Kawanishi, Yamagata
Encyclopedia
is a town
located in Higashiokitama District, Yamagata
, Japan
. The literal meaning of Kawanishi is "west of the river", and the river refers to the Mogami River
.
As of November 2010, the town has an estimated population
of 17,302 and a density
of 104 persons per km². The total area is 166.46 km².
The town is famous for the large dahlia
garden called Kawanishi Dariyaen 川西ダリヤ園 (Kawanishi Dahlia Park), which opens during the dahlia
season (usually August to November).
The town also produces the famous Yonezawagyu米沢牛 (Yonezawa beef
) since the Meiji era.
Once the nineteenth-century English traveler, writer, and natural historian, Isabella Bird
stayed in the town, and noted the Yonezawa Basin area "as a 'Garden of Eden,' ground that smiles fruitfully, and Arcadia in Asia." "The word 'Arcadia' indicates basically an ideal world and a concept that does not really exist."
). There are two major rivers, Mogamigawa最上川 (Mogami River
) and Omonogawa鬼面川 (Omono River), running along the town's borders. Also, there are two minor rivers, Inukawa犬川 (Inu river) and Kurokawa黒川 (Kuro River), running across the town.
The abundance of water makes the town ideal for farming, mostly rice
.
:
Towns of Japan
A town is a local administrative unit in Japan. It is a local public body along with prefecture , city , and village...
located in Higashiokitama District, Yamagata
Higashiokitama District, Yamagata
is a district located in Yamagata Prefecture, Japan.As of 2003, the district has an estimated population of 45,338 and a density of 130.85 persons per km². The total area is 346.50 km².-Towns and villages:*Kawanishi*Takahata...
, Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
. The literal meaning of Kawanishi is "west of the river", and the river refers to the Mogami River
Mogami River
The is a river in Yamagata Prefecture, Japan. It is 224 km long and has a watershed of 7,040 km². It is regarded as one of the three most rapid rivers of Japan ....
.
As of November 2010, the town has an estimated population
Population
A population is all the organisms that both belong to the same group or species and live in the same geographical area. The area that is used to define a sexual population is such that inter-breeding is possible between any pair within the area and more probable than cross-breeding with individuals...
of 17,302 and a density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
of 104 persons per km². The total area is 166.46 km².
The town is famous for the large dahlia
Dahlia
Dahlia is a genus of bushy, tuberous, perennial plants native to Mexico, Central America, and Colombia. There are at least 36 species of dahlia, some like D. imperialis up to 10 metres tall. Dahlia hybrids are commonly grown as garden plants...
garden called Kawanishi Dariyaen 川西ダリヤ園 (Kawanishi Dahlia Park), which opens during the dahlia
Dahlia
Dahlia is a genus of bushy, tuberous, perennial plants native to Mexico, Central America, and Colombia. There are at least 36 species of dahlia, some like D. imperialis up to 10 metres tall. Dahlia hybrids are commonly grown as garden plants...
season (usually August to November).
The town also produces the famous Yonezawagyu米沢牛 (Yonezawa beef
Yonezawa beef
is wagyū originating in the Yonezawa region of Yamagata Prefecture, Japan. Within Japan, Yonezawa is considered one of the generally recognized three most famous beef brands in Japan, along with Kobe beef and Matsusaka beef.-External links:*...
) since the Meiji era.
Once the nineteenth-century English traveler, writer, and natural historian, Isabella Bird
Isabella Bird
Isabella Lucy Bird was a nineteenth-century English explorer, writer, and a natural historian.-Early life:Bird was born in Boroughbridge in 1831 and grew up in Tattenhall, Cheshire...
stayed in the town, and noted the Yonezawa Basin area "as a 'Garden of Eden,' ground that smiles fruitfully, and Arcadia in Asia." "The word 'Arcadia' indicates basically an ideal world and a concept that does not really exist."
Geography
The town is located in the southeast of Yonezawa Bonchi米沢盆地 (Yonezawa BasinBasin
Basin may refer to:* Basin , a poem about Charlemagne's childhood* basin , the area of a drydock which can be flooded and drained* basin of attraction , an area of a nonlinear system with an attractor...
). There are two major rivers, Mogamigawa最上川 (Mogami River
Mogami River
The is a river in Yamagata Prefecture, Japan. It is 224 km long and has a watershed of 7,040 km². It is regarded as one of the three most rapid rivers of Japan ....
