is a former town

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 Tamatsukuri District, Miyagi

Tamatsukuri District, Miyagi

Tamatsukuri was a district located in Miyagi, Japan.As of 2003, the district had an estimated population of 22,240 and a density of 47.50 persons per km²...

, Japan.

On March 31, 2006, Naruko was merged with the town of Iwadeyama

Iwadeyama, Miyagi

was a town located in Tamatsukuri District, Miyagi, Japan.In 2003, the town had an estimated population of 13,476 and a population density of 95.78 persons per km²...

, from Tamatsukuri District

Tamatsukuri District, Miyagi

Tamatsukuri was a district located in Miyagi, Japan.As of 2003, the district had an estimated population of 22,240 and a density of 47.50 persons per km²...

, the towns of Kashimadai

Kashimadai, Miyagi

was a town located in Shida District, Miyagi, Japan.On March 31, 2006, Kashimadai was merged with the towns of Iwadeyama and Naruko, both from Tamatsukuri District, the towns of Matsuyama and Sanbongi, all from Shida District, the town of Tajiri, from Tōda District, and the city of Furukawa to...

, Matsuyama

Matsuyama, Miyagi

was a town located in Shida District, Miyagi, Japan.On March 31, 2006, Matsuyama was merged with the towns of Iwadeyama and Naruko, both from Tamatsukuri District, the towns of Kashimadai and Sanbongi, all from Shida District, the town of Tajiri, from Tōda District, and the city of Furukawa to...

 and Sanbongi

Sanbongi, Miyagi

was a town located in Shida District, Miyagi, Japan.On March 31, 2006, Sanbongi was merged with the towns of Iwadeyama and Naruko, both from Tamatsukuri District, the towns of Kashimadai and Matsuyama, all from Shida District, the town of Tajiri, from Tōda District, and the city of Furukawa to...

, all from Shida District

Shida District, Miyagi

Shida was a district located in Miyagi, Japan.As of 2003, the district had an estimated population of 29,126 and a density of 226.17 persons per km²...

, the town of Tajiri

Tajiri, Miyagi

was a town located in Tōda District, Miyagi, Japan.On March 31, 2006, Tajiri merged with the towns of Iwadeyama and Naruko, both from Tamatsukuri District, the towns of Kashimadai, Matsuyama and Sanbongi, all from Shida District, and the city of Furukawa to create the new city of Ōsaki...

, from Tōda District

Toda District, Miyagi

is a district located in Miyagi Prefecture, Japan.As of the Tajiri merger but with 2003 population estimates, the district had an estimated population of 45,374 and a population density of 289 persons per km²...

, and the city of Furukawa

Furukawa, Miyagi

was a city located in Miyagi Prefecture, Japan.In 2003, the city had an estimated population of 73,980 and a population density of 551.51 persons per km²...

 to create the new city of Ōsaki

Osaki, Miyagi

is a city located in Miyagi Prefecture, Japan. Its area is 796.76 km², and its population was 135,129 as of November 1, 2010. The area was hard-hit during the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake.The city was formed on March 31, 2006, when several jurisdictions merged together....

. Tamatsukuri District

Tamatsukuri District, Miyagi

Tamatsukuri was a district located in Miyagi, Japan.As of 2003, the district had an estimated population of 22,240 and a density of 47.50 persons per km²...

 and Shida District

Shida District, Miyagi

Shida was a district located in Miyagi, Japan.As of 2003, the district had an estimated population of 29,126 and a density of 226.17 persons per km²...

 were dissolved as a result of this merger.

Geography

Nestled in the mountainous backbone of Tohoku region

Tohoku region

The is a geographical area of Japan. The region occupies the northeastern portion of Honshu, the largest island of Japan. The region consists of six prefectures : Akita, Aomori, Fukushima, Iwate, Miyagi and Yamagata....

, Naruko is located entirely within the Kurikoma Quasi-National Park. Haiku poet Matsuo Bashō

Matsuo Basho

, born , then , was the most famous poet of the Edo period in Japan. During his lifetime, Bashō was recognized for his works in the collaborative haikai no renga form; today, after centuries of commentary, he is recognized as a master of brief and clear haiku...

 passed through the area on the trip that became his masterwork Oku no Hosomichi

Oku no Hosomichi

, translated alternately as The Narrow Road to the Deep North and The Narrow Road to the Interior, is a major work by the Japanese poet Matsuo Bashō considered "one of the major texts of classical Japanese literature."...

.

Tourism and Sightseeing

The volcanically active area is famous for the Naruko Hot Spring Villages (鳴子温泉郷), a cluster of five villages -- Naruko, East Naruko, Nakayamadaira, Kawatabi and Onikōbe -- with abundant hot springs

Onsen

An is a term for hot springs in the Japanese language, though the term is often used to describe the bathing facilities and inns around the hot springs. As a volcanically active country, Japan has thousands of onsen scattered along its length and breadth...

. The reputed curative properties of the springs make them especially popular with people in ill health. Several ski resorts also operate nearby in the winter.

Naruko is one among many places to claim to have originated the kokeshi

Kokeshi

, are Japanese dolls, originally from northern Japan. They are handmade from wood, have a simple trunk and an enlarged head with a few thin, painted lines to define the face. The body has a floral design painted in red, black, and sometimes yellow, and covered with a layer of wax. One...

, a cylindrical wooden doll emblematic of Tohoku. The Japan Kokeshi Museum is located in Naruko, and some 80 craftsmen work full-time at the art today.

Transport

Naruko is accessible by train on the JR East

East Japan Railway Company

is the largest passenger railway company in the world and one of the seven Japan Railways Group companies. The company name is officially abbreviated as JR East in English, and as in Japanese. The company's headquarters are in Yoyogi, Shibuya, Tokyo....

 Rikuu East Line, some 40 minutes from Furukawa Station

Furukawa Station

is an East Japan Railway Company railway station located in Ōsaki, Miyagi, Japan.-History:*April 20, 1913: Station is opened.*June 11, 1915: Station name is changed to Rikuzen-Furukawa Station....

, where connections to Tokyo can be made via the Tōhoku 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...

. National Highways 47 and 108 also pass through the area.

Demographics

In 2003, the town had 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 8,764 and a population density

Population density

Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...

of 26.76 persons per km². The total area was 327.55 km².