Komoro, Nagano

Komoro (小諸市, Komoro-shi) is a city located in Nagano Prefecture, Japan.

As of May 1, 2011, the city has an estimated population of 44,270 and a population density of 448.71 persons per km². The total area is 98.66 km² (38.09 sq mi).

History

• February 1, 1954 - Komoro absorbed the villages of Kawanabe, Kitaoi and Osato (all from Kitasaku District).
• April 1, 1954 - Komoro was elevated city status after absorbing the villages of Minamioi and Mioka (both from Kitasaku District).
• April 1, 1959 - Parts of the town of Tobu (now part of the city of Tomi) was merged into Komoro and the city has been unchanged since.

Education

High schools

• Komoro-shogyo High School
• Komoro High School

Junior high schools

• Ashihara Junior high school
• Komoro-higashi Junior high school

Sightseeing

• Kaikoen, a park in the center of Komoro containing the foundations of Komoro Castle as well as a museum dedicated to Shimazaki Toson (see below) and a zoo.
• Nunobikki, a temple dating from 1252 located at the top of a ravine. About a 5-minute drive outside of town, walking is possible if you know where to go.
• Mountain hiking in Takamine, close to the active volcano Mt Asama, about a 30-minute drive uphill from Komoro.

Notable residents

• Shimazaki Toson, poet and writer. Toson spent a period teaching in Komoro, and is featured in a dedicated museum located within Komoro's Kaikoen park.
• Sodo Yokoyama, a leaf-flute Zen Master who lived as a hermit in Komoro's Kaikoen Park until 1980. Yokoyama was inspired by an earlier resident of Komoro, the poet and writer Shimazaki Toson. See Arthur Braverman's excellent article for some personal recollections of Yokoyama.
• Tsuchiya, Keiichi, Japanese race car driver & D1 pioneer

International relations

See also: List of twin towns and sister cities in Japan

Twin towns — Sister cities

Komoro is twinned with:

• Nakatsugawa, Gifu, Japan (1973)
• Ōiso, Kanagawa, Japan (1973)
• Namerikawa, Toyama, Japan (1974)

External links

• Komoro City official website Template:Ja icon
• Komoro Tourist Bureau Template:Ja icon