ever since it was established long ago. Due to Tōyama being the primary port of Kauvara even pre-Unification, any nation wanting to get materials through methods other than expensive and time-consuming intercontinental airship voyages had to go through the city. Accordingly, Kokusaigo has become the main language of Kauvaran merchants, and the official language of Tōyama alongside Vulpesian, even today.

History

During the Chronos Immemoriam Period, it is believed that Tōyama was settled by migrants from Isolated China. Owing to their connections with the continent of Zanteng, the migrants were able to establish an effective community of traders and immigrants that played no large part in the martial aspects of the constant warfare that plagued the city-states. Using shrewd politics and clever economic manipulation, Tōyama managed to shift itself into a position where it became the sole trading port with the nations outside of Alania that could easily accept and send out merchant vessels (this is part of how Prizyetsa, being across a mere land border, became so close to Kauvara over so long). The other city-states could send out massive trading airbarques, but these were costly and time-consuming ventures. Consequently, Tōyama became one of the most important city-states in the region.

Tōyama quickly grew to become a massive city, one centered around business and internationalism. Scores of immigrants from all nations around the world passed through Tōyama's ports, coloring each city-state with a certain nationality, each. For example Fyrto experienced an influx of Uriaki citizens, creating a city that became largely-influenced by the culture of the Constitutional Empire of Socialist Provinces. Tōyama flourished, with the number of immigrants swelling to impressive numbers, and its wealth skyrocketing.

However, it was soon realized that this was unsustainable. Tōyama had the wealth to support itself, but the migrants who moved on to other city-states were becoming major burdens on their resources. The compassion of the people meant they would not turn back those who ventured the beast-infested wilds between the city-states, so a solution was needed. When Tōyama signed the treaty to become part of the Imperium Vulpes on 1749 December 27, one stipulation was that it had to start slowing how many immigrants it accepted. The city-state refused, negotiating down to merely slowing the migration from Tōyama to other cities. The government of Vulpes accepted, and Tōyama became the newest nation in the Imperium Vulpes, the cities checkpoints acting as the gateways for immigrants into the rest of the Imperium Vulpes.

Since then, and since its incorporation into the Imperium of Kauvara, its role has remained largely unchanged. Tōyama is a hub of internationalism, and acts as the economic and ethnic gateway into the rest of Kauvara. However, recently it has begun to suffer overpopulation problems, with the restrictions that come with the necessary anti-beast walls causing major urban build-up and population aggregation. The local government and Vulpes are currently working on solutions.

Climate

Set into the slopes of the Hydaean Mountain Range that goes along the Shizuokan section of Kauvara's coast, the city of Tōyama sees some rather cold temperatures. However, due to its coastal position and harbor atmosphere creating a saline air environment, there is very little snow. The city also faces high winds sweeping down the mountains and into the sea, which may partially-contribute to why Tōyama has used more watercraft in the past as opposed to airships; the high winds make them unsafe for use around the area.

Climate data for Tōyama, Shizuoka, Kauvara

Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Year
Average °C (°F)	6.1 (43)	6.5 (43.7)	9.4 (48.9)	14.6 (58.3)	18.9 (66)	22.1 (72.8)	25.8 (78.4)	27.4 (81.3)	23.8 (74.8)	18.5 (65.3)	13.3 (55.9)	8.7 (44.7)	16.3 (61.3)

Politics and Government

Political System

Tōyama has always operated upon a system of hyper-capitalism. To many Tōyamajin, your paygrade and holdings determine your self-worth. Whomever arrives at the party in the sleekest car, the most well-tailored suit, and the prettiest arm candy (or candies) tends to be viewed in a higher regard than even the host. High-society parties in the city are very common, with competitions of self-worth and image being passive-aggressive bouts of politics and privilege. Debatebly-uncoincidentally, these same high-society types and wealthy people are also Satelles in the Praefectural government of the city.

However, this does not create a very large sense of ire amongst the lower rungs of the city's society. Rather, there is an honorable code of ethics owed to their heritage of loyalty to their company. The company takes care of them, so they take care of the company. This attitude makes corporations into political factions in Tōyama, with Chief Administrator Jun Kitayama being elected to the office through connections and holding the right share percentages more than anything else. He acts as Praefect of the city, with his Satelles being his closest and most brilliant company aides, as well as political appointments from the CEOs and Presidents of other companies in Tōyama. Each leads one of the Districts (区 -Ku, Ward), acting in the interests of that area as an Administrator, reporting to Chief Administrator Kitayama.

