Nakanojō

Nakanojō 中之条町
Town
Nakanojō town office Nakanojō town office
Flag of Nakanojō Flag Official seal of Nakanojō Seal
Location of Nakanojō in Gunma Prefecture Location of Nakanojō in Gunma Prefecture
Nakanojō
Coordinates:
Country	Japan
Region	Kantō
Prefecture	Gunma Prefecture
District	Agatsuma
Area
• Total	439.28 km2 (169.61 sq mi)
Population (February 2015)
• Total	17,030
• Density	38.8/km2 (100/sq mi)
Time zone	Japan Standard Time (UTC+9)
Symbols
• Tree	Keyaki
• Flower	Mountain lily
• Bird	Japanese bush warbler
Phone number	0279-75-2111
Address	1091, Ōaza Nakanojō, Nakanojō-machi, Agatsuma-gun, Gunma-ken 377-0404
Website	Official website

Nakanojō (中之条町, Nakanojō-machi) is a town located in Agatsuma District of west-central Gunma Prefecture in the northern Kantō region of Japan. As of February 2015, the town had an estimated population of 17,030 and a population density of 38.8 persons per km², with 6862 households. Its total area was 439.28 km².

Geography

Located in the northwestern portion of Gunma Prefecture, Nakanojō is surrounded by high peaks of over 1000 m in height, with the Azuma River passing through the center of town from west to east. The town has a mean elevation of 400 m above sea level. The town's area is 83% mountains and forests (197 km²).

• Rivers: Agatsuma River, Shima River
• Lakes: Shimagawa Dam

Surrounding municipalities

• Gunma Prefecture
  • Kusatsu
  • Naganohara
  • Higashiagatsuma
  • Shibukawa
• Nagano Prefecture
  • Sakae
  • Yamanouchi
  • Takayama
• Niigata Prefecture
  • Yuzawa

Neighborhoods within Nakanojō

• Akasaka (赤坂)
• Aoyama (青山)
• Arigawa (蟻川)
• Daidou (大道)
• Gotanda (五反田)
• Ichishiro (市城)
• Ise-machi (伊勢町)
• Iwamoto (岩本)
• Nakuta (名久田)
• Orida (折田)
• Ōtsuka (大塚)
• Upper Sawatari (上沢渡)
• Lower Sawatari (下沢渡)
• Shima (四万)
• Taira (平)
• Tochikubo (栃窪)
• West Nakanojo (西中之条)
• Yamada (山田)

(former Kuni village)

• Akaiwa (赤岩）
• Hikage (日影)
• Iriyama (入山)
• Kosame (小雨）
• Ōshi (太子)

History

During the Edo period, the area around Nakanojō was part of the hatamoto-administered territory within Kōzuke Province.

With the creation of the municipalities system after the Meiji Restoration on April 1, 1889, the town of Nakanojō was created within Agatsuma District of Gunma Prefecture. The villages of Isama, Sawada and Nakuta merged into Nakanojō on April 15, 1955.

On March 28, 2010, the village of Kuni, also from Agatsuma District, merged into Nakanojō.

Economy

The economy of Nakanojō is heavily dependent on seasonal tourism primarily in connection with its onsen hot spring resorts.

Education

Nakanojō has four kindergartens, five elementary schools (Nakanojō, Sawada, Isama, Nakuta, and Kuni), three junior high schools (Nakanojō, West Nakanojō, and Kuni), one high school, and one agricultural high school.

Transportation

Train

• East Japan Railway Company - Agatsuma Line
  • Nakanojō - Ichishiro

Highway

• Japan National Route 145
• Japan National Route 292
• Japan National Route 353
• Japan National Route 405

Local attractions

The main draw of tourists to Nakanojō are the onsen (natural hot spring) resorts. There are two major hot spring resort areas within the town. The larger and more famous one is Shima Hot Springs, located in the mountains to the north of town. The name means "forty thousand", and represents the 40,000 ailments the water is supposed to cure. The other resort is called Sawatari Hot Springs.

Festivals and events

Nakanojō has three main festivals during the year. In winter, there is the Tori-oi Matsuri. This involves pounding on large drum all around town to scare birds (for good crops) or demons (for good luck) away for the new year. In summer, there is the Nakanojō Matsuri in August and the Ise-machi Matsuri in September. The Ise-machi Matsuri features the Yagibushi Folk Dance.

Noted people from Nakanojō

• Keizo Obuchi – former Prime Minister of Japan

External links

• (Japanese)