250px, Mount Shirane from Manza Onsen is a village located in Gunma Prefecture,

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 village had an estimated population of 9,546 in 3,999 households, and a population density of 28 persons per km². The total area of the village is .

Geography

Tsumagoi is situated on the northwestern corner of Gunma Prefecture, touching

Nagano Prefecture is a landlocked prefecture of Japan located in the Chūbu region of Honshū. Nagano Prefecture has a population of 2,052,493 () and has a geographic area of . Nagano Prefecture borders Niigata Prefecture to the north, Gunma Prefecture to the ...

to the north, south, and west. Because of its elevated location and the ash deposits of Mount Asama, Tsumagoi is well known for growing

cabbage Cabbage, comprising several cultivars of ''Brassica oleracea'', is a leafy green, red (purple), or white (pale green) biennial plant grown as an annual vegetable crop for its dense-leaved heads. It is descended from the wild cabbage ( ''B.&nb ...

s. Parts of the village are within the borders of then Jōshin'etsu-kōgen National Park. * Mountains: Mount Asama (2568m), Mount Motoshirane (2171m),

Mount Kusatsu-Shirane is a active stratovolcano in Kusatsu, Gunma, Japan. It is called Kusatsu Shirane to differentiate it from the Mount Nikkō-Shirane on the other side of Gunma Prefecture. The summit of Kusatsu-Shirane volcano, located immediately north of Asa ...

(2160m),

Mount Azumaya is one of the 100 Famous Japanese Mountains. The peak lies on the border of Nagano Prefecture and Gunma Prefecture. There exist alternative spellings of the mountain's name, like: 吾妻山 and 吾嬬山 which is read as "Agatsuma-yama" (Mount ...

(2354m) * Rivers: Agatsuma River * Lakes: Lake Baragi, Lake Tashiro

Surrounding municipalities

Gunma Prefecture * Kusatsu *

Naganohara 250px, New Naganohara town office 250px, Festival at Kawahara onsen is a town located in Gunma Prefecture, Japan. , the town had an estimated population of 5,495 in 5630 households, and a population density of 41 persons per km². The total ...

Karuizawa is a resort town located in Nagano Prefecture, Japan. , the town had an estimated population of 20,323 in 9897 households, and a population density of 130 persons per km². The total area of the town is . Karuizawa is one of the oldest and most ...

* Komoro * Takayama * Suzaka * Ueda * Tōmi * Miyota

Climate

Tsumagoi has a Humid continental climate (Köppen ''DBf'') characterized by warm summers and cold winters with heavy snowfall, due to the high elevation. Winters are cold, with a January 24-hour average temperature of , while summers are warm and wet, with a July 24-hour average temperature of . The average annual rainfall is 1345 mm with September as the wettest month.

Demographics

Per Japanese census data, the population of Tsumagoi has recently decreased after several decades of relative stability. Tsumagoi has been recognized by Japan's Office for the Promotion of Regional Revitalization ( Kishida Cabinet Secretariat), which promotes the development of new technologies to combat depopulation, for meeting a "high standard" (高水準) of digital transformation/

telework Remote work, also called work from home (WFH), work from anywhere, telework, remote job, mobile work, and distance work is an employment arrangement in which employees do not commute to a central place of work, such as an office building, ware ...

infrastructure. Related projects have been awarded over ¥7.0M in government grants.

History

Numerous

Jōmon period The is the time in Japanese history, traditionally dated between 6,000–300 BCE, during which Japan was inhabited by a diverse hunter-gatherer and early agriculturalist population united through a common Jōmon culture, which reached a c ...

remains have been found in Tsumagoi, although later Yayoi period artifacts are almost non-existent, as the area is not suitable for rice cultivation. During the Edo period, the area around Tsumagoi was part of the hatamoto-administered territory within Kōzuke Province. Kanbara area (鎌原村) was severely damaged by the Tenmei eruption of

Mt. Asama is an active complex volcano in central Honshū, the main island of Japan. The volcano is the most active on Honshū. The Japan Meteorological Agency classifies Mount Asama as rank A. It stands above sea level on the border of Gunma prefecture ...

in 1783 (477 people died). With the creation of the modern municipalities system after the Meiji Restoration on April 1, 1889, the village of Tsumagoi was created within Agatsuma District of Gunma Prefecture.

Government

Tsumagoi has a mayor-council form of government with a directly elected mayor and a unicameral village council of 12 members. Tsumagoi collectively with the other municipalities in Agatsuma District, contributes two members to the Gunma Prefectural Assembly. In terms of national politics, the village is part of

Gunma 5th district Gunma 5th district is a constituency of the House of Representatives in the Diet of Japan (national legislature). It is located in Gunma Prefecture and consists of the cities of Tomioka, Annaka, parts of Takasaki and Shibukawa as well as the Kita ...

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

270px, Tsumagoi cabbage and Mount Asama The economy of Tsumagoi is primarily agricultural, with cabbage forming the most noted local crop. Seasonal tourism primarily in connection with its

onsen In Japan, are the country's hot springs and the bathing facilities and traditional inns around them. As a volcanically active country, Japan has many onsens scattered throughout all of its major islands. There are approximately 25,000 hot ...

hot spring resorts and ski resorts are also major contributors to the local economy.

Education

Tsumagoi has two public elementary schools and one public middle school operated by the town government, and one public high schools operated by the Gunma Prefectural Board of Education.

Senior high schools

* Tsumagoi High School

Junior high schools

* Tsumagoi Junior High School

Elementary schools

* Higashi Elementary School * Nishi Elementary School

Transportation

Railway

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 ...

– Agatsuma Line * - -

Highway

* * * *

Local attractions

The main draw of tourists to Tsumagoi are the ''

'' (natural hot spring) resorts, some of which are also associated with ski resorts. There are two major hot spring resort areas within the town. *Palcall Tsumagoi Mountain Resort *Manza Onsen and ski resort *Kazawa Onsen and ski resort *Tsumagoi Onsen *Handeki Onsen

Noted people from Tsumagoi

Akira Kuroiwa is a former speed skater from Japan, who represented his native country at two consecutive Winter Olympics, starting in 1984 in Sarajevo, Yugoslavia. In 1988, he won the bronze medal in the men's 500 metres, after having captured two world titl ...

, Olympic gold medalist speed skater * Toshiyuki Kuroiwa, Olympic silver medalist speed skater * Masato Kobayashi, professional baseball player

References

External links

Official Website
{{Authority control Villages in Gunma Prefecture Tsumagoi, Gunma