Zama, Kanagawa
Encyclopedia
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 central Kanagawa Prefecture
Kanagawa Prefecture
is a prefecture located in the southern Kantō region of Japan. The capital is Yokohama. Kanagawa is part of the Greater Tokyo Area.-History:The prefecture has some archaeological sites going back to the Jōmon period...
, 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 city is also home to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
' Camp Zama
Camp Zama
is a United States Army post located in the cities of Zama and Sagamihara, in Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan, about southwest of Tokyo.Camp Zama is home to the U.S. Army Japan /I Corps , the U.S. Army Japan Aviation Detachment "Ninjas" , the 500th Military Intelligence Brigade, the Japan Engineer...
Army base. As of 128,989, 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 128,989 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 7,320 persons per km². The total area was 17.58 km².
Geography
Located in central Kanagawa prefectureKanagawa Prefecture
is a prefecture located in the southern Kantō region of Japan. The capital is Yokohama. Kanagawa is part of the Greater Tokyo Area.-History:The prefecture has some archaeological sites going back to the Jōmon period...
, the city is mostly flat, although some parts are hilly. The Sagami River
Sagami River
The is a river in Kanagawa and Yamanashi Prefectures on the island of Honshū, Japan.The upper reaches of the river in Yamanashi prefecture are also sometimes known as the , and the portion near the river mouth as the...
, Mekushiri River, and the Hato River flow through Zama. The city is well known for its drinking water, which is cold in the summer and warm in the winter.
Surrounding municipalities
- SagamiharaSagamihara, Kanagawais a city located in north central Kanagawa Prefecture, bordering Tokyo, Japan. It is the third most populous city in the prefecture, after Yokohama and Kawasaki, and the fifth most populous suburb of Greater Tokyo. Its northern neighbor is Machida, with which a cross-prefectural merger has been...
- AtsugiAtsugi, Kanagawais a city located in central Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan. As of 2010, the city has an estimated population of 225,622 and a population density of 2,410 persons per km². The total area was 93.83 km²...
- YamatoYamato, Kanagawais a city located in central Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan. As of 2010, the city had an estimated population of 225,866 and a density of 8,320 persons per km². The total area was 27.06 km².-Surrounding municipalities:*Zama*Fujisawa*Ebina*Sagamihara*Ayase...
- EbinaEbina, Kanagawais a city located in central Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan. As of 2010, the town has an estimated population of 127,062 and a density of 4,800 persons per km². The total area is 26.48 km².-Geography:...
History
The area around Zama has been settled since prehistoric times, and Jomon periodJomon period
The is the time in Japanese prehistory from about 14,000 BC to 300 BC.The term jōmon means "cord-patterned" in Japanese. This refers to the pottery style characteristic of the Jōmon culture, and which has markings made using sticks with cords wrapped around them...
remains have been found. The hamlet of "Izama" was a post station
Shukuba
were post stations during the Edo period in Japan, generally located on one of the Edo Five Routes or one of its sub-routes. They were also called shukueki . These post stations were places where travelers could rest on their journey around the nation...
on the ancient Tōkaidō
Tokaido (road)
The ' was the most important of the Five Routes of the Edo period, connecting Edo to Kyoto in Japan. Unlike the inland and less heavily travelled Nakasendō, the Tōkaidō travelled along the sea coast of eastern Honshū, hence the route's name....
road connecting Kyoto
Kyoto
is a city in the central part of the island of Honshū, Japan. It has a population close to 1.5 million. Formerly the imperial capital of Japan, it is now the capital of Kyoto Prefecture, as well as a major part of the Osaka-Kobe-Kyoto metropolitan area.-History:...
with the provinces in the Kantō region
Kanto region
The is a geographical area of Honshu, the largest island of Japan. The region includes the Greater Tokyo Area and encompasses seven prefectures: Gunma, Tochigi, Ibaraki, Saitama, Tokyo, Chiba, and Kanagawa. Within its boundaries, slightly more than 40 percent of the land area is the Kantō Plain....
, and the area was part of the tenryō territory within Sagami Province
Sagami Province
was an old province in the area that is today the central and western Kanagawa prefecture. It was sometimes called . Sagami bordered on Izu, Musashi, Suruga provinces; and had access to the Pacific Ocean through Sagami Bay...
during the Edo period
Edo period
The , or , is a division of Japanese history which was ruled by the shoguns of the Tokugawa family, running from 1603 to 1868. The political entity of this period was the Tokugawa shogunate....
administered directly by the Tokugawa shogunate
Tokugawa shogunate
The Tokugawa shogunate, also known as the and the , was a feudal regime of Japan established by Tokugawa Ieyasu and ruled by the shoguns of the Tokugawa family. This period is known as the Edo period and gets its name from the capital city, Edo, which is now called Tokyo, after the name was...
through a number of hatamoto
Hatamoto
A was a samurai in the direct service of the Tokugawa shogunate of feudal Japan. While all three of the shogunates in Japanese history had official retainers, in the two preceding ones, they were referred to as gokenin. However, in the Edo period, hatamoto were the upper vassals of the Tokugawa...
