Kikugawa, Shizuoka
Encyclopedia
is a city
located in the western portion of Shizuoka Prefecture
, Japan
. The city is known for production of green tea
. The city's slogan is "Green for the Next Generation". As of 2010, the city had an estimated population
of 47,196 and a density
of 501 persons per km². The total area was 94.24 km².
on April 1, 1889, the area around modern Kikugawa was consolidated into eleven villages within Kitō District, Shizuoka Prefecture from 38 hamlets within former Tōtōmi Province
. Kikugawa Station
on the Tōkaidō Main Line
train between Shizuoka
and Hamamatsu
opened on April 16, 1889 leaving to an influx of population and development. Kitō District merged with neighboring Sano District to form Ogasa District, Shizuoka
in 1896. Through the Taishō
and Shōwa period
s, Kikugawa developed as a center of green tea
production and the tea trade. Kikugawa Town was created on January 1, 1954 through the merger of former Horinouchi Town with four surrounding villages.
On January 17, 2005 Kikugawa City was formed by the merger of the former towns of Kikugawa and Ogasa
.
, blueberries
, cantelope and aloe
. Light industries include agricultural equipment manufacturing and automobile components manufacturing.
Cities of Japan
||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 the western portion of Shizuoka Prefecture
Shizuoka Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan located in the Chūbu region on Honshu island. The capital is the city of Shizuoka.- History :Shizuoka prefecture was formed from the former Tōtōmi, Suruga and Izu provinces.The area was the home of the first Tokugawa Shogun...
, Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, 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...
. The city is known for production of green tea
Green tea
Green tea is made solely from the leaves of Camellia sinensis that have undergone minimal oxidation during processing. Green tea originates from China and has become associated with many cultures throughout Asia. It has recently become more widespread in the West, where black tea is traditionally...
. The city's slogan is "Green for the Next Generation". As of 2010, the city had an estimated population
Population
A population is all the organisms that both belong to the same group or species and live in the same geographical area. The area that is used to define a sexual population is such that inter-breeding is possible between any pair within the area and more probable than cross-breeding with individuals...
of 47,196 and a density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
of 501 persons per km². The total area was 94.24 km².
Geography
Kikugawa is situated on the Makinohara Plateau of east-central Shizuoka. The area enjoys a warm maritime climate with hot, humid summers and mild, cool winters, and is subject to frequent fogs.Surrounding Municipalities
- KakegawaKakegawa, Shizuokais a city in western Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan. As of 2010, the city had an estimated population of 117,858 and a population density of 444 persons per km². The total area was 265.63 km².-Geography:...
- OmaezakiOmaezaki, Shizuokais a city in Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan. Omaezaki is located at the tip of a peninsula on Japan's Pacific coast. As of 2010, the city had an estimated population of 34,614 and the density of 530 persons per km². The total area was 65.86 km².- Geography :...
- ShimadaShimada, Shizuokais a city in Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan. As of February 2010, the city has an estimated population of 100,846 and a population density of 319 persons per km². The total area is 315.88 km².-Geography:...
- MakinoharaMakinohara, Shizuokais a city located in western Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan. As of 2010, the city had an estimated population of 48,745 and a density of 436 persons per km². The total area was 111.68 km².-Geography:...
History
In the cadastral reform of the early Meiji periodMeiji period
The , also known as the Meiji era, is a Japanese era which extended from September 1868 through July 1912. This period represents the first half of the Empire of Japan.- Meiji Restoration and the emperor :...
on April 1, 1889, the area around modern Kikugawa was consolidated into eleven villages within Kitō District, Shizuoka Prefecture from 38 hamlets within former Tōtōmi Province
Totomi Province
was a province of Japan in the area of Japan that is today western Shizuoka Prefecture. Tōtōmi bordered on Mikawa, Suruga and Shinano Provinces. Its abbreviated form name was .-History:...
