Ugo, Akita

Ugo 羽後町
Town
Ugo Town Hall
Flag Seal
Location of Ugo in Akita Prefecture
Ugo
Coordinates: 39°11′53″N 140°24′46″E / 39.19806°N 140.41278°E / 39.19806; 140.41278Coordinates: 39°11′53″N 140°24′46″E / 39.19806°N 140.41278°E / 39.19806; 140.41278
Country	Japan
Region	Tōhoku
Prefecture	Akita Prefecture
Government
• -Mayor	Yutaka Ando
Area
• Total	203.57 km2 (78.60 sq mi)
Population (June 2013)
• Total	15,948
• Density	69.1/km2 (179/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+9 (Japan Standard Time)
Symbols
• Tree	Japanese apricot
• Flower	Pheasant's eye (Adonis ramosa)
• Bird	Japanese bush warbler
Phone number	0183-62-2111
Address	177 Azanakano, Nishimonai, Ugo-machi, Ogachi-gun, Akita 012-1131
Website	http://www.town.ugo.lg.jp/

Ugo (羽後町, Ugo-machi) is a town located in Akita Prefecture, Japan. As of June 2013, the town had an estimated population of 15,948, and a population density of 69.1 persons per km². The total area is 230.75 km².

Geography

Ugo is located in southern Akita Prefecture, on the Ogachi Plain (雄勝平野, Ogachi heiya), which is bordered by the Dewa mountains (出羽山脈, Dewa sanmyaku) to the west, and the Ou mountains (奥羽山脈, Ou sanmyaku) to the east.

Areas

Ugo is divided into seven distinct areas:

• Nishimonai (西馬音内) is the cultural and economic hub of the town and is home to most of the residents. Nishimonai is also home to the majority of restaurants, shops, drinking establishments, and some small parks. Every August the town's most famous festival the Bon Odori is held on the streets of Nishimonai.
• Miwa (三輪) is the second largest district in Ugo and is home to one or two small soba shops. It also houses Miwa Suga Jinjya, the oldest and most important shrine in town.
• Motonishi (元西) Mostly a residential area, although there are some shops, and some sights to see.
• Niinari (新成) is, much like all of Ugo, heavy with farms. However, it is also the home of Arcadia park as well as the only onsen in Ugo.
• Meiji (明治), Sendō (仙道), and Tashiro (田代) are all pretty much exclusively residential and farming areas, however there are some sights to see like secluded shrines and temples, agricultural co-ops, and lots and lots of rice fields.

Climate

Ugo has a Humid continental climate (Köppen climate classification Cfa) with large seasonal temperature differences, with warm to hot (and often humid) summers and cold (sometimes severely cold) winters. Precipitation is significant throughout the year, but is heaviest from August to October. Ugo is noted for its heavy snows with accumulated snows exceeding two meters in most winters.

History

The area of present-day Ugo was part of ancient Ugo Province, dominated by the Satake clan during the Edo period, who ruled Kubota Domain under the Tokugawa shogunate. The modern town of Ugo was established on April 1, 1955 by the merger of the town of Nishimonai with six surrounding villages, all from Ogachi District.

Economy

The economy of Ugo is based on agriculture, primarily rice cultivation.

Ugo is location of the OTC (Orient Technical Center). It is a factory of luxury watches. OTC owned by Orient Watch Co., Ltd.^[1]

Transportation

Education

• Elementary Schools
  • Nishimonai Elementary School (西馬音内小学校)
  • Motonishi Elementary School (元西小学校)
  • Ugo Meisei Elementary School (羽後明成小学校)
  • Miwa Elementary School (三輪小学校)
  • Sendou Elementary School (仙道小学校)
  • Tashiro Elementary School (田代小学校)
• Junior High Schools
  • Ugo Junior High School (羽後中学校)
  • Miwa Junior High School (三輪中学校)
  • Takase Junior High School (高瀬中学校)
• High Schools
  • Akita Prefectural Ugo High School (秋田県立羽後高等学校)

Places of worship

• Miwa Suga Shrine (三輪須賀神社, -jinja): Oldest and most important Shinto shrine in Ugo. The main building of this shrine was built in the Muromachi era with several others having been added over the following 400 years. Like most shrines in Ugo this shrine is surrounded by many cedar trees.
• Taiheisan Shrine (太平山神社, -jinja): A 15-minute car ride and a 25-minute hike over a well worn mountain trail with many wooden stairs will bring you to the shrine at the top of Ugo's tiny Mt. Taihei. The shrine provides a sweeping view of southern Akita from Yuzawa all the way to Daisen. Especially recommended in fall.
• Nishimonai Ontake Shrine (西馬音内御嶽神社, -jinja): Located next to the Nishimonai post office, this is Nishimonai's main shrine. It is located in the center of a stand of tall cedars.

Local attractions

• Nanamagari Pass (七曲峠, Nanamagari-tōge): A seriously windy mountain path that leads over the branch of the Dewa mountains that cuts across the western third of Ugo. It leads from Motonishi into Tashiro, and is a popular challenge for cyclists. There are multiple areas to stop and take in the natural beauty as well as the local spring water known for extending life – chōmeisui (長命水).
• Suzuki House (鈴木家住宅, Suzukike-jūtaku): The oldest house in Akita prefecture. The main part of the house was built in the first half of the 17th century and the gate house being finished by 1733.
• Gorinzaka (五輪坂): A beautiful park complex Located in Nishimonai and Niinari. There is a small golf course with driving range (which doubles as a ski slope in the winter,) lots of picnic and party area, and beautiful pond, as well as the Toshitoland spa and restaurant building.

Local festivals and events

Ugo is well known in Akita for the annual Bon Dance in Nishimonai.

Noted people from Ugo

• Satō Nobuhiro – Meiji period political theorist

Notes

External links

Media related to Ugo, Akita at Wikimedia Commons

• Official Website (in Japanese)