Ōizumi, Gunma

Ōizumi 大泉町
Town
Ōizumi town hall
Flag Seal
Location of Ōizumi in Gunma Prefecture
Ōizumi
Coordinates: 36°14′52.2″N 139°34′17.7″E / 36.247833°N 139.571583°ECoordinates: 36°14′52.2″N 139°34′17.7″E / 36.247833°N 139.571583°E
Country	Japan
Region	Kantō
Prefecture	Gunma Prefecture
District	Ōra
Area
• Total	18.03 km^2 (6.96 sq mi)
Population (February 2015)
• Total	39,996
• Density	2,220/km^2 (5,700/sq mi)
Time zone	Japan Standard Time (UTC+9)
- Tree	Zelkova serrata
- Flower	Tulip, Salvia splendens
Phone number	0276-63-3111
Address	55-1 Hinode, Ōizumi-machi, Gunma-ken 370-0595
Website	Official website

Ōizumi (大泉町 Ōizumi-machi) is a town located in Ōra District, Gunma Prefecture, in the northern Kantō region of Japan. As of February 2015, the town had an estimated population of 39,996 and a population density of 2220 persons per km². Its total area was 18.03 km². Approximately 10% of the total population are foreign citizens, mostly Japanese Brazilians, who work at many factories in the town. Since 1990, Japanese descendants from foreign countries have been permitted to stay in Japan freely. It is estimated that 15% of the population speak Portuguese as their native language,^[1] and as of 2007 Ōizumi has the highest concentration of Brazilians of any city in Japan.^[2]

Geography

Ōizumi is located in the extreme southern corner Gunma prefecture, bordered by Saitama Prefecture to the south.

Surrounding municipalities

• Gunma Prefecture
  • Ōta
  • Chiyoda
  • Ōra
• Saitama Prefecture
  • Kumagaya

History

The villages of Ōkawa and Koizumi were created within Ōra District, Gunma Prefecture on April 1, 1889 with the creation of the municipalities system after the Meiji Restoration. Koizumi was elevated to town status on July 25, 1902. On March 31, 1957 Koizumi merged with the village of Ōkawa and was renamed Ōizumi. Plans to merge with neighboring Chiyoda in 2004 and with Ōta in 2008 were rejected by the local town assembly.

Economy

Ōizumi has an industrial base, with manufacturing facilities including plants from Ajinomoto, Sanyo, Toppan, Maruha Nichiro and Fuji Heavy Industries (which was previously the plant of the Nakajima Aircraft Company), located in the town.

Education

• Primary Schools
  • Ōizumi Kita Elementary School (大泉町立北小学校)
  • Ōizumi Higashi Elementary School (大泉町立東小学校)
  • Ōizumi Minami Elementary School (大泉町立南小学校)
  • Ōizumi Nishi Elementary School (大泉町立西小学校)
• Middle Schools
  • Ōizumi Kita Middle School (大泉町立北中学校)
  • Ōizumi Minami Middle School (大泉町立南中学校)
  • Ōizumi Nishi Middle School (大泉町立西中学校)
• High Schools
  • Gunma Prefectural Ōizumi High School (群馬県立大泉高等学校)
  • Gunma Prefectural Nishi Ōra High School (群馬県立西邑楽高等学校)

International schools:

• Instituto Educacional Centro Nippo-Brasileiro - Brazilian school^[3]
• Instituto Educacional Gente Miúda - Brazilian school^[3]

The city formerly housed the Escola da Professora Rebeca, another Brazilian international school.^[4]

Transportation

Railway

• Tobu Railway - Koizumi Line
  • Nishi-Koizumi - Koizumimachi - Higashi-Koizumi

Highway

• Japan National Route 354

Sister city relations

– Guaratinguetá, São Paulo, Brazil

Local attractions

• site Koizumi Castle (小泉城跡)
• Ryusenji temple (竜泉寺)
• Koizumi shrine (小泉神社)
• Ainohara remains (間之原遺跡) of Jōmon period (3500 BC-3000 BC)

References

1. JAPÃO: IMIGRANTES BRASILEIROS POPULARIZAM LÍNGUA PORTUGUESA
2. Sugino, Toshiko, Ed. D. (Temple University). "Nikkei Brazilians at a Brazilian school in Japan: Factors affecting language decisions and education" (PhD thesis). Temple University, 2007. Publication Number 3293262. See profile at Google Books. cited: p. 56.
3. "Escolas Brasileiras Homologadas no Japão" (Archive). Embassy of Brazil in Tokyo. Retrieved on October 13, 2015.
4. "Escolas Brasileiras Homologadas no Japão" (Archive). Embassy of Brazil in Tokyo. February 7, 2008. Retrieved on October 13, 2015.

External links

Media related to Ōizumi, Gunma at Wikimedia Commons

• Official website (Japanese)