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 ...

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 city had an estimated population of 76,098 in 32,439 households, and a population density of . The total area of the city is . Shibukawa is the location of Ikaho Onsen, a popular hot spring resort.

Geography

Shibukawa is in the northern extremity of the Kantō plains of central Gunma Prefecture, encompassing the juncture of the Tone River and Agatsuma River. It is about from Tokyo. To the west is Mount Haruna, and to the east is Mount Akagi. To the north are

Mount Onoko Mount is often used as part of the name of specific mountains, e.g. Mount Everest. Mount or Mounts may also refer to: Places * Mount, Cornwall, a village in Warleggan parish, England * Mount, Perranzabuloe, a hamlet in Perranzabuloe parish, C ...

and Mount Komochi. The Tone River flows from the north (between Mount Akagi and Mount Komochi) southward through the city, while the Agatsuma River flows from the west (between Mount Onoko and Mount Haruna), merging with the Tone River near the center of the city. Shibukawa is at a central point (36°29′ N, 139°00′ E) of the Japanese archipelago and is thus known as the . Shibukawa's highest altitude is above sea level; its lowest point is

above sea level Height above mean sea level is a measure of the vertical distance (height, elevation or altitude) of a location in reference to a historic mean sea level taken as a vertical datum. In geodesy, it is formalized as ''orthometric heights''. The comb ...

. The majority of the city lies between above sea level Farmland covers (20.8% of the city), housing covers (8.4%), and mountains and forests cover (32.2%). The remaining (38.6%) has other land uses.

Surrounding municipalities

*To the north:

Numata is a city located in Gunma Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 46,908 in 20,589 households, and a population density of 110 persons per km². The total area of the city is , making it the largest city in terms of area w ...

, Shōwa, Takayama *To the east: Maebashi *To the south: Maebashi, Shintō, Yoshioka *To the west: Takasaki, Higashiagatsuma, Nakanojō

Climate

Shibukawa has a Humid continental climate (Köppen ''Cfa'') characterized by warm summers and cold winters with heavy snowfall. The average annual temperature in Shibukawa is 13.7 °C. The average annual rainfall is 1335 mm with September as the wettest month. The temperatures are highest on average in August, at around 26.1 °C, and lowest in January, at around 2.3 °C.

Demographics

Per Japanese census data, the population of Shibukawa peaked around the year 1990 and has declined since.

History

Shibukawa is located within traditional Kōzuke Province. During the Edo period, the area of present-day Shibukawa prospered from its location on the

Mikuni Kaidō was an ancient highway in Japan that stretched from Takasaki-juku (present day Gunma Prefecture) on the Nakasendō to Teradomari-juku (present day Niigata Prefecture) on the Hokurikudō. History The Mikuni Pass separated the Kantō region from Ech ...

highway connecting Takasaki with Niigata. Post stations within the borders of modern Shibukawa were Shibukawa-shuku, Kanai-shuku, Kitamoku-shuku and Yokobori-shuku. Shibukawa town was created in Nishigunma District, Gunma Prefecture on April 1, 1889 with the creation of the modern municipalities system after the Meiji Restoration. In 1896, Nishiguma District and Kataoka District merged to form Gunma District, Gunma; however, the area containing Shibukawa was separated out in October 1949 into Kitagunma District. On April 1, 1954, Shibukawa absorbed the villages of Furumaki, Kanashima and Toyoaki to become the city of Shibukawa. On February 20, 2006, Shibukawa absorbed the town of

Ikaho was a town located in Kitagunma District, Gunma Prefecture, Japan. As of 2003, the town had an estimated population of 3,920 and a density of 175.63 persons per km2. The total area was 22.32 km2. On February 20, 2006, Ikaho, along with the vil ...

, the villages of Komochi and Onogami (all from Kitagunma District), and the villages of Akagi and Kitatachibana (both from Seta District).

Government

Shibukawa has a mayor-council form of government with a directly elected mayor and a unicameral city council of 18 members. Shibukawa contributes two members to the Gunma Prefectural Assembly. In terms of national politics, the city is divided between the

Gunma 1st district Gunma 1st 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 Maebashi and Numata and the district of Tone as well as parts of the ...

and the

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

Shibukawa is a regional commercial center and transportation hub. Seasonal tourism, particularly to its hot spring and ski resorts, play a major role in the local economy. The area is noted for its production of konjac.

Education

Shibukawa has 14 public elementary schools and nine public middle schools operated by the city government, and four public high schools operated by the Gunma Prefectural Board of Education. The prefecture also operates two special education schools for the handicapped.

High schools

*Shibukawa High School *Shibukawa Girls' High School *Shibukawa Kougyou High School *Shibukawa Seisui High School

Middle schools

*Akagi North Middle School *Akagi South Middle School *Furumaki Middle School *Hokkitsu Middle School *Ikaho Middle School *Kanashima Middle School *Komochi Middle School *Shibukawa Middle School *Shibukawa North Middle School

Elementary schools

*Ikaho Elementary School *Furumaki Elementary School *Kanashima Elementary School *Miharada Elementary School *Nagaou Elementary School *Nakagou Elementary School *Onogami Elementary School *Shibukawa North Elementary School *Shibukawa South Elementary School *Shibukawa West Elementary School *Tachibana North Elementary School *Tachibana South Elementary School *Toyoaki Elementary School *Tsukuda 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 ...

