Mizusawa, Iwate
Encyclopedia
Mizusawa was a city
located in Iwate Prefecture
, Japan
.
As of 2003, the city had an estimated population
of 60,979 and a population density
of 629.17 persons per km². The total area was 96.92 km².
The city was founded on April 1, 1954.
Mizusawa is home to one of the six International Latitude Observatories
. The observatories were close to the parallel of 39 degrees 8 minutes north latitude. They worked together to study the Earth's "wobble" using stars selected by Dr. Kimura
, the astronomer in charge of the Mizusawa station. Twelve groups of stars that had six pairs of stars each were chosen. Two groups of stars were observed at each station following a schedule of dates, time, and duration prepared by Kimura.
, the towns of Maesawa
and Isawa
, and the village of Koromogawa
, all from Isawa District
, to form the new city of Ōshū
.
There are four public and one private senior high schools: Mizusawa Koko (水沢高校) is an academic school and as such aims for its students to move on into further education. Mizusawa Shogyo Koko (水沢商業高校) is a commercial high school whose primary focus is on practical business and IT skills. Mizusawa Nogyou Koko (水沢農業高校) is an agricultural high school while Mizusawa Kogyo (水沢工業高校) is an industrial high school.
As with the majority of Japan schools are publicly run. In Iwate there is one private school in Morioka, Shirauri Gakkuen (nursery school to high school).
For more information, see Education in Japan
and Jet Programme in Mizusawa.
, a 30-minute train ride from Mizusawa. Hanamaki Airport only operates domestic flights. For international flights the nearest airport is Sendai Airport
in Miyagi Prefecture. It takes roughly two hours by bus to reach Sendai or 49 minutes by Shinkansen.
is on the main JR line in Iwate, conveniently linking Mizusawa to other cities:
(Shinkansen
) station is between Mizusawa and Esashi. The Shinkansen is a quick, if expensive, link to major cities throughout Japan.
To reach the station without a car can be difficult. One way to is to travel to a nearby combined Shinkansen/JR line station using the JR line from Mizusawa Station. The nearest combined stations are Ichinoseki (going south) and Kitakami (going north). Otherwise, a taxi costs roughly 2,000 yen.
There is also a bus route to Sendai and Tokyo.
All buses stop at the front of Mizusawa station with the exception of the Sendai bus, which stops behind the station.
Cycling is not recommended during winter as the amount of ice and snow makes it rather dangerous.
Estimates of times to reach parts of Oushu:
Mizusawa Matsuri, August 8-9: Obon festival. One can take part in this festival with Aspia International Center.
Sominsai Festival, February 13-14: This is one of the more unique and quirky festivals in Iwate and maybe even Japan. It consists of men wearing only fundoshi
and tabi
walking around the grounds of the Kuroishi-Ji shrine, which includes dunking themselves into an ice cold river. Like many hadaka matsuri
, the festival takes place in the dead of winter and goes on for most of the night, climaxing at seven in the morning, when the participants fight for a lucky bag.
Cities of Japan
||A is a local administrative unit in Japan. Cities are ranked on the same level as and , with the difference that they are not a component of...
located in Iwate Prefecture
Iwate Prefecture
is the second largest prefecture of Japan after Hokkaido. It is located in the Tōhoku region of Honshū island and contains the island's easternmost point. The capital is Morioka. Iwate has the lowest population density of any prefecture outside Hokkaido...
, 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...
.
As of 2003, the city had 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 60,979 and a population 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 629.17 persons per km². The total area was 96.92 km².
The city was founded on April 1, 1954.
Mizusawa is home to one of the six International Latitude Observatories
International Latitude Observatory
The International Latitude Observatories were a system of six observatories located near the parallel of 39° 08' north latitude. They were used to measure the variation in latitude that occurs as a result of the "wobble" of the Earth on its polar axis.The original six observatories were located...
. The observatories were close to the parallel of 39 degrees 8 minutes north latitude. They worked together to study the Earth's "wobble" using stars selected by Dr. Kimura
Hisashi Kimura
was a Japanese astronomer originally from Kanazawa, Ishikawa.He devoted his career to the study and measurement of variation in latitude, building upon the work of Seth Carlo Chandler, who discovered the Chandler wobble. He was director of the International Latitude Observatory at Mizusawa,...
