Nakanojo, Gunma
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| District: | Agatsuma |
| Prefecture: | Gunma |
| Region: | Kanto |
| Island: | Honshu |
| Country: | Japan |
| Area - Total |
236.47 km² |
| Population(2004 (http://www.town.nakanojo.gunma.jp/jinkou.html)) - Total |
17,942 |
| Communities: | Nakuta, Shima, Ise-machi, Gotanda, Sawatari, West Nakanojo, Yamada |
| Symbols | |
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| Town Flower: | Mountain Lily |
| Town Tree: | Zelkova (欅) |
| Town Bird: | Bush Warbler |
Nakanojō (中之条町; -machi) is a town located in Agatsuma District, Gunma, Japan.
As of 2003, the town has an estimated population of 17,872 and a density of 75.58 persons per km². There are a total of 6,059 households in town. The total area is 236.47 km² and an elevation of 400 m above sea level. The town's area is 83% mountains and forests (197 km²). The town mayor is Iriuchijima Michitaka (入内島道隆) (2004).
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Education
Nakanojo-machi has 4 kindergartens; 4 elementary schools: Nakanojo, Sawada, Isama, and Nakuta; 2 junior high schools: Nakanojo and West Nakanojo; and one high school.
Tourism
The main draw of tourists to Nakanojo are the natural hot spring resorts. There are two major hot spring resort areas within the town.
The larger and more famous on is Shima (四万) Hot Springs. Shima is tucked into the mountains on the north end of town. The name means 40,000, and represents the 40,000 ailments the water is supposed to cure. It is an extremely picturesque area. To get there, you can drive to the end of highway 353 from Shibukawa, or take a bus from Nakanojo Station, on the Agatsuma Line.
The other, less famous resort is called Sawatari Hot Springs. This one is known as a good finishing spa after one has visited Kusatsu. This can be reached by taking route 55 off of highway 353.
Transportation
Train Stations
There are two train stations in Nakanojo.
Agatsuma Line (East Japan Railway Company)
- Nakanojo Station
- Ichishiro Station
Highways
One section of National Highway 353 ends in Shima, Nakanojo.
Festivals
Nakanojo 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 Nakanojo Matsuri in August and the Ise-machi Matsuri in September. The Ise-machi Matsuri features the Yagibushi Folk Dance.
Famous Residents
- Keizo Obuchi (小渕恵三) (1937–2000)
- Yuko Obuchi (小渕優子)
Communities
- Nakuta (名久田)
- Shima (四万)
- Ise-machi (伊勢町)
- Gotanda (五反田)
- Sawatari (沢渡)
- West Nakanojo (西中之条)
- Yamada (山田)
An interesting coincidence is that some of the communities in Nakanojo share names with communities in Tokyo.
External Links
- Nakanojo Official Town Page (http://www.town.nakanojo.gunma.jp/) (In Japanese)
- About Nakanojo (http://www2.gunmanet.or.jp/khiroshi/page-e/pj01.html) (In English, but lots of outdated info)ja:中之条町