Shibukawa, Gunma

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Shibukawa
渋川市

City

Flag

Location of Shibukawa in Gunma Prefecture

Shibukawa

Location in Japan

Coordinates: 36°23′22″N 139°03′48″E / 36.38944°N 139.06333°ECoordinates: 36°23′22″N 139°03′48″E / 36.38944°N 139.06333°E

Government

• Mayor

Sadaji Akutsu (since September 2009)

Area

• Total

240.42 km² (92.83 sq mi)

Population (May 31, 2011)

• Total

84,160

• Density

350.05/km² (906.6/sq mi)

Time zone

Japan Standard Time (UTC+9)

Address

80 Ishihara, Shibukawa-shi, Gunma-ken
377-8501

Phone number

0279-22-2111

Website

http://www.city.shibukawa.gunma.jp/index.html

Shibukawa City Hall

Ishidannoyu Onsen, Ikuho

Tanashitafudō Waterfall

Snack bars (hostess clubs) in Shibukawa

Shibukawa (渋川市, Shibukawa-shi) is a city located in the extreme northwest of the Kantō Plain, in the center of landlocked Gunma Prefecture, Japan. Encompassing the juncture of the Tone River and Agatsuma River, it is about 120 kilometres (75 miles) from Tokyo. Due to its location at the geographical center of the nation, Shibukawa is known as the Bellybutton of Japan (日本のおへそ, nihon no oheso). The city was founded on April 1, 1954.

Shibukawa originally grew to prosperity as an inn town, but even today is in a central location between Numata and Maebashi. Also, anyone going to a number of famous hot spring resorts, such as Kusatsu, Shima, or Ikaho must pass through Shibukawa.

As of May 31, 2011, the city has an estimated population of 84,160, with 31,289 households and a density of 350.05 persons per km². The total land area is 240.42 km² (92.83 sq mi).

Geography

Shibukawa is located at a central point (36°29′ N, 139°00′ E) of the Japanese Archipelago and is thus known as the Bellybutton of Japan (日本のおへそ, nihon no oheso). The city encompasses an area of 240.42 square kilometres (92.83 sq mi).

To the west is Mount Haruna, and to the east is Mount Akagi. To the north are Mount Onoko and Mount Komochi. The Tone River flows from the north (between Mount Akagi and Mt. Komochi) southward through the city, while the Agatsuma River flows from the west (between Mt. Onoko and Mount Haruna), merging with the Tone River near the center of the city.

Shibukawa's highest altitude is 1,565 m (5,135 ft) above sea level; its lowest point is 2,701 m (8,862 ft) above sea level. The majority of the city lies between 200 to 800 metres (656 to 2,625 feet) above sea level

Farmland covers 49.88 km² (19.26 sq mi) (20.8% of the city), housing covers 20.31 km² (7.84 sq mi) (8.4%), and mountains and forests cover 77.39 km² (29.88 sq mi) (32.2%). The remaining 92.84 km² (35.85 sq mi) (38.6%) has other land uses.

Adjacent municipalities

To the north: Numata, Showa, Takayama
To the east: Maebashi
To the south: Maebashi, Shinto, Yoshioka
To the west: Takasaki, Higashiagatsuma, Nakanojō

History

Shibukawa developed as an inn town on the old Mikuni Road.
In 1889 - the village of Shibukawa gained town status to become the town of Shibukawa.
On April 1, 1954 - Shibukawa absorbed the villages of Furumaki, Kanashima and Toyoaki to become the city of Shibukawa.
On February 20, 2006 - Shibukawa absorbed the town of Ikaho, the villages of Komochi and Onogami (all from Kitagunma District), and the villages of Akagi and Kitatachibana (both from Seta District).

Demographics

Shibukawa's population, as of April 2008, was 86,395. There were 42,313 males and 44,082 females. The number of households was 30,870. The population density was 359 persons per km².

Twin towns – Sister cities

Foligno in Umbria, Italy is Shibukawa's sister city. Logan City, Queensland, Australia is designated as a Friendship City with Shibukawa.