-class administrators. During the cadastral reforms after the Meiji Restoration
Meiji Restoration
The , also known as the Meiji Ishin, Revolution, Reform or Renewal, was a chain of events that restored imperial rule to Japan in 1868...
in 1889, the area of present-day Zama consisted of five villages in Kōza District
Koza District, Kanagawa
is an administrative district of Japan located in central Kanagawa Prefecture. It currently consists of only one town, Samukawa.- History :Kōza District was one of the ancient subdivisions of Sagami Province, extending from Sagami Bay north to the border of Musashi Province between the Sagami River...
, Kanagawa Prefecture.
The area remained very rural until the coming of the Odakyu Electric Railway
Odakyu Electric Railway
, or OER, is a major railway company based in Tokyo, Japan best known for its Romancecar series of limited express trains from Tokyo to Odawara, Enoshima, Tama New Town, and Hakone....
in 1927 and the Sagami Railway
Sagami Railway
The , or , is a railway company operating three lines in Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan. It ranks among the "big 15" major railways in Japan.- Overview :Sagami Railway is one of the core companies of the Sotetsu group...
in 1935, which spurred development, but the area was mostly farmland when the Imperial Japanese Army Academy relocated to the Zama area in 1937. The increase in population led Zama village to be promoted to Zama town the same year. However, in 1941, Zama town and surrounding villages were merged into Sagamihara
Sagamihara, Kanagawa
is a city located in north central Kanagawa Prefecture, bordering Tokyo, Japan. It is the third most populous city in the prefecture, after Yokohama and Kawasaki, and the fifth most populous suburb of Greater Tokyo. Its northern neighbor is Machida, with which a cross-prefectural merger has been...
. In 1944, the Kōza Naval Arsenal of the Imperial Japanese Navy
Imperial Japanese Navy
The Imperial Japanese Navy was the navy of the Empire of Japan from 1869 until 1947, when it was dissolved following Japan's constitutional renunciation of the use of force as a means of settling international disputes...
was established in the area. It was closed with the end of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, and the Imperial Japanese Army Academy was turned over to the United States Army
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
to become Camp Zama
Camp Zama
is a United States Army post located in the cities of Zama and Sagamihara, in Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan, about southwest of Tokyo.Camp Zama is home to the U.S. Army Japan /I Corps , the U.S. Army Japan Aviation Detachment "Ninjas" , the 500th Military Intelligence Brigade, the Japan Engineer...
.
In September 1948, Zama regained its status as a town independent of Sagamihara. The local economy received a significant boost with the building of a Nissan automobile assembly plant in Zama in 1965. Zama became a city
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...
on November 1, 1971.
Economy
Zama has a mixed economy.- Agriculture: 413 people (0.6%)
- Manufacturing: 18,978 people (29.8%)
- Service: 43,298 people (68.0%)
Rail stations
- Odakyu Odawara Line
- Zama StationZama Stationis a railway station in the city of Zama, Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan, served by the Odawara Line of the Odakyū Electric Railway.The station is 39.2 rail kilometers from the Odawara Line’s terminal at Shinjuku Station.- Station history:...
-Sōbudai-mae StationSobudai-mae Stationis a railway station in the city of Zama, Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan, served by the Odawara Line of the Odakyū Electric Railway.The station is 36.9 rail kilometers from the Odawara Line’s terminal at Shinjuku Station...
- Zama Station
- 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....
- JR Sagami Line- Iriya StationIriya Station (Kanagawa)is a train station in the city of Zama, Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan. It is 18.9 rail kilometers from the terminal station of the Sagami Line, .-History:...
- Iriya Station
Parks and recreation
- Zama Yatoyama Park
- Zama Park
- Himawari Park
- Kanigasawa Park
- Fujiyama Park
- OnsenOnsenAn is a term for hot springs in the Japanese language, though the term is often used to describe the bathing facilities and inns around the hot springs. As a volcanically active country, Japan has thousands of onsen scattered along its length and breadth...
