is a

village A village is a human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet but smaller than a town with a population typically ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand. Although villages are often located in rural areas, the term urban v ...

located in

Niigata Prefecture is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture in the Chūbu region of Honshu of Japan. Niigata Prefecture has a population of 2,131,009 (1 July 2023) and is the List of Japanese prefectures by area, fifth-largest prefecture of Japan by geographic area ...

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

. , the village had an estimated

population Population is a set of humans or other organisms in a given region or area. Governments conduct a census to quantify the resident population size within a given jurisdiction. The term is also applied to non-human animals, microorganisms, and pl ...

of 4,578 in 1613 households, and a

population density Population density (in agriculture: Standing 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 geog ...

of 174 persons per km². The total area of the village was .

Geography

Kariwa is located in central Niigata Prefecture, sandwiched between the cities of Nagaoka and Kashiwazaki, and consists of two discontinuous areas. Kariwa is located near the

Sea of Japan The Sea of Japan is the marginal sea between the Japanese archipelago, Sakhalin, the Korean Peninsula, and the mainland of the Russian Far East. The Japanese archipelago separates the sea from the Pacific Ocean. Like the Mediterranean Sea, it ...

but has no coastline. It takes over 3 hours to reach

Tokyo Tokyo, officially the Tokyo Metropolis, is the capital of Japan, capital and List of cities in Japan, most populous city in Japan. With a population of over 14 million in the city proper in 2023, it is List of largest cities, one of the most ...

by train (using local trains and

Jōetsu Shinkansen The is a high-speed shinkansen railway line connecting Tokyo and Niigata, Japan, via the Tōhoku Shinkansen, operated by the East Japan Railway Company (JR East). Despite its name, the line does not pass through the city of Jōetsu or the ...

from Nagaoka), or by car on the

Kan-Etsu Expressway The is a national expressways of Japan, expressway in Japan. It is owned and managed by East Nippon Expressway Company. Naming is the ''kanji'' acronym of and the old comprising modern-day Niigata Prefecture. Officially, the Kan-Etsu consist ...

Surrounding municipalities

** Kashiwazaki ** Nagaoka

Demographics

Per Japanese census data,Kariwa population statistics
/ref> the population of Kariwa peaked at around the year 1990, and has declined steadily since.

History

The area of present-day Kariwa was part of ancient

Echigo Province was an old provinces of Japan, old province in north-central Japan, on the shores of the Sea of Japan. It bordered on Uzen Province, Uzen, Iwashiro Province, Iwashiro, Kōzuke Province, Kōzuke, Shinano Province, Shinano, and Etchū Province, ...

and was part of the ''

tenryō The Tokugawa shogunate, also known as the was the military government of Japan during the Edo period from 1603 to 1868. The Tokugawa shogunate was established by Tokugawa Ieyasu after victory at the Battle of Sekigahara, ending the civil war ...

'' holdings of the

Tokugawa shogunate The Tokugawa shogunate, also known as the was the military government of Japan during the Edo period from 1603 to 1868. The Tokugawa shogunate was established by Tokugawa Ieyasu after victory at the Battle of Sekigahara, ending the civil wars ...

during the

Edo period The , also known as the , is the period between 1600 or 1603 and 1868 in the history of Japan, when the country was under the rule of the Tokugawa shogunate and some 300 regional ''daimyo'', or feudal lords. Emerging from the chaos of the Sengok ...

. The village of Kariwa was established within

Kariwa District, Niigata is a district located in Niigata Prefecture, Japan. As of July 1, 2019, the district has an estimated population of 4,578 with a density of 174 persons per km2. The total area is 26.27 km2. Municipalities The district consists of only one vil ...

with the creation of the modern municipalities system on April 1, 1889. On September 30, 1956 a part of the neighbouring village of Nakadori was absorbed into Kariwa. Likewise, on April 10, 1959 a part of neighbouring Futada village was absorbed into Kariwa

2007 Chūetsu offshore earthquake

A magnitude 6.8 earthquake hit off the coast of Kashiwazaki, killing 10 people, and injuring more than 1,200, causing massive power outages. Total over 340 houses were destroyed and thousands of people were forced to live at the shelters. The quake caused a fire at Kashiwazaki-Kariwa nuclear power plant in an electrical transformer, a leak of water from the spent fuel pool, and a host of other safety related events.The European Parliament's Greens-EFA Group - The World Nuclear Industry Status Report 2007
p. 23.Niigata earthquake death toll rises to elevenJapan News Review
July 23

Economy

Together with Kashiwazaki city, Kariwa is the home of the

Tokyo Electric Power Company is a Japanese electric utility holding company servicing Japan's Kantō region, Yamanashi Prefecture, and the eastern portion of Shizuoka Prefecture. This area includes Tokyo. Its headquarters are located in Uchisaiwaicho, Chiyoda, Tokyo, an ...

Kashiwazaki-Kariwa nuclear power plant The is a large, modern (housing the world's first advanced boiling water reactor or ABWR) nuclear power plant on a site.TEPCO Official Press Release (Japanese)First in Japan – Use of the Full Area for Power Plant Buildings, Reinforced Concr ...

, once the largest nuclear generating station in the world by net

electrical power Electric power is the rate of transfer of electrical energy within a electric circuit, circuit. Its SI unit is the watt, the general unit of power (physics), power, defined as one joule per second. Standard prefixes apply to watts as with oth ...

rating. After the April 2011 earthquake, all restarted units were shut down and safety improvements are being carried out. no units have been restarted.''Kashiwazaki Kariwa''
PRIS database (accessed August 2022)

Education

Kariwa has three public elementary schools and one public middle school operated by the village government. The village does not have a high school.

Transportation

Railway

JR East The is a major passenger railway company in Japan and 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 in ...

Echigo Line The is a railway line operated by East Japan Railway Company (JR East) which connects the cities of Kashiwazaki and Niigata in Niigata Prefecture, Japan. The line's name is taken from the name of the ancient Echigo Province, which correspond ...

* -

Highway

Hokuriku Expressway The , (abbreviated as , is a 4-laned national Expressways of Japan, expressway in Japan. It is owned and managed by East Nippon Expressway Company and Central Nippon Expressway Company. Overview The first section was opened in 1972 by Japan ...

* * *

Sister cities

Half Moon Bay, California Half Moon Bay is a coastal city in San Mateo County, California, United States, approximately south of San Francisco. Its population was 11,795 2020 census. Immediately north of Half Moon Bay is Pillar Point Harbor and the unincorporated co ...

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

Local attractions

* Akada castle remains (Now used as hiking paths) * Hozo-ji (temple) * Joraku-ji (temple) * Kariwa Midden (Prehistoric site) * Kariwa Village Life Learning Center "Rapika" * Katsuyama castle remains (Now used as hiking paths) * Tohuku-in (temple)

Festivals

* Takiya Toro Oshiai Matsuri (Lantern Battle Festival) (April) * Peach Flower Festival (April) * Kariwa-mura Furusato Matsuri (Village Festival) (August)

References

External links

*
Official Website
{{Authority control Villages in Niigata Prefecture Kariwa, Niigata