Kikugawa

Kikugawa

菊川市
Kikugawa 菊川市
City
	Kikugawa City Hall
	Flag Seal
	Location of Kikugawa in Shizuoka Prefecture
Country	Japan
Region	Chūbu (Tōkai)
Prefecture	Shizuoka Prefecture
Government
• Mayor	Junichi Ota (since January 2005, and former Kikugawa leader since January 1997)
Area
• Total	94.24 km2 (36.39 sq mi)
Population (June 2012)
• Total	46,881
• Density	497/km2 (1,290/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+9 (Japan Standard Time)
Symbols
• Tree	Camellia sinensis
• Flower	Chrysanthemum
• Bird	Grey wagtail
Phone number	0537-35-2111
Address	Horinouchi-61, Kikugawa-shi, Shizuoka-ken; 439-8650
Website	www.city.kikugawa.shizuoka.jp

Kikugawa (菊川市, Kikugawa-shi) is a city located in the western portion of Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan. The city is known for production of green tea. The city's slogan is "Green for the Next Generation".

As of June 2012, the city has an estimated population of 46,881 and a population density of 497 persons per km². The total area is 94.24 km².

Geography

Kikugawa is situated on the Makinohara Plateau of east-central Shizuoka. The area enjoys a warm maritime climate with hot, humid summers and mild, cool winters, and is subject to frequent fogs.

Surrounding Municipalities

History

In the cadastral reform of the early Meiji period on April 1, 1889, the area around modern Kikugawa was consolidated into eleven villages within Kitō District, Shizuoka Prefecture from 38 hamlets within former Tōtōmi Province. Kikugawa Station on the Tōkaidō Main Line train between Shizuoka and Hamamatsu opened on April 16, 1889 leaving to an influx of population and development. Kitō District merged with neighboring Sano District to form Ogasa District, Shizuoka in 1896. Through the Taishō and Shōwa periods, Kikugawa developed as a center of green tea production and the tea trade. Kikugawa Town was created on January 1, 1954 through the merger of former Horinouchi Town with four surrounding villages.

The modern city of Kikugawa was established on January 17, 2005, from the merger of the former town of Kikugawa, absorbing the town of Ogasa (both from Ogasa District).

Economy

The economy of Kikugawa is primarily agricultural, with major crops including green tea, lettuce, blueberries, cantelope and aloe. Light industries include agricultural equipment manufacturing and automobile components manufacturing.