Festivals

Shibukawa calls itself "The Bellybutton of Japan" (日本のおへそ) and hosts the Bellybutton Festival (へそ祭り) every year in late July. The festival is based on a traditional Japanese form of entertainment where revelers paint a face on their torsos and stomachs and pretend it is a head.A kimono is then wrapped around the waist and the person's real head is hidden by a large cloth hat. The belly button is traditionally painted into a mouth.These days, modern motifs and Japanese anime designs have crept into the festival, which city officials said is all about having fun.^[1]^[2]^[3]

Transportation

Rail

East Japan Railway Company
- Joetsu Line (Yagihara Station, Shibukawa Station, Shikishima Station, and Tsukuda Station)
- Agatsuma Line (Shibukawa Station, Kanashima Station, Ubashima Station, Onogami Station, and Onogami-Onsen Station)
Ikaho Ropeway (Hototogisu Station and Miharashi Station)

Roads

Expressway
- Kan-Etsu Expressway (Shibukawa-Ikaho Interchange, Akagi Interchange)
National Highways
- National Route 17
- National Route 353

Schools

Shibukawa has four high schools:

Shibukawa High School
Shibukawa Girls' High School
Shibukawa Kougyou High School
Shibukawa Seisui High School

There are ten junior high schools:

Akagi North Junior High School
Akagi South Junior High School
Furumaki Junior High School
Hokkitsu Junior High School
Ikaho Junior High School
Kanashima Junior High School
Komochi Junior High School
Shibukawa Junior High School
Shibukawa North Junior High School
Onogami Junior High School.

Finally, there are seventeen elementary schools:

Ikaho Elementary School
Furumaki Elementary School
Kamishiroi Elementary School
Kanashima Elementary School
Miharada Elementary School
Nagaou Elementary School
Nagumo Elementary School
Nakagou Elementary School
Onogami Elementary School
Shibukawa North Elementary School
Shibukawa South Elementary School
Shibukawa West Elementary School
Tachibana North Elementary School
Tachibana South Elementary School
Tousen Elementary School
Toyoaki Elementary School
Tsukuda Elementary School

Attractions

Shibukawa Skyland Park - an amusement park
Ikaho Green Bokujou - a farm designed to show its customers various things about farming
Ikaho Sistina Museum- an op art museum which also has a Sistine Chapel replica
Japan Chanson Museum - a museum dedicated to the chanson style of music
Shibukawa Sōgō Park- a large park encompassing hiking trails, campsites, tennis courts, a baseball diamond, a running track, and various other recreational facilities
Onoike Ajisai Park- a hydrangea park with a pond and hiking trails
Shibukawa Sky Terume - a hot spring in a building which looks something like a spaceship

Trivia

Shibukawa is the home town of Takumi Fujiwara, the main character in Initial D. Many scenes of the live action movie were taped on location in Shibukawa.

References

"市内小・中学校リンク集". Shibukawa City Official Site. July 2006. Archived from the original on 2006-08-27. Retrieved 2006-08-29. (Japanese)
"合併の変遷". Shibukawa City Official Site. June 2006. Archived from the original on 2006-06-15. Retrieved 2006-06-16. (Japanese)
"渋川市の統計". Shibukawa City Official Site. June 2006. Archived from the original on 2006-10-06. Retrieved 2006-06-16. (Japanese)
"渋川市の地勢と気候". Shibukawa City Official Site. June 2006. Archived from the original on 2008-04-10. Retrieved 2008-05-28. (Japanese)
"MapionBB". MapionBB. August 2006. Retrieved 2006-08-29. (Japanese)
"渋川市住民基本台帳人口/渋川市". Shibukawa City Official Site. April 2008. Archived from the original on 2008-05-01. Retrieved 2008-05-28. (Japanese)

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Shibukawa, Gunma.

Shibukawa City official website (Japanese)

v t e Gunma Prefecture

Cities	Annaka Fujioka Isesaki Kiryū Maebashi (capital) Midori Numata Ōta Shibukawa Takasaki Tatebayashi Tomioka

Districts	Agatsuma Kanra Kitagunma Ōra Sawa Tano Tone

See also: Towns and villages by district

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