Kariwa

Kariwa (刈羽村, Kariwa-mura) is a village located in Niigata Prefecture, Japan. As of 1 July 2019, the village had an estimated population of 4,578 in 1613 households,[1] and a population density of 174 persons per km². The total area of the village was 26.27 square kilometres (10.14 sq mi).

Kariwa
刈羽村
Village
Kariwa village hall
Kariwa village hall
Flag of Kariwa
Flag
Official seal of Kariwa
Seal
Location of Kariwa in Niigata
Location of Kariwa in Niigata
Kariwa is located in Japan
Kariwa
Kariwa
 
Coordinates: 37°25′20.1″N 138°37′21.1″E
CountryJapan
RegionChūbu (Kōshin'etsu) (Hokuriku)
PrefectureNiigata
DistrictKariwa
Area
 • Total26.27 km2 (10.14 sq mi)
Population
 (July 1, 2019)
 • Total4,578
 • Density170/km2 (450/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+9 (Japan Standard Time)
Symbols 
• TreeJapanese black pine
• FlowerPeach
Phone number0257-45-2244
Address215-1 Warimachi-Shinden, Kariwa-mura, Kariwa-gun, Niigata-ken 945-0308
WebsiteOfficial website

Geography

Kariwa is located in central Niigata Prefecture, sandwiched between the cities of Nagaoka and Kashiwazaki, and consists of two discontinuous areas. Kariwa is located near the Sea of Japan but has no coastline. It takes over 3 hours to reach Tokyo by train (using local trains and Jōetsu Shinkansen from Nagaoka), or by car on the Kan-Etsu Expressway.

Surrounding municipalities

Demographics

Per Japanese census data,[2] the population of Kariwa peaked at around the year 1990, and has declined steadily since.

Historical population
YearPop.±%
1970 5,429—    
1980 5,346−1.5%
1990 5,522+3.3%
2000 5,028−8.9%
2010 4,800−4.5%
2020 4,380−8.8%

History

The area of present-day Kariwa was part of ancient Echigo Province and was part of the tenryō holdings of the Tokugawa shogunate during the Edo period. The village of Kariwa was established within Kariwa District, Niigata with the creation of the modern municipalities system on April 1, 1889. On September 30, 1956 a part of the neighbouring village of Nakadori was absorbed into Kariwa. Likewise, on April 10, 1959 a part of neighbouring Futada village was absorbed into Kariwa

2007 Chūetsu offshore earthquake

A magnitude 6.8 earthquake hit off the coast of Kashiwazaki, killing 10 people, and injuring more than 1,200, causing massive power outages. Total over 340 houses were destroyed and thousands of people were forced to live at the shelters. The quake caused a fire at Kashiwazaki-Kariwa nuclear power plant in an electrical transformer, a leak of water from the spent fuel pool, and a host of other safety related events.[3][4][5]

Economy

Together with Kashiwazaki city, Kariwa is the home of the Tokyo Electric Power Company's Kashiwazaki-Kariwa nuclear power plant, once the largest nuclear generating station in the world by net electrical power rating. After the April 2011 earthquake, all restarted units were shut down and safety improvements are being carried out. As of August 2022 no units have been restarted.[6]

Education

Kariwa has three public elementary schools and one public middle school operated by the village government. The village does not have a high school.

Transportation

Railway

JR East - Echigo Line

Highway

Sister cities

Local attractions
  • Kariwa Midden (Prehistoric site)
  • Tohuku-in (temple)
  • Joraku-ji (temple)
  • Hozo-ji (temple)
  • Katsuyama castle remains (Now used as hiking paths)
  • Akada castle remains (Now used as hiking paths)
  • Kariwa Village Life Learning Center "Rapika"

Festivals
  • Takiya Toro Oshiai Matsuri (Lantern Battle Festival) (April)
  • Peach Flower Festival (April)
  • Kariwa-mura Furusato Matsuri (Village Festival) (August)

References
  1. Kariwa official statistics (in Japanese)
  2. Kariwa population statistics
  3. The European Parliament's Greens-EFA Group - The World Nuclear Industry Status Report 2007 Archived 2008-06-25 at the Wayback Machine p. 23.
  4. Niigata earthquake death toll rises to eleven Archived 2013-11-03 at the Wayback Machine Japan News Review, July 23
  5. "Japanese nuke plant leaked after earthquake". Associated Press. July 16, 2007. Archived from the original on August 10, 2007. Retrieved July 16, 2007.
  6. Kashiwazaki Kariwa PRIS database (accessed August 2022)
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.