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Chigasaki, Kanagawa

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Chigasaki
茅ヶ崎市
Special city
Chigasaki City
Chigasaki City Hall
Chigasaki City Hall
Flag of Chigasaki
Flag
Official seal of Chigasaki
Seal
Location of Chigasaki in Kanagawa Prefecture
Location of Chigasaki in Kanagawa Prefecture
CountryJapan
RegionKantō
PrefectureKanagawa Prefecture
Area
 • Total35.71 km2 (13.79 sq mi)
Population
 (June 1, 2012)
 • Total236,177
 • Density6,610/km2 (17,100/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+9 (Japan Standard Time)
- TreeAcacia
- FlowerRhododendron
- BirdGreat Tit
Phone number0467-82-1111
Address1-1 Chigasaki 1-chome, Chigasaki-shi, Kanagawa-ken
253-8686
Websitewww.city.chigasaki.kanagawa.jp

Chigasaki (茅ヶ崎市, Chigasaki-shi) is a city located in central, Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan.

As of June 2012, the city has an estimated population of 236,177 and a population density of 6,610 persons per km². The total area is 35.71 km².

Geography

Chigasaki is located on the eastern bank of the Sagami River in south-central Kanagawa Prefecture, facing Sagami Bay on the Pacific Ocean to the south.

Surrounding municipalities

History

The area around Chigasaki has been inhabited since prehistoric times. The area was largely pasture and farmland well into the Edo period. The Tōkaidō connecting Edo with Kyoto passed through what is now Chigasaki, but without a post station. The area was part of the tenryō territory in Sagami Province controlled directly by the Tokugawa Shogunate through the Edo period.

After the start of the Meiji period, the Tōkaidō Main Line railway connected Chigasaki Station with Tokyo and Osaka in 1898, which spurred the development of the area. Chigasaki village in Kōza District, Kanagawa Prefecture became Chigasaki town in 1908. In 1921, the Sagami Line railway connected Chigaskai with Hashimoto to the north. Chigasaki became a city on October 1, 1947.

On April 1, 2003, the population of Chigasaki exceeded 200,000 and it became a special city with increased local autonomy.

Economy

Chigasaki is largely a bedroom community for Tokyo and Yokohama, and has been noted as a seaside resort community since the Meiji period. Tourism and summer leisure activities remain important to the local economy.

Companies headquartered in Chigasaki include:

Transportation

Highway

Railway

Local attractions

Southern Beach Chigasaki

The shoreline from Chigasaki to Kamakura is called the "Shōnan area". A popular swimming destination, Chigasaki is well known as the birthplace of Japanese surfing. A shop called "Goddess," located only about 20 meters from the shoreline, claims to be the first surfboard shop in Japan. Bicycles with metal fittings for holding surfboards are prominent in the area. A section of the beach in Chigasaki is called "Southern Beach," inspired by the Southern All Stars, a famous J-Pop singing group whose lead vocalist Keisuke Kuwata hails from Chigasaki. The symbol of Southern Beach is Eboshi-iwa, a large hat-shaped rock that is visible from the coast.

Southern Beach monument known as "Southern C"

Chigasaki is also famous for being the center of Japanese Hawaiian culture with many tropical and Hawaiian stores located mainly in the southern side of the town. Fridays in Chigasaki was called "Aloha Friday" in which consumers were able to have discounts in many stores and taxis. There are many crows in Chigasaki. They tend to be extremely noisy on garbage collection days. Occasionally they attack people who inadvertently approach too near to nests. Chigasaki is also somewhat famous for "shonan gumo", which is a type of large spider with enormously long legs that runs incredibly fast and is virtually impossible to kill. They are apparently harmless to people, but look real scary.

Noted people from Chigasaki

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Chigasaki, Kanagawa.
  1. ^ Special Box, 2007/Universal Music
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