Iwaizumi, Iwate

Iwaizumi 岩泉町
Town
Iwaizumi Town Hall
Flag Seal
Location of Iwaizumi in Iwate Prefecture
Iwaizumi
Coordinates: 39°51′N 141°48′E / 39.850°N 141.800°ECoordinates: 39°51′N 141°48′E / 39.850°N 141.800°E
Country	Japan
Region	Tōhoku
Prefecture	Iwate
District	Shimohei
Area
• Total	992.90 km^2 (383.36 sq mi)
Population (February 2014)
• Total	10,007
• Density	10.1/km^2 (26/sq mi)
Time zone	Japan Standard Time (UTC+9)
City symbols
• Tree	Pinus densiflora
• Flower	Paulownia tomentosa
• Bird	Copper pheasant
Phone number	0194-22-2111
Address	Iwaizumi-aze Sohata 59-5, Iwaizumi-chō, Shimohei-gun, Iwate 027-0595
Website	Official website

Iwaizumi (岩泉町 Iwaizumi-chō) is a town located in Shimohei District, Iwate, Japan. As of February 2014, the town had an estimated population of 10,007 and a population density of 10.01 persons per km². The total area was 992.91  km².

Geography

Iwaizumi occupies the Kitakamikochi Plateau in northeast Iwate prefecture, east of the prefectural capital of Morioka. It has a small coastline. The area is mountainous, and has numerous limestone caves, including the Ryūsendō.

Neighboring municipalities

• Iwate Prefecture
  • Morioka, Iwate
  • Kuji, Iwate
  • Miyako, Iwate
  • Fudai, Iwate
  • Tanohata, Iwate
  • Kuzumaki, Iwate
  • Noda, Iwate

History

The area of present-day Iwaizumi was part of ancient Mutsu Province, dominated by the Nambu clan during the Edo period, who ruled Morioka Domain under the Tokugawa shogunate. The village of Iwaizumi was created within Kitahei District on April 1, 1889. Kitahei, Nakahei and Higashihei Districts were all merged into Minamihei District on March 29, 1896. Iwaizumi was elevated to town status on August 1, 1922. On September 30, 1956, Imaizumi annexed the neighboring villages of Akka, Ugei, Okawa and Omoto and on April 1, 1957 annexed the village of Kogawa to reach is present borders.

Economy

The local economy is based on agriculture and to a lesser extent on commercial fishing.

Transportation

Railway

• Sanriku Railway – Kita-Rias Line
  • Iwaizumi-Omoto

The JR East Iwaizumi Line, which connected Iwaizumi with Moichi Station on the Yamada Line, officially closed on April 1, 2014.

Highway

• Japan National Route 45
• Japan National Route 340
• Japan National Route 455

Local attractions

• Ryūsendō – cave system
• Akkadō – cave system

Sister city relations

•  USA – Wisconsin Dells, Wisconsin, USA, since 1990^[1]

Noted people from Iwaizumi

• Rika Miura – actress
• Kin Endate – amateur astronomer

References

1. Krejci, Anna (22 October 2010). "Dells-Iwaizumi mark 20 years of sister city relations". Wisconsin Dells Events. Retrieved 20 July 2013.

External links

Media related to Iwaizumi, Iwate at Wikimedia Commons

• Official website (Japanese)