, the astronomer in charge of the Mizusawa station. Twelve groups of stars that had six pairs of stars each were chosen. Two groups of stars were observed at each station following a schedule of dates, time, and duration prepared by Kimura.
Merger
On February 20, 2006 Mizusawa was merged with the city of EsashiEsashi, Iwate
Esashi was a city located in Iwate Prefecture, Japan.The city was founded on November 3, 1958.On February 20, 2006 Esashi was merged with the city of Mizusawa, the towns of Maesawa and Isawa, and the village of Koromogawa, all from Isawa District, to form the new city of Ōshū...
, the towns of Maesawa
Maesawa, Iwate
was a town located in Isawa District, Iwate, Japan.As of 2003, the town had an estimated population of 15,215 and a density of 210.33 persons per km²...
and Isawa
Isawa, Iwate
was a town in Isawa District, Iwate, Japan.On February 20, 2006 Isawa was merged with the cities of Esashi and Mizusawa, the town of Maesawa, and the village of Koromogawa, all from Isawa District, to form the new city of Ōshū....
, and the village of Koromogawa
Koromogawa, Iwate
Koromogawa was a village located in Isawa District, Iwate, Japan.On February 20, 2006 Koromogawa was merged with the cities of Esashi and Mizusawa, and the towns of Maesawa and Isawa, all from Isawa District, to form the new city of Ōshū.As of 2003, the village had an estimated population of 5,049...
, all from Isawa District
Isawa District, Iwate
is a district located in Iwate Prefecture, Japan.As of October 31, 2006, the district has an estimated population of 16,433 and a density of 91 persons per km²...
, to form the new city of Ōshū
Oshu, Iwate
is the second largest city in Iwate Prefecture, Japan with a population of 127,804.The city was founded on February 20, 2006, as the result of a merger between the cities of Esashi and Mizusawa, the towns of Maesawa and Isawa and the village of Koromogawa from Isawa District...
.
Schools
In Mizusawa Ward there are eight elementary schools and three junior high schools. All elementary and junior high schools in Mizusawa are public schools.There are four public and one private senior high schools: Mizusawa Koko (水沢高校) is an academic school and as such aims for its students to move on into further education. Mizusawa Shogyo Koko (水沢商業高校) is a commercial high school whose primary focus is on practical business and IT skills. Mizusawa Nogyou Koko (水沢農業高校) is an agricultural high school while Mizusawa Kogyo (水沢工業高校) is an industrial high school.
As with the majority of Japan schools are publicly run. In Iwate there is one private school in Morioka, Shirauri Gakkuen (nursery school to high school).
For more information, see Education in Japan
Education in Japan
In Japan, education is compulsory at the elementary and lower secondary levels. Approximately 98% of all students progress to the upper secondary level, which is voluntary . Most students attend public schools through the lower secondary level, but private education is popular at the upper...
and Jet Programme in Mizusawa.
Airport
The nearest airport to Mizusawa is Hanamaki AirportHanamaki Airport
or Iwate-Hanamaki Airport is an airport located north northeast of Hanamaki, a city in the Iwate Prefecture of Japan. On 4th April, 2009, a new terminal building was opened on the opposite side of the runway, replacing the now-defunct old terminal building that is situated next to Route 4...
, a 30-minute train ride from Mizusawa. Hanamaki Airport only operates domestic flights. For international flights the nearest airport is Sendai Airport
Sendai Airport
is an airport located in Natori, Miyagi, south southeast of Sendai Station, Sendai, Japan.-History:In 1940, the Imperial Japanese Army built Sendai Airport in order to use it for the Kumakaya Army Flight School, Masda Branch School Trainee Training Center. It was called by several names: Natory...
in Miyagi Prefecture. It takes roughly two hours by bus to reach Sendai or 49 minutes by Shinkansen.
