250px, Park in Takanezawa
is a
town
A town is a human settlement. Towns are generally larger than villages and smaller than cities, though the criteria to distinguish between them vary considerably in different parts of the world.
Origin and use
The word "town" shares an ori ...
located in
Tochigi Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan located in the Kantō region of Honshu. Tochigi Prefecture has a population of 1,943,886 (1 June 2019) and has a geographic area of 6,408 km2 (2,474 sq mi). Tochigi Prefecture borders Fukushima Prefecture to the ...
,
Japan. , the town 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 29,528 in 12,618 households,
and a
population density
Population density (in agriculture: Stock (disambiguation), 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 ...
of 420 persons per km². The total area of the town is
Geography
Takanezawa is located in the flatlands of east-central
Tochigi Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan located in the Kantō region of Honshu. Tochigi Prefecture has a population of 1,943,886 (1 June 2019) and has a geographic area of 6,408 km2 (2,474 sq mi). Tochigi Prefecture borders Fukushima Prefecture to the ...
with an average elevation of 109–195 meters. Over 65% of the town area is agricultural. The town is bordered by
Utsunomiya
is the prefectural capital city of Tochigi Prefecture in the northern Kantō region of Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 519,223, and a population density of . The total area of the city is . Utsunomiya is famous for its '' gyoza' ...
to the west, across the
Kinugawa River
, is a river on the main island of Honshu in Japan. It flows from the north to the south on the Kantō plain, merging with . At 176.7 km in length, it is the longest tributary of Tone-gawa. From ancient times, it has been known to cause flood ...
.
Surrounding municipalities
Tochigi Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan located in the Kantō region of Honshu. Tochigi Prefecture has a population of 1,943,886 (1 June 2019) and has a geographic area of 6,408 km2 (2,474 sq mi). Tochigi Prefecture borders Fukushima Prefecture to the ...
*
Utsunomiya
is the prefectural capital city of Tochigi Prefecture in the northern Kantō region of Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 519,223, and a population density of . The total area of the city is . Utsunomiya is famous for its '' gyoza' ...
*
Sakura
*
Nasukarasuyama
Ryumon Falls
is a city located in Tochigi Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 25,783 in 10,509 households, and a population density of 150 persons per km². The total area of the city is .
Geography
Nasukarasuyama is l ...
*
Ichikai
*
Haga
Climate
Nasu 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 Nasu is 13.2 °C. The average annual rainfall is 1424 mm with September as the wettest month. The temperatures are highest on average in August, at around 25.4 °C, and lowest in January, at around -1.8 °C.
Demographics
Per Japanese census data,
Takanezawa population statistics
/ref> the population of Takanezawa has recently plateaued after a long period of growth.
History
Akutsu village, Kitatakanezawa village, and Niita village were created within Shioya District of Tochigi Prefecture on April 1, 1889 with the creation of the modern municipalities system after the Meiji Restoration
The , referred to at the time as the , and also known as the Meiji Renovation, Revolution, Regeneration, Reform, or Renewal, was a political event that restored practical imperial rule to Japan in 1868 under Emperor Meiji. Although there were ...
. In April 1953 Akutsu village was elevated in status into Akutsu town. On March 31, 1954, Niita village was dissolved, with a portion merging with Kitatakanezawa village, and a portion going to Ujie Town (also in Shioya District). Akutsu and Kitatakanezawa merged on April 1, 1958 to create the town of Takanezawa.
Government
Takanezawa 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 multi ...
town council of 16 members. Takanezawa, together with the city of Sakura and town of Shioya collectively contributes two members to the Tochigi Prefectural Assembly. In terms of national politics, the town is part of Tochigi 2nd district
Tochigi 2nd district (栃木県 区, ''Tochigi-ken- ai-ikku'') is a single-member constituency of the House of Representatives, the lower house of the national Diet of Japan. It is located in northeastern Tochigi and consists of the towns of ...
of the lower house of the Diet of Japan.
Economy
The economy of Takanezawa is heavily dependent on agriculture, with rice cultivation as the primary crop. Secondary crops include tobacco, wheat, strawberries and pears. The town is increasingly becoming a bedroom community
A commuter town is a populated area that is primarily residential rather than commercial or industrial. Routine travel from home to work and back is called commuting, which is where the term comes from. A commuter town may be called by many o ...
for neighboring Utsunomiya.
Education
Takanezawa has six public primary school
A primary school (in Ireland, the United Kingdom, Australia, Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica, and South Africa), junior school (in Australia), elementary school or grade school (in North America and the Philippines) is a school for primary e ...
s and two public middle school
A middle school (also known as intermediate school, junior high school, junior secondary school, or lower secondary school) is an educational stage which exists in some countries, providing education between primary school and secondary school. ...
s operated by the town government. The town has one public high school
A secondary school describes an institution that provides secondary education and also usually includes the building where this takes place. Some secondary schools provide both '' lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper seconda ...
operated by the Tochigi Prefectural Board of Education
Transportation
Railway
JR East – Tōhoku Main Line
The Tōhoku Main Line ( ja, 東北本線, ) is a long railway line in Japan operated by the East Japan Railway Company (JR East). The line starts from Tokyo Station in Chiyoda, Tokyo and passes through such cities as Saitama, Utsunomiya, Fuku ...
(Utsunomiya Line)
*
JR East – Karasuyama Line
The is a railway line in Tochigi Prefecture, Japan, owned and operated by East Japan Railway Company (JR East). It connects in the town of Takanezawa with in Nasukarasuyama.
Services
Trains run approximately once every hour, traveling the ...
* Hōshakuji - -
Highway
*
*
Local attractions
*Takanezawa Onsen
References
External links
*
Official Website
{{Authority control
Towns in Tochigi Prefecture
Takanezawa, Tochigi