Zama, Kanagawa

Zama (座間市, Zama-shi) is a city located in Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan. The city is also home to the United States' Camp Zama Army base.

Zama

座間市
City
Zama City Hall
Flag
Seal
Location of Zama in Kanagawa Prefecture
Zama
 
Coordinates: 35°29′N 139°24′E
CountryJapan
RegionKantō
PrefectureKanagawa Prefecture
Area
 • Total17.58 km2 (6.79 sq mi)
Population
 (June 1, 2012)
 • Total129,568
 • Density7,370/km2 (19,100/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+9 (Japan Standard Time)
Symbols 
• TreeOsmanthus
• FlowerSunflower
• BirdJapanese tit
Phone number046-255-1111
Address1-1-1 Midorigaoka, Zama-shi, Kanagawa-ken 252-8566
Websitehttp://www.city.zama.kanagawa.jp/
Zama kite festival. First attempt to fly a 40' × 40' handmade kite.

As of June 1, 2012, the city has an estimated population of 129,568, and a population density of 7,370 persons per km2. The total area is 17.58 km2.

Geography

Located in central Kanagawa Prefecture, the city is mostly flat, although some parts are hilly. The Sagami River, Hikiji River, Mekushiri River, and the Hato River flow through Zama. The city is well known for its drinking water, which is cold in the summer and warm in the winter.[1]

Surrounding municipalities

History

The area around Zama has been settled since prehistoric times, and Jōmon period remains have been found. The hamlet of "Izama" was a post station on the ancient Tōkaidō road connecting Kyoto with the provinces in the Kantō region, and the area was part of the tenryō territory within Sagami Province during the Edo period administered directly by the Tokugawa shogunate through a number of hatamoto-class administrators. During the cadastral reforms after the Meiji Restoration in 1889, the area of present-day Zama consisted of five villages in Kōza District, Kanagawa Prefecture.

The area remained very rural until the coming of the Odakyu Electric Railway in 1927 and the Sagami Railway in 1935, which spurred development, but the area was mostly farmland when the Imperial Japanese Army Academy relocated to the Zama area in 1937. The increase in population led Zama Village to be promoted to Zama town the same year. However, in 1941, Zama Town and surrounding villages were merged into Sagamihara. In 1944, the Kōza Naval Arsenal of the Imperial Japanese Navy was established in the area. It was closed with the end of World War II, and the Imperial Japanese Army Academy was turned over to the United States Army to become Camp Zama.

In September 1948, Zama regained its status as a town independent of Sagamihara. The local economy received a significant boost with the building of a Nissan automobile assembly plant in Zama in 1965, and production ended in 1995. Zama became a city on November 1, 1971.

Economy

Zama has a mixed economy.

  • Agriculture: 413 people (0.6%)
  • Manufacturing: 18,978 people (29.8%)
  • Service: 43,298 people (68.0%)

Transportation

Rail stations

Highways

Parks and recreation
  • Zama Yatoyama Park
  • Zama Park
  • Himawari Park
  • Kanigasawa Park
  • Fujiyama Park
  • Onsen (15 hot springs in the city)

Education

Primary Schools

  • Zama Elementary School
  • Kurihara Elementary School
  • Sagamino Elementary School
  • Soubudai Higashi Elementary School
  • Hibarigaoka Elementary School
  • Higashihara Elementary School
  • Sagamigaoka Elementary School
  • Tatsunodai Elementary School
  • Iriya Elementary School
  • Asahi Elementary School
  • Nakahara Elementary School

Junior High Schools

  • Zama Junior High School
  • Nishi Junior High School
  • Higashi Junior High School
  • Kurihara Junior High School
  • Sagami Junior High School
  • Minami Junior High School

High Schools

  • Zama High School
  • Zama Sougou High School
  • Sagami Kouyoukan High School

Hibarigaoka High School was previously in Zama.[2]

Noted people from Zama
  • The Hato River
  • Manhole cover depicting symbols of Zama
  • Manhole cover depicting sunflowers, a symbol of Zama
  • Neighborhood in the vicinity of Soubudai-mae train station
  • Vegetable plots near Midori-ga-oka neighborhood
  • View of the distant mountains
  • View of a neighborhood within a short walk of Soubudai-mae train station

Sister cities

References
  1. Zama City Hall (ed.). 座間市特産品「ざまみず」アルミボトル缶大好評販売中！！ (in Japanese). Retrieved March 11, 2016.
  2. "An Introduction to Hibarigaoka High School 2005-2007" (Archive). Kanagawa Prefectural Hibarigaoka High School. Retrieved on October 13, 2015. p. 5/17.
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