Tōyama Guardian Regiment

As with the rest of the city-states that were incorporated into the Imperium of Kauvara in 1997, each standing army was folded into the Imperial Kauvaran Guardian Regiments. The Tōyama Guardian Regiment (東山の警備軍 Tōyama no keibi-gun, Tōyama Public Safety Corps), or TGR, was created to defend the city from beast incursions, as well as regulate the large degree of trade and immigration that passes through the city. Accordingly, they are adept at civilian control and urban operations, especially given the massive population and density of Tōyama. Other than the Vulpes Guardian Regiment and Skyfleet, it is the most well-funded of the Guardian Regiments. Their role is unparalleled, operating on multiple levels of society in the city. Due to their role, the troopers of the TGR are the first contact of many who immigrate to Kauvara, and they are also the ones who send them on their way should they choose to make their home in a different city when they pass through one of the many checkpoints that link Tōyama with the rest of Kauvara. In order to make these migrants feel more welcome, the TGR is trained for situations varying from helping tourists to defending against foreign military threats to annihilating beast incursions.

Economy

If ever there was a city almost entirely-devoted to white-collar business, it would be Tōyama. What little that the city actually produces itself is in the field of high-technology goods such as computer chips, cell phones, and artificial intelligence. They are all lightweight, expensive, top-of-the-line goods that can easily be produced in an advanced laboratory or workshop on the 92nd floor of a building in the middle of downtown. When it comes to the actual heavy-manufacturing of the goods that the city dreams up, they are sold to other cities in Kauvara or, in rare cases, foreign powers. In other words, Tōyama is a city of ideas and concepts, where the brilliant minds of Kauvara and the world can congregate to think of tomorrow's silver bullet to any number of issues that plague the world, or the next big thing in entertainment technology. Expensive, elegant, and world-topping, Tōyamajin are proud of their role. "Buying an idea from Tōyama" is a colloquialism used in Kauvara to indicate that somebody is gaining inspiration at great cost from something other than within, such as plagiarizing.

Tōyama's other important role is that of the economic vector between foreign ships wishing to trade with Kauvara and the rest of the provinces in Kauvara. With the only other major ports being in Aldvekt and Coryna each only taking industrial and tourist ships only, respectively, Tōyama takes most, if not nearly all, of the foreign commercial ships that come to Kauvara. The good and immigrants that flow through the city into the rest of Kauvara have given rise to a booming transit industry, with the transit titan corporation of KauvaraRail having its headquarters in the city, specifically in Shinmachi Ward. One of Kauvara's only ship-building companies is also headquartered in Tōyama, utilizing the Minatomirai Ward (港未来区) (however, they mostly operate to support the TGR Port Authority as opposed to constructing major ships for Kauvara, and they outsource the construction to Aldvekt). In other words, Tōyama is the economic jugular of Kauvara, with its centralized location being both Kauvara's greatest strength and largest vulnerability. However, it is most certainly effective at managing the influx of immigrants and argentum, as well as dispersing Kauvara's goods to the world.

Transport

Due to being the headquarters of KauvaraRail, Tōyama enjoys the benefits of having an incredibly-advanced and comprehensive urban rail network. Each Ward has at least one station in it (generally named after the Ward with a number if it is required). With trains developed with the help of the Prizyetsi, the city is able to efficiently transport its burgeoning population of nearly two billion all across the sprawling metropolis. The lines also all connect to Tōyama Central Station, allowing for dispersal and condensing around one of the two airports and the largest high-speed inter-city rail line hub. However, due to such a high urban density, these trains are often overfilled past capacity. There are currently plans in place to expand the rail network, although there is no way to do it safely, without disrupting the critical flow of human traffic, and without upsetting local Satelles due to zoning and changing the Wards. There is also an extensive underground freight network that connects the port and the high-speed freight lines near the city's Exterior Defense Network, connecting the ports to the rest of Kauvara in terms of rapid goods and freight dispersion and deployment. Due to this, it can take as little as half a day to unload a cargo ship, place its freight on one of the underground lines, send it to the high-speed freight stations at the Exterior Defense Network, and have it hurtling at several hundred kilometers per hour towards its destination.

Places of Interest

As the entry point into Kauvara for most of the world, one would think that Tōyama holds many sections to attract tourists. However, this is not the case. Rather, the port city of Coryna holds the honor of being Kauvara's premier tourist location. Tōyama itself is one of the top cities in the world for businesspeople, however. Its many business districts, and the port, are well-known for being hubs of international business, with many global corporations setting up offices and holding conferences in the city. That being said, however, the coastal area in some places near the Exterior Defense Network can be quite beautiful, including the borders of the Minatomirai Ward. However, Tōyama is certainly not a destination for tourists seeking to relax or take in culture.