Kariwa, Niigata

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**Kariwa**
**刈羽村**
Kariwa's location in Niigata, Japan.
Location
Country	Japan
Region	Chūbu
Prefecture	Niigata
Physical characteristics
Area	26.28 km² (10.15 sq mi)
Population (as of March 31, 2007)
Total	4,997
Location	37°25′N, 138°37′E
Symbols
Tree	Pine
Flower	Peach
Kariwa Government Office
Official website: Village of Kariwa

Kariwa (刈羽村, Kariwa-mura^?) is a village located in Kariwa District, Niigata, Japan.

As of March 31, 2007, the village has a population of 4,997 (m:2,519; f:2,478) and a density of 190.14 persons per km². The total area is 26.28 km².

Together with Kashiwazaki city, it is the home of the Tokyo Electric Power Company's Kashiwazaki-Kariwa nuclear power plant, the largest nuclear generating station in the world by net electrical power rating.

1 Geography
- 1.1 Adjoining communities
2 History
- 2.1 Municipal timeline
- 2.2 2007 Chūetsu offshore earthquake
3 Economy
- 3.1 Industry
4 Sister cities
5 Transportation
- 5.1 Railroad
- 5.2 Roadways
6 Places of interest
7 Festivals
8 External links

[edit] Geography

Kariwa is located near the Sea of Japan and near the center of Niigata prefecture. It takes over 3 hours to reach Tokyo by train (using local trains and Joetsu Shinkansen from Nagaoka) or by driving a car on the Kan-Etsu Expressway.

[edit] Adjoining communities

[edit] History

[edit] Municipal timeline

November 1, 1901 - The municipality of Kariwa was established.
September 30, 1956 - A part of Nakadori(-mura) was absorbed into Kariwa.
April 10, 1959 - A part of Futada(-mura) was absorbed into Kariwa.
May 1, 2005 - Kariwa becomes only municipality in Kariwa District.

[edit] 2007 Chūetsu offshore earthquake

A magnitude 6.8 earthquake hit off the coast of Kashiwazaki, killing 10 people, and injuring more than 1200, causing massive power outages. Total over 340 houses were destroyed and thousands of people are now forced to live at the shelters. The quake caused a fire at Kashiwazaki-Kariwa nuclear power plant in an electrical transformer, a leak of water from the spent fuel pool, and a host of other safety related events. One of 10 victim was a 79 year old woman from Kariwa, who was trapped under the colapsed house. Her neighbor helped her out of the house after spending hours making an escape way using a chain saw. When the neighbor called the emergency number, he was told that the ambulance could not be sent since the roads were closed. The woman was denied at the first two hospitals since they were alreay filled with patients and died on the way to the third hospital.

[edit] Economy

[edit] Industry

The world largest nuclear power plant (Kashiwazaki-Kariwa Nuclear Power Plant) is located here.
You can find rice fields all over Kariwa
Peaches are grown and harvested around the late July to the mid August.

[edit] Sister cities

Half Moon Bay, California, United States

[edit] Transportation

Privately-owned cars are the primary means of civic transportation. Bus routes and two train stations can be used to travel within the village or go to a large city.