(15 hot springs in the city)
Education
Primary Schools- Zama Elementary School
- Kurihara Elementary School
- Sagamino Elementary School
- Soubudai Higashi Elementary School
- Hibarigaoka Elementary School
- Higashihara Elementary School
- Sagamigaoka Elementary School
- Tatsunodai Elementary School
- Iriya Elementary School
- Asahi Elementary School
- Nakahara Elementary School
Junior High Schools
- Zama Junior High School
- Nishi Junior High School
- Higashi Junior High School
- Kurihara Junior High School
- Sagami Junior High School
- Minami Junior High School
High School
High school
High school is a term used in parts of the English speaking world to describe institutions which provide all or part of secondary education. The term is often incorporated into the name of such institutions....
s
- Zama High School
- Kurihara High School
- Hibarigaoka High School
Noted people from Zama
- Suzuka OhgoSuzuka Ohgois an award-winning Japanese child actress. Besides acting, she is also attending school and has a variety of hobbies including classical ballet, Japanese tea ceremony, ikebana, rollerblading, snowboarding, playing the piano, and skiing. She is represented by CATAMARAN.-Biography:Ohgo began acting...
, actress - Akina MinamiAkina Minamiis a Japanese gravure idol and tarento signed to Free Style Company.-Movies:*Wanna be Free!: Tokyo Girl as amateur model*Chorus-tai: Kanojotachi no Kiseki as Aki*Buraburabanban...
, fashion model, gravure idol, and tarento - Ami SuzukiAmi Suzukiis a female singer, songwriter, actress and DJ from Zama, Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan.Having been discovered at the talent TV show Asayan, Suzuki was one of the most popular female singers as an idol in the late 1990s....
, singersongwriter, actress and dancer - Erina ManoErina Mano, born April 11, 1991 in Kanagawa, Japan is a Japanese pop singer associated with Hello! Project. She joined in 2006 as a member of Hello Pro Egg, as a trainee. In 2007, she became a member of the Hello! Project futsal team Gatas Brilhantes H.P. and its musical group Ongaku Gatas...
, singer - Hideyuki Kakuno, bass guitarist(TUBETube (band)TUBE is a Japanese pop/rock band. This group released most of its songs in April to July earning the phrase, "Summer comes with TUBE". There is an urban legend that Fuyumi Sakamoto who releases her songs only in winter, has never met TUBE or that she makes songs for TUBE and vice versa...
) - Keiichiro KoyamaKeiichiro Koyamais a Japanese musician and member of the Johnny's Entertainment group NEWS.-Biography:Koyama, born in Sagamihara, Kanagawa as the youngest of two children, is the oldest member of NEWS and is often seen as the mother figure of the group...
, musician - Kensaku Maeda, kickboxer
- KoyukiKoyuki, better known as , is a Japanese model and actress.Koyuki was born in Zama. She started her modeling career in 1995 and has since starred in various Japanese dramas, TV and magazine ad campaigns and films. She frequently appears in Japanese print and television campaigns for the electronics...
, model and actress - Kurumi Kojima, futsal player
- Nanako MatsushimaNanako Matsushimais a Japanese actress and model. She is known outside Japan for her role in the horror film Ring. She was also a main character in A Story of Love, where she starred next to Hiroyuki Sanada, who also played Ryuji Takayama in Ring....
, actress and model - Ryoji Matsumoto, drummer(TUBETube (band)TUBE is a Japanese pop/rock band. This group released most of its songs in April to July earning the phrase, "Summer comes with TUBE". There is an urban legend that Fuyumi Sakamoto who releases her songs only in winter, has never met TUBE or that she makes songs for TUBE and vice versa...
) - Saki ShimizuSaki Shimizuis a J-pop singer. Her career began in 2002 when she successfully passed the audition for Hello! Project Kids, an all-female teen pop group within Hello! Project. Since then, she has continued to sing in that group and has become a part of two smaller groups composed of Hello! Project Kids members,...
, singer - Shinobu OhnoShinobu Ohnois a Japanese football player who plays as a forward. Her club team, as of 2011, is INAC Kobe Leonessa.After playing in the U-19 and U-20 teams for a short period, Ohno joined the senior Japanese national team in 2003. Her first major tournament was the 2006 AFC Women's Asian Cup, where Japan...
, female footballer - Tomoko IshimuraTomoko Ishimurais a Japanese voice actress who works for 81 Produce. She was formerly credited as and . She is the only actor to have played the role of Luna in the Sailor Moon musicals .-Notable voice roles:*Mimi in Buttobi CPU*Raichi in Mirmo!...
, voice actress - Yuko Natori, actress