is a
city||A is a local administrative unit in Japan. Cities are ranked on the same level as and , with the difference that they are not a component of...
located in
Naganois a prefecture of Japan located in the Chūbu region of the island of Honshū. The capital is the city of Nagano.- History :Nagano was formerly known as the province of Shinano, and was divided among many local daimyo during the Sengoku period....
,
Japanis an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, People's Republic of China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
.
As of June 1, 2006, the city has an estimated
populationIn biology, a population is the collection of inter-breeding organisms of a particular species; in sociology, a collection of human beings. Individuals within a population share a factor may be reduced by statistical means, but such a generalization may be too vague to imply anything...
of 63,829. The total area is 119.84 km².
Chikuma City is located in the valley of the Chikuma River, south of Nagano City, at the junction of the
Joshin-etsu ExpresswayThe is a national expressway in Japan. It is owned and operated by East Nippon Expressway Company.-Naming: is a kanji acronym consisting of 3 characters, each representing the former names of the prefectures that the route traverses...
and the
Nagano ExpresswayThe is a 4-laned national expressway in Nagano Prefecture, Japan. It is owned and operated by East Nippon Expressway Company and Central Nippon Expressway Company.-Naming:The expressway is officially referred to as the Chūō Expressway Nagano Route...
. Its most famous attraction is Anzu no Sato (杏の里), or "Apricot Village", a collection of adjacent valleys containing numerous groves of apricot trees.
is a
city||A is a local administrative unit in Japan. Cities are ranked on the same level as and , with the difference that they are not a component of...
located in
Naganois a prefecture of Japan located in the Chūbu region of the island of Honshū. The capital is the city of Nagano.- History :Nagano was formerly known as the province of Shinano, and was divided among many local daimyo during the Sengoku period....
,
Japanis an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, People's Republic of China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
.
As of June 1, 2006, the city has an estimated
populationIn biology, a population is the collection of inter-breeding organisms of a particular species; in sociology, a collection of human beings. Individuals within a population share a factor may be reduced by statistical means, but such a generalization may be too vague to imply anything...
of 63,829. The total area is 119.84 km².
Description
Chikuma City is located in the valley of the Chikuma River, south of Nagano City, at the junction of the
Joshin-etsu ExpresswayThe is a national expressway in Japan. It is owned and operated by East Nippon Expressway Company.-Naming: is a kanji acronym consisting of 3 characters, each representing the former names of the prefectures that the route traverses...
and the
Nagano ExpresswayThe is a 4-laned national expressway in Nagano Prefecture, Japan. It is owned and operated by East Nippon Expressway Company and Central Nippon Expressway Company.-Naming:The expressway is officially referred to as the Chūō Expressway Nagano Route...
. Its most famous attraction is Anzu no Sato (杏の里), or "Apricot Village", a collection of adjacent valleys containing numerous groves of apricot trees. It is also the location of the
Mori Shogunzuka Burial Chamber (森将軍塚古墳)The Mori Shogunzuka Burial Chamber is a late Kofun period keyhole tomb located in Chikuma, Nagano, Japan. One of several ancient hilltop tombs in Central Honshū, the Mori Shogunzuka tomb is the only one in the area that has been restored to its former glory...
, a mountaintop keyhole tomb dating from near the end of the
Kofun periodThe is an era in the history of Japan from around 250 to 538. The word kofun is Japanese for the type of burial mounds dating from this era. The Kofun period follows the Yayoi period. The Kofun and the subsequent Asuka periods are sometimes referred to collectively as the Yamato period...
. In the southern part of the city is Togura Kamiyamada Onsen (戸倉上山田温泉), a popular hot spring area.
Municipal Timeline
The city was founded on September 1, 2003 by the merger of the former city of Koshoku and the towns of Kamiyamada, from
Sarashina DistrictSarashina was a district located in Nagano Prefecture, Japan.As of 2003, the district had an estimated population of 1,467 and a density of 31.99 persons per km²...
, and Togura, from
Hanishina DistrictHanishina is a district located in Nagano Prefecture, Japan.As of December 1, 2005, the district has an estimated population of 16,742...
.
Former city of Koshoku
Koshoku (更埴) is the largest of the three municipaities that were joined to form the current Chikuma City. Spanning the Chikuma River and bordering Nagano City to the south, it entends from the apricot fields of Anzu no Sato in the east to the highland area Hijiri Kogen in the west.
Koshoku's history dates back to the
Kofun PeriodThe is an era in the history of Japan from around 250 to 538. The word kofun is Japanese for the type of burial mounds dating from this era. The Kofun period follows the Yayoi period. The Kofun and the subsequent Asuka periods are sometimes referred to collectively as the Yamato period...
, and several major archealogical sites remain, most notably the
Mori Shogunzuka Burial Chamber (森将軍塚古墳)The Mori Shogunzuka Burial Chamber is a late Kofun period keyhole tomb located in Chikuma, Nagano, Japan. One of several ancient hilltop tombs in Central Honshū, the Mori Shogunzuka tomb is the only one in the area that has been restored to its former glory...
. Later, in the Meiji Period, the inns located in Inariyama became a popular stopover for pilgrims en route to Zenkoji Temple in Nagano City.
Former town of Kamiyamada
Kamiyada (上山田) lies on the western bank of the Chikuma River, just north of the town of Sakaki. A popular hot spring village dating back to the 19th century, the town was one of many places of lodging on the pilgrimage route to Zenkoji Temple in Nagano City.
Former town of Togura
Togura lies on the east bank of the Chikuma River, across from Kamiyamada Onsen. With a history similar to that of Kamiyamada, it contains some hot spring bath facilities as well as the area's only railway station.
External links