Train
Mizusawa StationMizusawa Station
is a railway station on the JR East Tōhoku Main Line. It is located in Ōshū, Iwate, Japan. Its nambu furin are one of the 100 Soundscapes of Japan.- Station structure :The ground-level station has two platforms with three tracks....
is on the main JR line in Iwate, conveniently linking Mizusawa to other cities:
- Morioka: 1 hour 10 minutes, 1,110 yen
- Hanamaki: 30 minutes, 480 yen
- Kitakami: 20 minutes, 320 yen
- Ichinoseki: 23 minutes, 400 yen
Shinkansen (Bullet train)
Mizusawa-Esashi StationMizusawa-Esashi Station
is a railway station on the JR East Tōhoku Shinkansen. It is located in Ōshū, Iwate, Japan.-Station structure:The station has two platforms serving two tracks....
(Shinkansen
Shinkansen
The , also known as THE BULLET TRAIN, is a network of high-speed railway lines in Japan operated by four Japan Railways Group companies. Starting with the Tōkaidō Shinkansen in 1964, the network has expanded to currently consist of of lines with maximum speeds of , of Mini-shinkansen with a...
) station is between Mizusawa and Esashi. The Shinkansen is a quick, if expensive, link to major cities throughout Japan.
- Morioka: 29 minutes
- Sendai: 49 minutes
- Tokyo: 2 hours 56 minutes
To reach the station without a car can be difficult. One way to is to travel to a nearby combined Shinkansen/JR line station using the JR line from Mizusawa Station. The nearest combined stations are Ichinoseki (going south) and Kitakami (going north). Otherwise, a taxi costs roughly 2,000 yen.
Bus
There is a local JR bus service operating in Mizusawa. Buses also link Mizusawa to Esashi, Isawa and Measawa. These routes can be surprisingly expensive when considering the relatively small distance however. To reach Isawa, Esashi or Measawa will cost around 400 yen.There is also a bus route to Sendai and Tokyo.
- Sendai: 2 hours, 1,800 yen (buy tickets on the bus)
- Tokyo: 7 hours 30 minutes (night bus), 7,900 yen (buy tickets in advance)
All buses stop at the front of Mizusawa station with the exception of the Sendai bus, which stops behind the station.
Cycling
Cycling is a convenient and cheap way to travel in Mizusawa. Travel to other parts of Oushu will give you a good workout.Cycling is not recommended during winter as the amount of ice and snow makes it rather dangerous.
Estimates of times to reach parts of Oushu:
- Central Isawa: 30–40 minutes
- Esashi: 25–30 minutes
- Maesawa: 30 minutes
Walking
Mizusawa is a compact city and the majority of shops and restaurants can be reached on foot.Festivals
Hibuse Matsuri, April 29-30: The festival consists of elementary school girls dressed in traditional kimonos. They are carried around the city on floats while playing traditional Japanese music. The festival is held to drive away evil spirits from Mizusawa; this originated after a great fire which destroyed most of the city. Also, there are groups dancing throughout the day and night.Mizusawa Matsuri, August 8-9: Obon festival. One can take part in this festival with Aspia International Center.
Sominsai Festival, February 13-14: This is one of the more unique and quirky festivals in Iwate and maybe even Japan. It consists of men wearing only fundoshi
Fundoshi
is the traditional Japanese undergarment for adult males, made from a length of cotton. Before World War II, the fundoshi was the main form of underwear for Japanese adult males...
and tabi
Tabi
are traditional Japanese socks. Ankle-high and with a separation between the big toe and other toes, they are worn by both men and women with zori, geta, and other traditional thonged footwear. Tabi are also essential with traditional clothing—kimono and other wafuku as well as being worn by...
walking around the grounds of the Kuroishi-Ji shrine, which includes dunking themselves into an ice cold river. Like many hadaka matsuri
Hadaka Matsuri
A is a type of Japanese festival, or matsuri, in which participants wear a minimum amount of clothing; usually just a Japanese loincloth , sometimes with a short happi coat, and rarely completely naked. Whatever the clothing, it is considered to be above vulgar, or everyday, undergarments, and on...
, the festival takes place in the dead of winter and goes on for most of the night, climaxing at seven in the morning, when the participants fight for a lucky bag.