Chigasaki, Kanagawa

Chigasaki 茅ヶ崎
—  Special city  —
茅ヶ崎市 · Chigasaki City
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Location of Chigasaki in Kanagawa Prefecture
Chigasaki
Coordinates: 35°20′N 139°24′E / 35.333°N 139.4°E / 35.333; 139.4Coordinates: 35°20′N 139°24′E / 35.333°N 139.4°E / 35.333; 139.4
Country	Japan
Region	Kantō
Prefecture	Kanagawa Prefecture
Area
- Total	35.71 km2 (13.8 sq mi)
Population (February 1, 2010)
- Total	234,400
- Density	6,540/km2 (16,938.5/sq mi)
Time zone	Japan Standard Time (UTC+9)
City Symbols
- Tree	Acacia
- Flower	Rhododendron
- Bird	Great Tit
Phone number	0467-82-1111
Address	1-1 Chigasaki 1-chome, Chigasaki-shi, Kanagawa-ken 253-8686
Website	Chigasaki City Hall

Chigasaki (茅ヶ崎市, Chigasaki-shi^?) is a city located in central, Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan. As of 2010, the city had an estimated population of 234,400 and a density of 6,540 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

• Fujisawa
• Hiratsuka
• Samukawa

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:

• Toho Titanium Corporation
• ULVAC
• Miyata Industrial Co Ltd
• Autech Japan Co Ltd

Transportation

Highway

• Route 1, to Tokyo or Kyoto
• Japan National Route 134, to Yokosuka via Kamakura, or Hiratsuka

Railway

• JR East - Tōkaidō Main Line
  • Chigasaki Station
• JR East - Sagami Line
  • Kita-Chigasaki Station
  • Kagawa Station

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.

Noted people from Chigasaki

• Keisuke Kuwata: Southern All Stars lead pop singer
• Soichi Noguchi: JAXA astronaut; NASA STS-114 crew member
• Ailes Gilmour: early pioneer of the American Modern Dance movement
• Isamu Noguchi: sculptor and landscape architect
• Richard Bozulich: author and publisher of books about go
• Kōsuke Toriumi: seiyū
• Hitoshi Doi
• Hagiwara Masato
• Yūzō Kayama
• Moomin: singer

External links

• Official website in Japanese