Ōiso, Kanagawa

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Location of Oiso in Kanagawa prefecture

Ōiso in the 1830s, as depicted by Hiroshige in The Fifty-Three Stations of the Tōkaidō.

Ōiso (大磯町, Ōiso-machi^?) is a town located in Naka District, Kanagawa, Japan.

As of 2008, the town has an estimated population of 32,856 and a density of 1,887.66 persons per km². The total area is 17.18 km². Ōiso is known not only for its beautiful nature but also as a traditionally and historically important place in Japan. When the Kanagawa prefecture was known as Sagami in the 14th century, its capital city was Kamakura. However, long before Kamakura became the capital city, the center of Sagami had once been Ōiso. That was the start of Ōiso’s growth and prosperity. Ōiso has another reason to be considered as a town with a long history. Between the Meiji era and the Showa era, a lot of famous and renowned people, such as the then-Prime Minister of Japan and well-known novelists, lived in Ōiso. Ōiso’s historical and relaxing atmosphere has always been loved by many people. Now Ōiso and its neighboring area is called ‘Shonan,’ which gives people from all over Japan the image of ‘the bright coast with a lot of sunlight.’ Ōiso has been attracting people who seek a heart-warming and relaxing escape from big cities.