Shizukuishi, Iwate
Encyclopedia
is a town
located in Iwate District
, Iwate Prefecture
, Japan
.
As of 31 July 2010, the town has an estimated population
of 18,492.
. Mount Iwate
, an active volcano, lies just to the north of Shizukuishi and dominates the landscape. The Ōu Mountains
form the boundary to the west as well with Akita Komagatake, another active volcano, just across the border in Akita Prefecture
. The downtown area is located where the Shizukuishi
and Kakkonda Rivers meet. Gosho Lake was created in 1981 with the completion of Gosho Dam.
To the west, Shizukuishi borders Akita Prefecture
. To the south are Nishiwaga
, Hanamaki
and Shiwa
. To the east are Yahaba
, Morioka
(Iwate prefecture's capital and largest city) and Takizawa
. To the north is Hachimantai
.
hot spring resorts in the area.
In winter, numerous ski areas and resorts come to life. Koiwai Farm is a working dairy and tourist attraction. Every year in February it hosts a large snow festival.
This "remote farming village" is known for its annual hemp festival every year in August which draws "crowds of sightseers". Due to the town's rural nature, low income and low population Yoshiaki Tsutsumi
, Japan's richest man at the time, was able to build a large ski area and hotel without the kind of "organized opposition of environmentalists" which stymied his plans elsewhere in Japan.
Towns of Japan
A town is a local administrative unit in Japan. It is a local public body along with prefecture , city , and village...
located in Iwate District
Iwate District, Iwate
is a district located in Iwate, Japan. As of 2003, the district has an estimated population of 142,495. The total area is 2,846.44 km². The district covers the northern part of Morioka Metropolitan Area...
, Iwate Prefecture
Iwate Prefecture
is the second largest prefecture of Japan after Hokkaido. It is located in the Tōhoku region of Honshū island and contains the island's easternmost point. The capital is Morioka. Iwate has the lowest population density of any prefecture outside Hokkaido...
, 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...
.
As of 31 July 2010, the town has 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 18,492.
Geography
Shizukuishi is located in the Ōu MountainsOu Mountains
The are a mountain range in the Tōhoku region of Honshū, Japan. The range is the longest range in Japan and stretch south from the Natsudomari Peninsula of Aomori Prefecture to the Nasu volcanoes at the northern boundary of the Kantō region. Though long, the range is only about wide...
. Mount Iwate
Mount Iwate
is a stratovolcano complex located northwest of the city of Morioka in western Iwate Prefecture, Tohoku, Japan. The mountain is listed as one of the 100 Famous Japanese Mountains in a book composed in 1964 by mountaineer/author Kyūya Fukada.-Geology:...
, an active volcano, lies just to the north of Shizukuishi and dominates the landscape. The Ōu Mountains
Ou Mountains
The are a mountain range in the Tōhoku region of Honshū, Japan. The range is the longest range in Japan and stretch south from the Natsudomari Peninsula of Aomori Prefecture to the Nasu volcanoes at the northern boundary of the Kantō region. Though long, the range is only about wide...
form the boundary to the west as well with Akita Komagatake, another active volcano, just across the border in Akita Prefecture
Akita Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan located in the Tōhoku Region of northern Honshu, the main island of Japan. The capital is the city of Akita.- History :The area of Akita has been created from the ancient provinces of Dewa and Mutsu....
. The downtown area is located where the Shizukuishi
Shizukuishi River
The is a river in Iwate Prefecture, Japan.The Shizukuishi River rises in the Ōu Mountains just south of Mt. Akita Komagatake in Shizukuishi and empties into the Kitakami River in Morioka. The Gosho Dam is situated on the Shizukuishi River, in western Morioka. This dam was completed in 1981...
and Kakkonda Rivers meet. Gosho Lake was created in 1981 with the completion of Gosho Dam.
To the west, Shizukuishi borders Akita Prefecture
Akita Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan located in the Tōhoku Region of northern Honshu, the main island of Japan. The capital is the city of Akita.- History :The area of Akita has been created from the ancient provinces of Dewa and Mutsu....
. To the south are Nishiwaga
Nishiwaga, Iwate
is a town located in Waga District, Iwate, Japan. The town was founded on November 1, 2005 from the merger of the town of Yuda and the village of Sawauchi. This merger occurred under pressure from the national government of Japan and in the face of steady but significant depopulating trends in Yuda...
, Hanamaki
Hanamaki, Iwate
is a city located in Iwate Prefecture, Japan. As of March 31, 2011, the city has an estimated total population of 102,455, with a household number of 35,831. Hanamaki is most famous as the birthplace of Kenji Miyazawa and for its onsen. The city recently celebrated the 50th anniversary since its...
and Shiwa
Shiwa, Iwate
is a town located in Shiwa District, Iwate, Japan.As of 2003, the town has an estimated population of 33,744 and a population density of 141.17 persons per km². The total area is 239.03 km².-External links:*...
. To the east are Yahaba
Yahaba, Iwate
is a town located in Shiwa District, Iwate, Japan.As of 2003, the town has an estimated population of 26,842 and a population density of 398.96 persons per km². The total area is 67.28 km².-External links:*...
, Morioka
Morioka, Iwate
is the capital city of Iwate Prefecture, Japan.As of 2005, the city has an estimated population of 300,740 and a population density of 588.11 persons per km². The total area is 489.15 km²....
(Iwate prefecture's capital and largest city) and Takizawa
Takizawa, Iwate
is a village located in Iwate District, Iwate, Japan., the village has an estimated population of 52,981 and a density of 290.59 persons per km². The total area is 182.32 km²....
. To the north is Hachimantai
Hachimantai, Iwate
is a city located in Iwate, Japan.Hachimantai was founded on September 1, 2005 from the merger of the towns of Ashiro and Nishine and the village of Matsuo, all from Iwate District....
.
Tourist attractions
There are many onsenOnsen
An is a term for hot springs in the Japanese language, though the term is often used to describe the bathing facilities and inns around the hot springs. As a volcanically active country, Japan has thousands of onsen scattered along its length and breadth...
hot spring resorts in the area.
In winter, numerous ski areas and resorts come to life. Koiwai Farm is a working dairy and tourist attraction. Every year in February it hosts a large snow festival.
This "remote farming village" is known for its annual hemp festival every year in August which draws "crowds of sightseers". Due to the town's rural nature, low income and low population Yoshiaki Tsutsumi
Yoshiaki Tsutsumi
Yoshiaki Tsutsumi is a Japanese businessman. During the Japanese economic bubble in the late 1980s, Tsutsumi was the wealthiest person in the world for a brief period due to his extensive real estate investments through the Seibu Corporation, which he controlled...
, Japan's richest man at the time, was able to build a large ski area and hotel without the kind of "organized opposition of environmentalists" which stymied his plans elsewhere in Japan.