Yugawara

Yugawara

湯河原町
Yugawara 湯河原町
Town
	Yugawara skyline
	Flag Seal
	Location of Yugawara in Kanagawa Prefecture
Country	Japan
Region	Kantō
Prefecture	Kanagawa Prefecture
District	Ashigarashimo
Area
• Total	40.99 km2 (15.83 sq mi)
Population (June 1, 2012)
• Total	26,424
• Density	646/km2 (1,670/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+9 (Japan Standard Time)
Symbols
• Tree	Sakura, camellia
• Flower	Mikan
• Bird	Japanese white-eye
Phone number	0465-63-2111
Address	1-2-1 Chūō, Yugawara-machi, Ashigarashimo-gun, Kanagawa-ken 259-0392
Website	Town of Yugawara HP

Yugawara (湯河原町, Yugawara-machi) is a town located in Ashigarashimo District, Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan. As of June 1, 2012, the town had an estimated population of 26,474 and a population density of 646 persons per km². The total area was 40.99 km².

Geography

Yugawara is located in the far southwestern corner of the prefecture, facing Sagami Bay on the Pacific Ocean.

Surrounding municipalities

Kanagawa Prefecture

Shizuoka Prefecture

History

During the Kamakura period, the area around Yugawara was called "Doi County" in Sagami Province. The area was under control of the late Hōjō clan in the Sengoku period, and part of Odawara Domain during the Edo period. After the Meiji Restoration, it was divided into six villages, and initially formed part of the short-lived Ashigara Prefecture, before becoming part of Ashigarashimo District of Kanagawa Prefecture. In April 1889, four of the six villages merged to form Doi village. The remaining two villages merged to from Yoshihama village. On July 1, 1926, Doi village was elevated to town status, taking the new name of Yugawara. Yoshihama attained town status on April 1, 1940, and merged into Yugawara on April 1, 1955. A planned merger of Yugawara into Odawara in 2005 was rejected by local voters in an August 8, 2004 referendum.

Economy

Yugawara has many onsen hot spring resorts, and tourism plays a major role in the local economy. Agriculture and commercial fishing play secondary roles in the local economy.

Additionally, the region is close to the region of Makuyama (幕山）offering many popular sport rock climbing routes, within easy access from Tokyo.

Demographics

The major part of the local population is elderly, as Yugawara is famous for resorts catering especially to the elderly. The town has three public elementary schools and one public middle school. A prefectural high school was closed in 2008, and high-school students now study in the neighboring city of Odawara. Yugawara offers little night entertainment, though it does have bowling halls, supermarkets, restaurants and pubs. The suburbs of the town provide hotels and apartments for tourists seeking to enjoy hot spring baths, either during vacations or on weekends.