– Jōetsu Line * - - - JR logo (east)

–

Agatsuma Line Agatsuma may refer to: *, Japanese shamisen player *Agatsuma District, Gunma, a district in Gunma Prefecture, Japan *Agatsuma, Gunma, a town in Gunma Prefecture, Japan *Agatsuma River, a river in Japan *Agatsuma Entertainment, a Japanese toy/video ...

* - - - –

Ikaho Ropeway The is Japanese aerial lift line in Shibukawa, Gunma. The ropeway connects the onsen group of the Shibukawa Ikahomachi district to the summit of Mount Monokiki and park facilities of Mount Kaminoyama. Description The Ikaho Ropeway is owne ...

Hototogisu Station Hototogisu may refer to: *Lesser cuckoo (''Cuculus poliocephalus''), a bird native to Japan * ''The Cuckoo'' (novel) or ''Hototogisu'', a novel by Roka Tokutomi * ''Hototogisu'' (magazine), a Japanese literary magazine * ''Hototogisu'' (film), a 19 ...

and Miharashi Station

Highway

* – Shibukawa-Ikaho IC, Akagi IC * *

Local attractions

*Ikaho Onsen *

Takehisa Yumeji was a Japanese poet and painter. He is known foremost for his ''Nihonga'' illustrations of ''bijin'', beautiful women and girls, though he also produced a wide variety of works including book covers, serial newspaper illustrations, ''furoshiki' ...

Memorial Museum * Tokutomi Roka Memorial Museum *

Mizusawa-dera is a Buddhist temples in Japan, Buddhist temple of the Tendai sect located in the city of Shibukawa, Gunma, Shibukawa in Gunma Prefecture, Japan. Its ''honzon'' is a bronze statue of . The temple is also referred to as simply the . It is the 16th ...

, 16th stop on the

Bandō Sanjūsankasho The ("The Bandō 33 Kannon Pilgrimage") is a series of 33 Buddhist temples in Eastern Japan sacred to Goddess Kannon. Bandō is the old name for what is now the Kantō region,Donald Richie used in this case because the temples are all in the Pref ...

pilgrimage
Shibukawa Skyland Park
- an amusement park

- a farm designed to show its visitors about farming *Ikaho Sistina Museum- an op art museum which also has a Sistine Chapel replica *

Japan Chanson Museum 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 ...

- a museum dedicated to the chanson style of music *Shibukawa Sōgō Park - a large park encompassing hiking trails, campsites, tennis courts, a baseball diamond, a running track, and other recreational facilities *Onoike Ajisai Park- a hydrangea park with a pond and hiking trails
Shibukawa Sky Terume
- a hot spring in a building which looks something like a spaceship

Festivals

Shibukawa calls itself "The Bellybutton of Japan" (日本のおへそ) and hosts the Bellybutton Festival (へそ祭り) every year in late July. The festival is based on a traditional Japanese form of entertainment where revelers paint a face on their torsos and stomachs and pretend it is a head. A kimono is then wrapped around the waist and the person's real head is hidden by a large cloth hat. The belly button is traditionally painted into a mouth. These days, modern motifs and Japanese anime designs have crept into the festival, which city officials said is all about having fun.Shibukawa belly button festival

Sister city relations

Shibukawa is twinned with: * - Abano Terme, Veneto, Italy, since March 23, 1993 *, Whakatane, New Zealand, since 1992 * - Logan City, Queensland,

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

, friendship city since April 17, 1996 * –

Hawaii County, Hawaii Hawaii County ( haw, Kalana o Hawaiʻi) (officially known as the County of Hawaii) is a county in the U.S. state of Hawaii in the Hawaiian Islands. It is coextensive with the Island of Hawaii, often called the "Big Island" to distinguish it from ...

, United States, since January 22, 1997 * -

Foligno Foligno (; Southern Umbrian: ''Fuligno'') is an ancient town of Italy in the province of Perugia in east central Umbria, on the Topino river where it leaves the Apennines and enters the wide plain of the Clitunno river system. It is located so ...

, Umbria, Italy, since March 23, 2000

Noted people from Shibukawa

Chūsei Sone was a Japanese film director known for his stylish and popular ''Roman Porno'' films for Nikkatsu, particularly the first two installments of the ''Angel Guts'' series. Despite a somewhat uneven career, many mainstream critics consider Sone the ...

, movie director *

Jiro Sato was a Japanese tennis player. He was ranked World No. 3 in 1933, but committed suicide in the Strait of Malacca during his trip to the Davis Cup in 1934. He received worldwide fame in Wimbledon 1932, when he beat the defending champion Sidney ...

, tennis player * Chocoball Mukai, actor * Kiyohiko Shibukawa, fashion model, actor *

Takahiro Fujioka is a Japanese former professional baseball pitcher. He has played in Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) for the Chiba Lotte Marines, Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters and Yomiuri Giants. Career Chiba Lotte Marines The are a professional baseball ...

, baseball player *

Keisuke Kanoh is a Japanese professional baseball outfielder for the Hanshin Tigers in Japan's Nippon Professional Baseball. Early baseball career Keisuke was born in Shibukawa, Gunma, Japan, and originally played as pitcher in junior high, but upon his elec ...

, baseball player

References

External links

Official Website

{{Authority control Cities in Gunma Prefecture Shibukawa, Gunma