Shōwa, Yamanashi

Shōwa 昭和町
—  Town  —
Location of Shōwa in Yamanashi
Shōwa
Coordinates: 35°38′N 138°32′E
Country	Japan
Region	Chubu
Prefecture	Yamanashi
District	Nakakoma
Area
• Total	9.15 km2 (3.53 sq mi)
Population (2003)
• Total	16,742
• Density	1,800/km2 (4,700/sq mi)
Time zone	Japan Standard Time (UTC+9)
Website	Town of Shōwa

Shōwa (昭和町, Shōwa-chō) is a town located in Nakakoma District, Yamanashi, Japan.

Geography

It is located on the southwestern side of Kōfu the prefectural capital. Route 20 marks the boundary with Kōfu. Shōwa-dōri is the main road that runs through the middle of Shōwa, despite being called Shōwa Bypass by residents of the town. It is paralleled by the Ichikawadaimonsen running through the south-eastern part of the town. It is surrounded by Kōfu, Kai, Minami-Alps and Chūō. The Chūō Expressway also cuts over Shōwa running from north to south.

Localities

Shōwa is made up of several smaller areas:

• Saijo
• Saijo-Shinden
• Shimizu-Arai
• Oshikoshi
• Kamisuki-Awara
• Kato-Nakajima
• Kasai
• Ikkui
• Tsujiarai

Population

As of 2003, the town has an estimated population of 16,742 and a density of 1,829.73 persons per km². The total area is 9.15 km². It has a high population of non-Japanese residents and a very active international association.^{[citation needed]}

Facilities

Showa contains 5 schools. Three Elementary Schools; Joei, Oshihara and Saijo; one Junior High School; Oshihara and Showa High School. The local town office promotes life long learning in its adult night classes and classes for pensioners. These include Japanese language for foreign residents. The Leisure Centre contains a gym and swimming pool (unheated). It is closed on Mondays.

Culture

Granpark is the name of the popular life shopping square (closed on Wednesdays) Though it is also used to refer to the 10 pin bowling alley within its complex as well as Granpark 8 which is in a separate building about 100m away from Granpark being the local cinema. Technically it’s on the edge of Kofu, located on the intersection of Route 20 (R20) and Showa-dori. The complex is besides a 2 story Chinese restaurant. It also holds a large 100 yen store. Opposite it is a Royal Host restaurant which focuses mainly on steak.

External links

Media related to Shōwa, Yamanashi at Wikimedia Commons

• Shōwa official website (Japanese)