) and Omonogawa鬼面川 (Omono River), running along the town's borders. Also, there are two minor rivers, Inukawa犬川 (Inu river) and Kurokawa黒川 (Kuro River), running across the town.
The abundance of water makes the town ideal for farming, mostly rice
Rice
Rice is the seed of the monocot plants Oryza sativa or Oryza glaberrima . As a cereal grain, it is the most important staple food for a large part of the world's human population, especially in East Asia, Southeast Asia, South Asia, the Middle East, and the West Indies...
.
Adjoining cities and towns
From the north, following Kawanishi’s border clockwiseClockwise
Circular motion can occur in two possible directions. A clockwise motion is one that proceeds in the same direction as a clock's hands: from the top to the right, then down and then to the left, and back to the top...
:
- Nagai, YamagataNagai, Yamagatais a city located in Yamagata prefecture, Japan.As of 2008, the city has an estimated population of 29,959 and the density of 140 persons per km². The total area is 214.69 km².The city was founded on November 15, 1954...
- Nanyo, YamagataNanyo, Yamagatais a city located in Yamagata Prefecture, Japan.As of 2008, the city has an estimated population of 34,405 and the population density of 214 persons per km². The total area is 160.70 km². Nan'yō is the second biggest producer of cherries in Japan....
- Takahata, YamagataTakahata, Yamagatais a town located in Higashiokitama District, Yamagata, Japan.As of 2003, the town has an estimated population of 26,361 and a density of 146.42 persons per km²...
- Yonezawa, YamagataYonezawa, Yamagatais a city located in Yamagata Prefecture, Japan.As of 2008, the city has an estimated population of 91,704 and the population density of 167 persons per square kilometer...
- Iide, YamagataIide, Yamagatais a town located in Nishiokitama District, Yamagata, Japan.As of 2010, the town has an estimated population of 8,052 and a density of 24 persons per km². The total area is 329.60 km².-Train stations:...
Train stations
- JR EastEast Japan Railway Companyis the largest passenger railway company in the world and one of the seven Japan Railways Group companies. The company name is officially abbreviated as JR East in English, and as in Japanese. The company's headquarters are in Yoyogi, Shibuya, Tokyo....
- Yonesaka LineYonesaka LineThe is a rail line in Japan. Part of the East Japan Railway Company system, it runs from Yonezawa Station in Yamagata Prefecture to Sakamachi Station in Niigata Prefecture...
: ChūgunChugun Stationis a JR East railway station located in Kawanishi, Yamagata Prefecture, Japan.-Adjacent stations:...
- Uzen-KomatsuUzen-Komatsu Stationis a JR East railway station located in Kawanishi, Yamagata Prefecture, Japan. Kan'i itaku station.-Surrounding area:* Route 287* Kawanishi Dariyaen川西ダリヤ園 * Kawanishi-machi Friendly Plaza-Adjacent stations:...
- InukawaInukawa Stationis a JR East railway station located in Kawanishi, Yamagata Prefecture, Japan.-Adjacent stations:...
- Yonesaka Line
- Yamagata Railway
- Flower Nagai LineFlower Nagai LineThe is a Japanese railway line in Yamagata Prefecture, Japan. It runs from Akayu Station in Nanyō to Arato Station in Shirataka.The Flower Nagai Line is the only line operated by the third sector , which took over the former JR East line in 1988....
: Nishi-ŌtsukaNishi-Otsuka Stationis a Yamagata Railway Company railway station located in Kawanishi, Yamagata Prefecture, Japan.-Adjacent stations:...
- Flower Nagai Line
Film Locations
- Warabi no kōWarabi no kōis a 2003 Japanese film directed by Hideo Onchi.-Awards and nominations:28th Hochi Film Award* Won: Best Director - Hideo Onchi...
(2003) - Swing GirlsSwing Girlsis a 2004 comedy film co-written and directed by the Japanese filmmaker Shinobu Yaguchi about the efforts of a group of high school girls to form a jazz band....
(2004)- The competition scene filmed particularly at the town's library and Theater complex called Kawanishi-machi Friendly Plaza.
Notable People from Kawanishi
- Hisashi Inoue井上ひさし -a leading Japanese playwrightPlaywrightA playwright, also called a dramatist, is a person who writes plays.The term is not a variant spelling of "playwrite", but something quite distinct: the word wright is an archaic English term for a craftsman or builder...
and writer of comic fiction. - Zenshu Sagae寒河江 善秋 -a Japanese social activist and writer.