. Kikugawa Station
Kikugawa Station
is a railway station on the Tōkaidō Main Line of Central Japan Railway Company in Kikugawa, Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan. The station is 222.2 rail kilometers from Tokyo Station.- Station history:...
on the Tōkaidō Main Line
Tokaido Main Line
The is the busiest trunk line of the Japan Railways Group , connecting Tōkyō and Kōbe stations. It is long, not counting its many freight feeder lines around the major cities...
train between Shizuoka
Shizuoka, Shizuoka
is the capital city of Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan, and the prefecture's second-largest city in terms of both population and area. It became one of Japan's 19 "designated cities" in 2005.-Geography:...
and Hamamatsu
Hamamatsu, Shizuoka
is a city located in western Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan. On July 1, 2005, the city merged with 11 surrounding cities and towns. It became a city designated by government ordinance on April 1, 2007.- History :...
opened on April 16, 1889 leaving to an influx of population and development. Kitō District merged with neighboring Sano District to form Ogasa District, Shizuoka
Ogasa District, Shizuoka
was a rural district located in western Shizuoka, Japan.As of the end of 2003 , the district had an estimated population of 82,248 and a population density of 472.47 persons per km². Its total area was 174.08 km².-History:Ogasa District was on April 1, 1896 through the merger of former and...
in 1896. Through the Taishō
Taisho period
The , or Taishō era, is a period in the history of Japan dating from July 30, 1912 to December 25, 1926, coinciding with the reign of the Taishō Emperor. The health of the new emperor was weak, which prompted the shift in political power from the old oligarchic group of elder statesmen to the Diet...
and Shōwa period
Showa period
The , or Shōwa era, is the period of Japanese history corresponding to the reign of the Shōwa Emperor, Hirohito, from December 25, 1926 through January 7, 1989.The Shōwa period was longer than the reign of any previous Japanese emperor...
s, Kikugawa developed as a center of green tea
Green tea
Green tea is made solely from the leaves of Camellia sinensis that have undergone minimal oxidation during processing. Green tea originates from China and has become associated with many cultures throughout Asia. It has recently become more widespread in the West, where black tea is traditionally...
production and the tea trade. Kikugawa Town was created on January 1, 1954 through the merger of former Horinouchi Town with four surrounding villages.
On January 17, 2005 Kikugawa City was formed by the merger of the former towns of Kikugawa and Ogasa
Ogasa, Shizuoka
was a town located in Ogasa District, Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan.At the time of its merger, the town has an estimated population of 15,968 and a density of 526 persons per km². The total area is 30.36 km². The main agricultural products of the area include green tea, aloe and blueberries...
.
Economy
The economy of Kikugawa is primarily agricultural, with major crops including green tea, lettuceLettuce
Lettuce is a temperate annual or biennial plant of the daisy family Asteraceae. It is most often grown as a leaf vegetable. It is eaten either raw, notably in salads, sandwiches, hamburgers, tacos, and many other dishes, or cooked, as in Chinese cuisine in which the stem becomes just as important...
, blueberries
Blueberry
Blueberries are flowering plants of the genus Vaccinium with dark-blue berries and are perennial...
, cantelope and aloe
Aloe
Aloe , also Aloë, is a genus containing about 500 species of flowering succulent plants. The most common and well known of these is Aloe vera, or "true aloe"....
. Light industries include agricultural equipment manufacturing and automobile components manufacturing.
Rail
- JR CentralCentral Japan Railway CompanyThe is the main railway company operating in the Chūbu region of central Japan. It is officially abbreviated in English as JR Central and in Japanese as . Its headquarters are located in the JR Central Towers in Nakamura-ku, Nagoya, Aichi Prefecture.The company's operational hub is Nagoya Station...
- Tōkaidō Main LineTokaido Main LineThe is the busiest trunk line of the Japan Railways Group , connecting Tōkyō and Kōbe stations. It is long, not counting its many freight feeder lines around the major cities...
- Kikugawa StationKikugawa Stationis a railway station on the Tōkaidō Main Line of Central Japan Railway Company in Kikugawa, Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan. The station is 222.2 rail kilometers from Tokyo Station.- Station history:...
- Kikugawa Station
Noted people from Kikugawa
- Yū KoyamaYu Koyamais a Japanese manga artist. After graduating from the University of Shizuoka he moved to Tokyo and in 1968 took a job with Saito Productions, the company run by Takao Saitō...
- manga artist - Kaduya ShinbaKaduya Shinbais a Japanese politician of the Democratic Party of Japan, a member of the House of Councillors in the Diet . A native of Ogasa District, Shizuoka, he graduated from Otterbein College, Ohio, United States and attended Tel Aviv University and Hebrew University of Jerusalem in Israel...
- politician - Miuna SaitoMiuna Saitois a Japanese pop singer was former member of Country Musume from mid 2003 until she graduated from the group on January 28, 2007 and played for Gatas Brilhantes H.P.-Country Musume:She was introduced to Country Musume in mid 2003 instead of Rika Ishikawa...
- pop singer
External links
- Kikugawa official website (Japanese)