Yugawara, Kanagawa

Yugawara
湯河原町
—  Town  —
Location of Yugawara in Kanagawa Prefecture
Yugawara
 
Coordinates:
Country Japan
Region Kantō
Prefecture Kanagawa Prefecture
District Ashigarashimo
Area
 • Total 40.99 km2 (15.8 sq mi)
Population (February 1, 2010)
 • Total 26,729
 • Density 655/km2 (1,696.4/sq mi)
Time zone Japan Standard Time (UTC+9)
City Symbols
- Tree Sakura; Camellia
- Flower Mikan
- Bird Japanese White-eye
Phone number 0465-63-2111
Address 1-2-1 Chūō, Yugawara-machi, Ashigarashimo-gun, Kanagawa-ken 259-0392
Website Town of Yugawara HP

Yugawara (湯河原町 Yugawara-machi?) is a town located in Ashigarashimo District, Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan. As of 2010, the town had an estimated population of 26,729 and a density of 655 persons per km². The total area was 40.99 km².

Contents

Geography

Yugawara is located in the far southwestern corner of the prefecture, facing Sagami Bay on the Pacific Ocean.

Surrounding municipalities

Kanagawa Prefecture

Shizuoka Prefecture

History

During the Kamakura period, the area around Yugawara was called "Doi County" in Sagami Province. The area was under control of the late Hōjō clan in the Sengoku period, and part of Odawara Domain during the Edo period. After the Meiji Restoration, it was divided into six villages, and initially formed part of the short-lived Ashigara Prefecture, before becoming part of Ashigarashimo District of Kanagawa Prefecture. In April 1889, four of the six villages merged to form Doi village. The remaining two villages merged to from Yoshihama village. On July 1, 1926, Doi village was elevated to town status, taking the new name of Yugawara. Yoshihama attained town status on April 1, 1940, and merged into Yugawara on April 1, 1955. A planned merger of Yugawara into Odawara in 2005 was rejected by local voters in an August 8/ 2004 referendum.

Economy

Yugawara has many onsen hot spring resorts, and tourism plays a major role in the local economy. Agriculture and commercial fishing play secondary roles in the local economy.

In addition the region is close to Makuyama (幕山)where many short, sport rock climbing routes are popular and within easy access of Tokyo.

Demographics

As said Yugawara has a population of almost 30.000 inhabitants, the major part of this population is old, since Yugawara is famous because of its resorts specially design for this kind of people. Although Yugawara has 4 schools, which one of them goes to the age of 13 and the others are high school or private, most of the youth goes to study to their neighbor city, Odawara. Yugawara doesn't have any night entertaining at all, the village presents buildings with bowling, super markets, restaurants, pubs,..., though. The suburbs of this village are full of hotels or apartments for people of Tokyo that enjoy having hot spring baths during vacations or, either, on weekends.

Transportation

Railroad

Highway

Sister city relations

Noted people from Yugawara

External links