260px, Kasumigaura Bridge
260px, Kasumigaura History Museum
is a
city
A city is a human settlement of notable size.Goodall, B. (1987) ''The Penguin Dictionary of Human Geography''. London: Penguin.Kuper, A. and Kuper, J., eds (1996) ''The Social Science Encyclopedia''. 2nd edition. London: Routledge. It can be def ...
located in
Ibaraki Prefecture
is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located in the Kantō region of Honshu. Ibaraki Prefecture has a population of 2,871,199 (1 June 2019) and has a geographic area of . Ibaraki Prefecture borders Fukushima Prefecture to the north, ...
,
Japan
Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...
. , the city had an estimated
population
Population typically refers to the number of people in a single area, whether it be a city or town, region, country, continent, or the world. Governments typically quantify the size of the resident population within their jurisdiction using a ...
of 40,254 in 15,839 households and a
population density
Population density (in agriculture: standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geographical term.Matt RosenberPopul ...
of 257 persons per km². The percentage of the population aged over 65 was 32.0%.
The total area of the city is . . The city takes its name from the nearby lake,
Lake Kasumigaura
is the second-largest lake in Japan, located 60 km to the north-east of Tokyo.
In a narrower sense and officially, Lake Kasumigaura refers to a waterbody with an area of 167.63 km2. In a wider sense, Lake Kasumigaura can also refer t ...
. The city has the distinction of having the longest name in Japan (in terms of the number of characters used), together with
Ichikikushikino
is a Cities of Japan, city located in Kagoshima Prefecture, Japan.
The modern city of Ichikikushikino was established on October 11, 2005, from the merger of the city of Kushikino, Kagoshima, Kushikino with the town of Ichiki, Kagoshima, Ichiki ...
,
Kagoshima Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan located on the island of Kyushu and the Ryukyu Islands. Kagoshima Prefecture has a population of 1,599,779 (1 January 2020) and has a geographic area of 9,187 km2 (3,547 sq mi). Kagoshima Prefecture borders Kumamoto P ...
and
Tsukubamirai. Much of the city is within the borders of the
Suigō-Tsukuba Quasi-National Park
is a quasi-national park in the Kantō region of Honshū in Japan. It is rated a protected landscape (category V) according to the IUCN.
Geography
Suigō-Tsukuba Quasi-National Park covers an area in southeast Ibaraki Prefecture and north ...
.
Geography
Kasumigaura is located in central Ibaraki Prefecture, on a peninsula bordered by Lake
Kasumigaura on two sides to the southeast and southwest. It is approximately 60 kilometers to the northeast of Tokyo.
Surrounding municipalities
Ibaraki Prefecture
*
Ishioka
260px, Ishioka City Hall
is a city located in Ibaraki Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 72,351 in 28,291 households and a population density of 336 persons per km². The percentage of the population aged over 65 was ...
*
Tsuchiura
is a Cities of Japan, city located in Ibaraki Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 138,033 in 60,069 households and a population density of 1123 persons per km2. The percentage of the population aged over 65 was 29.7%. Th ...
Climate
Kasumigaura has a
Humid continental climate
A humid continental climate is a climatic region defined by Russo-German climatologist Wladimir Köppen in 1900, typified by four distinct seasons and large seasonal temperature differences, with warm to hot (and often humid) summers and freezing ...
(Köppen ''Cfa'') characterized by warm summers and cold winters with heavy snowfall. The average annual temperature in Kasumigaura is 13.7 °C. The average annual rainfall is 1311 mm with September as the wettest month. The temperatures are highest on average in August, at around 25.8 °C, and lowest in January, at around 2.7 °C.
Demographics
Per Japanese census data,
Kasumigaura population statistics
/ref> the population of Kasumigaura peaked around the year 2000 and has declined since.
History
The village of Dejima was established within Niihari District on February 11, 1955 through the merger of the villages of Shimootsu, Minami, Ushiwata, Saga, Anshoku and Shishiko. It was elevated to town status on April 1, 1997 and was renamed Kasumigaura. The town of Kasumigaura merged with the neighboring town of Chiyoda on March 28, 2005, becoming the city of Kasumigaura.
Government
Kasumigaura has a mayor-council form of government with a directly elected mayor and a unicameral
Unicameralism (from ''uni''- "one" + Latin ''camera'' "chamber") is a type of legislature, which consists of one house or assembly, that legislates and votes as one.
Unicameral legislatures exist when there is no widely perceived need for multic ...
city council of 16 members. Kasumigaura contributes one member to the Ibaraki Prefectural Assembly. In terms of national politics, the city is part of Ibaraki 6th district
, the House of Representatives of Japan is elected from a combination of multi-member districts and single-member districts, a method called Parallel voting. Currently, 176 members are elected from 11 multi-member districts (called proportional r ...
of the lower house
A lower house is one of two Debate chamber, chambers of a Bicameralism, bicameral legislature, the other chamber being the upper house. Despite its official position "below" the upper house, in many legislatures worldwide, the lower house has co ...
of the Diet of Japan
The is the national legislature of Japan. It is composed of a lower house, called the House of Representatives (, ''Shūgiin''), and an upper house, the House of Councillors (, '' Sangiin''). Both houses are directly elected under a paralle ...
.
Economy
Kasumigaura has primarily an agricultural economy, with lotus root
''Nelumbo nucifera'', also known as sacred lotus, Laxmi lotus, Indian lotus, or simply lotus, is one of two extant species of aquatic plant in the family Nelumbonaceae. It is sometimes colloquially called a water lily, though this more often re ...
s, and various fruits as the major cash crops. Aquaculture on Lake Kasumigaura also plays a role.
Education
Kasumigaura has eight public elementary schools and three public middle schools operated by the city government. The city does have a public high school, but it has one private combined elementary/middle school and one private high school.
Transportation
Railway
*Kasumigaura does not have any passenger railway service. The nearest train station is on the JR East
The is a major passenger railway company in Japan and is the largest of the seven Japan Railways Group companies. The company name is officially abbreviated as JR-EAST or JR East in English, and as in Japanese. The company's headquarters are ...
Jōban Line
The Jōban Line ( ja, 常磐線, ) is a railway line in Japan operated by the East Japan Railway Company (JR East). The line officially begins at Nippori Station in Arakawa, Tokyo before the line officially ends at Iwanuma Station in Iwanuma, ...
in neighboring Tsuchiura.
Highway
* – Chiyoda-Ishioka Interchange
*
*
Local attractions
*Lake Kasumigaura
is the second-largest lake in Japan, located 60 km to the north-east of Tokyo.
In a narrower sense and officially, Lake Kasumigaura refers to a waterbody with an area of 167.63 km2. In a wider sense, Lake Kasumigaura can also refer t ...
Notable people from Kasumigaura
* Katsuhiko Saka, professional baseball player
References
External links
*
{{Authority control
Cities in Ibaraki Prefecture
Kasumigaura, Ibaraki