Nakanojō, Gunma

Nakanojō (中之条町, Nakanojō-machi) is a town located in Gunma Prefecture, 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 is 439.28 km2.

Nakanojō

中之条町
Town
Nakanojō town office
Flag
Seal
Location of Nakanojō in Gunma Prefecture
Nakanojō
 
Coordinates: 36°35′23.4″N 138°50′27.6″E
CountryJapan
RegionKantō
PrefectureGunma Prefecture
DistrictAgatsuma
Area
 • Total439.28 km2 (169.61 sq mi)
Population
 (February 2015)
 • Total17,030
 • Density38.8/km2 (100/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+9 (Japan Standard Time)
Symbols 
• TreeKeyaki
• FlowerMountain lily
• BirdJapanese bush warbler
Phone number0279-75-2111
Address1091, Ōaza Nakanojō, Nakanojō-machi, Agatsuma-gun, Gunma-ken 377-0404
Websitehttp://www.town.nakanojo.gunma.jp/

Geography

Located in the northwestern portion of Gunma Prefecture, Nakanojō is surrounded by high peaks of over 1000 m in height, with the Agatsuma 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).

Surrounding municipalities

Neighborhoods within Nakanojō

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, two elementary schools (Nakanojō and Kuni), two junior high schools (Nakanojō and Kuni), and one high school.

Transportation

Train

Highway

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 Onsen, 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.

Melody road

When an automobile drives at 40km/h over a special melody road section of Japan National Route 353 passing through Nakanojō, the vibrations will sound the tune "Always With Me" (Japanese title: いつも何度でも, Itsumo nando demo) from the feature animation Spirited Away.[1]

Notable people from Nakanojō
  • Keizo Obuchi – former Prime Minister of Japan

References
  1. The effect can be observed here: 113icecream Japanese Fireworks (Jun 24, 2011). "Always With Me (with lyrics) while traveling on Route 353 through Nakanojō" 【歌詞付】いつも何度でも【メロディーロード】群馬県中之条町国道353号. YouTube. Retrieved June 10, 2020.
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