Shimosuwa

Shimosuwa (下諏訪町, Shimosuwa-machi) is a town located in Nagano Prefecture, Japan. As of 1 April 2019, the town had an estimated population of 20,055 in 8864 households,[1] and a population density of 300 persons per km². The total area of the town is 66.87 square kilometres (25.82 sq mi).

Shimosuwa

下諏訪町
Town
Shimosuwa Town Hall
Flag
Seal
Location of Shimosuwa in Nagano Prefecture
Shimosuwa
 
Coordinates: 36°4′10.4″N 138°4′48.7″E
CountryJapan
RegionChūbu (Kōshin'etsu)
PrefectureNagano
DistrictSuwa
Area
 • Total66.87 km2 (25.82 sq mi)
Population
 (April 2019)
 • Total20,055
 • Density300/km2 (780/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+9 (Japan Standard Time)
Symbols 
• TreeSakura
• FlowerAzalea
Phone number0266-27-1111
Address4613-8 Nishitakanochō, Shimosuwa-machi, Suwa-gun, Nagano-ken　 393-8501
WebsiteOfficial website
Lake Suwa from Shimosuwa town

Geography

Shimosuwa is located in central Nagano Prefecture, approximately 50 kilometers from the prefectural capital of Nagano city and 200 kilometers from Tokyo. The town is bordered on the south by Lake Suwa. The town has an altitude of 760 meters at the town center, and is 82% forested.

Surrounding municipalities

Demographics

Per Japanese census data,[2] the population of Shimosuwa has been declining at an accelerating rate over the past 50 years.

Historical population
YearPop.±%
1940 17,619—    
1950 18,798+6.7%
1960 22,602+20.2%
1970 26,932+19.2%
1980 26,574−1.3%
1990 25,519−4.0%
2000 23,930−6.2%
2010 21,504−10.1%

Climate

The town has a humid continental climate characterized by warm and humid summers, and cold winters (Köppen climate classification Dfb). The average annual temperature in Shimosuwa is 7.3 °C. The average annual rainfall is 1540 mm with September as the wettest month. The temperatures are highest on average in August, at around 20.2 °C, and lowest in January, at around -5.1 °C.[3]

History

The area of present-day Shimosuwa was part of ancient Shinano Province, and was administered as part of the territories of Suwa Domain under the Tokugawa shogunate. During the Edo period, Shimosuwa-shuku developed as the 29th station on the 59-station Nakasendō highway connecting Edo with Kyoto and was also a post station on the Kōshū Kaidō.

The village of Shimosuwa was created with the establishment of the modern municipalities system on April 1, 1889 and was raised to town status on June 30, 1893.

Education

Shimosuwa has two public elementary schools and two public middle schools operated by the town government, and one high school operated the Nagano Prefectural Board of Education.

Transportation

Railway

Highway

International relations

Local attractions

Shimosuwa is the location of two of the shrines that make up the famous Suwa Taisha or Suwa Grand Shrine. The Harumiya (春宮) and Akimiya (秋宮) shrines are symbolically renewed every six years during the Onbashira festival. Huge trees are cut in a Shinto ceremony, then the logs are dragged from the mountains down to the shrines.

Shimosuwa is also the site of several onsen or natural hot spring spas.

The Hoshigatō obsidian mine site, a Jomon period trace and National Historic Site is located in Shimosuwa, but there are no public facilities or access.

Notable people from Shimosuwa

References
  1. Shimosuwa Town official statistics(in Japanese)
  2. Shimosuwa population statistics
  3. Shimosuwa climate data
  4. "International Exchange". List of Affiliation Partners within Prefectures. Council of Local Authorities for International Relations (CLAIR). Retrieved 21 November 2015.


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