Kawanehon

Kawanehon 川根本町
Town
Ōigawa Railway in Kawanehon Town Ōigawa Railway in Kawanehon Town
Flag of Kawanehon Flag Official seal of Kawanehon Seal
Location of Kawanehon in Shizuoka Prefecture Location of Kawanehon in Shizuoka Prefecture
Kawanehon
Coordinates:
Country	Japan
Region	Chūbu Tōkai
Prefecture	Shizuoka Prefecture
District	Haibara
Area
• Total	496.88 km2 (191.85 sq mi)
Population (September 2015)
• Total	7,114
• Density	14.3/km2 (37/sq mi)
Time zone	Japan Standard Time (UTC+9)
- Tree	Japanese beech
- Flower	Rhododendron quinquefolium
Phone number	547-56-1117
Address	627 Kaminagao, Kawanehon-chō, Haibara-gun, Shizuoka-ken 428-0313
Website	Official website

File:Honkawane town hall.JPG

Kawanehon Town Hall

Kawanehon (川根本町, Kawanehon-chō) is a town located in Haibara District, Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan. As of September 2015, the town had an estimated population of 7,114 and a population density of 14.3 persons per km². The total area was 496.88 square kilometres (191.85 sq mi).

Geography

Kawanehon is located in north-central Shizuoka, along the upper reaches of the Ōi River, with approximately 90% of the town area covered in forest and mountains. It is bordered to the north by the Japanese Alps, with peaks ranging to 2400 meters. Forests range from Siebold's Beech at lower elevations to Siberian Dwarf Pine at higher altitudes, and wildlife include wild boar and kamoshika. The area enjoys a temperate maritime climate with hot, humid summers and mild, cool winters.

Surrounding municipalities

Shizuoka Prefecture

• Aoi-ku, Shizuoka city
• Tenryū-ku, Hamamatsu
• Shimada

Nagano Prefecture

• Iida

History

The area of the present town Kawanehon is on the border between the former provinces of Suruga and Tōtōmi, and was mostly tenryō territory under direct control of the Tokugawa shogunate in the Edo period. During the cadastral reform of the early Meiji period in 1889, the area was reorganized into numerous villages within both Haibara and Shida Districts within Shizuoka Prefecture. Kawanehon was formed on September 20, 2005 by the merger of the former towns of Nakakawane and Honkawane, both from Haibara District.

Economy

The economy of Kawanehon is dominated by forestry and the production of green tea, with tourism on the Ōigawa Railway and to hot spring resorts playing a minor role.

Education

• Kawanehon has four elementary schools, two middle schools and one high school.

Transportation

Railway

• Ōigawa Railway - Ōigawa Main Line
  • Jina - Shiogō - Shimoizumi - Tanokuchi - Suruga-Tokuyama - Aobe - Sakidaira - Senzu
• Ōigawa Railway - Ikawa Line
  • Senzu - Kawane-Ryōgoku - Sawama - Domoto - Kawane-Koyama - Okuizumi - Abt Ichishiro - Nagashima Dam - Hiranda - Okuōikojō - Sessokyō-Onsen - Omori

Highway

• Japan National Route 362
• Japan National Route 473

Local attractions

• The sound of the steam locomotives of Ōigawa Railway is listed as one of the 100 Soundscapes of Japan by the Ministry of the Environment

External links

Media related to at Wikimedia Commons

• Official website (Japanese)