Takanezawa, Tochigi


Takanezawa is a town located in Tochigi Prefecture, Japan. As of May 2015, the town had an estimated population of 29,541, and a population density of 417 persons per km². Its total area is 70.87 km².

Geography

Takanezawa is located in the flatlands of east-central Tochigi Prefecture with an average elevation of 109-195 meters. Over 65% of the town area is agricultural.

Surrounding municipalities

Akutsu village, Kitatakanezawa village, and Niita village were created within Shioya District of Tochigi Prefecture on April 1, 1889 with the creation of the municipalities system after the Meiji Restoration. In April 1953 Akutsu village was elevated in status into Akutsu town. On March 31, 1954, Niita village was dissolved, with a portion merging with Kitatakanezawa village, and a portion going to Ujie Town. Akutsu and Kitatakanezawa merged on April 1, 1958 to create the town of Takanezawa.
Takanezawa was once home of the plant that hand-crafted the 1990-2004 model year Honda NSX, 1999-2003 model year S2000, 2000-2004 model year Insight, and Honda FCX Clarity fuel cell vehicle. Honda originally created this plant to exclusively build its flagship car, the NSX, but added the S2000 and Insight to the production line-up at the beginning of the 21st century to maximize production output necessitated by NSX's waning sales.

Economy

The economy of Takanezawa is heavily dependent on agriculture, with rice cultivation as the primary crop. Secondary crops include tobacco, wheat, strawberries and pears.

Education

Takanezawa has six primary schools, two middle schools and one high school.

Transportation

Railway