Iwate, Iwate
Encyclopedia
is a town
located in Iwate District
, Iwate
, Japan
, 40° latitude
.
As of 2003, the town has an estimated population
of 18,264. The total area is 360.55 km².
Built at the source of the Kitakami River
(北上川), the town was founded in 1960, when the four villages of Numakunai (沼宮内), Kawaguchi(川口), (御堂) and (一方井) merged. Found on Route 4, the main highway of northern Japan, Iwate machi is famous for its blueberry
production; a local farmers' market square produces blueberry ice cream.
The town is also home to the Stone Sculpture Museum. Since 1973, there has been an annual stone sculpture contest, with the winner being added to the display outside the town hall. The sports center's astroturf
pitch, laid in 1993, was the first in the prefecture. The success of the town's hockey club dates back to 1970, and since then both the town and high school have had a consistently strong team. The high school always places highly in the all-Japan inter-high championships.
Its station on the Tohoku Shinkansen
, built in 2003, is one of the least used stations in all of Japan.
Towns of Japan
A town is a local administrative unit in Japan. It is a local public body along with prefecture , city , and village...
located in Iwate District
Iwate District, Iwate
is a district located in Iwate, Japan. As of 2003, the district has an estimated population of 142,495. The total area is 2,846.44 km². The district covers the northern part of Morioka Metropolitan Area...
, Iwate
Iwate Prefecture
is the second largest prefecture of Japan after Hokkaido. It is located in the Tōhoku region of Honshū island and contains the island's easternmost point. The capital is Morioka. Iwate has the lowest population density of any prefecture outside Hokkaido...
, Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
, 40° latitude
40th parallel north
The 40th parallel north is a circle of latitude that is 40 degrees north of the Earth's equatorial plane. It crosses Europe, the Mediterranean Sea, Asia, the Pacific Ocean, North America, and the Atlantic Ocean....
.
As of 2003, the town has an estimated population
Population
A population is all the organisms that both belong to the same group or species and live in the same geographical area. The area that is used to define a sexual population is such that inter-breeding is possible between any pair within the area and more probable than cross-breeding with individuals...
of 18,264. The total area is 360.55 km².
Built at the source of the Kitakami River
Kitakami River
The is the fourth largest river in Japan and the largest in the Tōhoku region. It is 249 kilometers long and drains an area of 10,150 square kilometers. It flows through mostly rural areas of Iwate and Miyagi Prefectures. The river is unusual in that it has two mouths, one flowing south into...
(北上川), the town was founded in 1960, when the four villages of Numakunai (沼宮内), Kawaguchi(川口), (御堂) and (一方井) merged. Found on Route 4, the main highway of northern Japan, Iwate machi is famous for its blueberry
Blueberry
Blueberries are flowering plants of the genus Vaccinium with dark-blue berries and are perennial...
production; a local farmers' market square produces blueberry ice cream.
The town is also home to the Stone Sculpture Museum. Since 1973, there has been an annual stone sculpture contest, with the winner being added to the display outside the town hall. The sports center's astroturf
AstroTurf
AstroTurf is a brand of artificial turf. Although the term is a registered trademark, it is sometimes used as a generic description of any kind of artificial turf. The original AstroTurf product was a short pile synthetic turf while the current products incorporate modern features such as...
pitch, laid in 1993, was the first in the prefecture. The success of the town's hockey club dates back to 1970, and since then both the town and high school have had a consistently strong team. The high school always places highly in the all-Japan inter-high championships.
Its station on the Tohoku Shinkansen
Tohoku Shinkansen
The is a Japanese high-speed Shinkansen rail line, connecting Tokyo with Aomori in Aomori Prefecture for a total length of 674 km, Japan's longest Shinkansen line. It runs through the more sparsely populated Tōhoku region of Japan's main island Honshu. It has two spur lines, Yamagata...
, built in 2003, is one of the least used stations in all of Japan.
Iwate machi's symbols
- flower: gentian / autumn bell flower (竜胆)
- bird: Japanese PheasantGreen PheasantThe Green Pheasant, Phasianus versicolor, also known as Japanese Pheasant, is native to the Japanese Archipelago, to which it is endemic. The male is distinguished from that species by its dark green plumage on the breast and mantle. The male also has an iridescent violet neck, red bare facial...
(Phasianus versicolor) (雉) - tree: the hall pine (御堂松)