Semboku, Akita

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Semboku 仙北市
City
Semboku City Hall Kakunodate Office
Flag Seal
Location of Semboku in Akita Prefecture
Semboku
Coordinates: 39°42′06″N 140°43′53.4″E / 39.70167°N 140.731500°E / 39.70167; 140.731500Coordinates: 39°42′06″N 140°43′53.4″E / 39.70167°N 140.731500°E / 39.70167; 140.731500
Country	Japan
Region	Tōhoku
Prefecture	Akita
Area
• Total	1,093.64 km2 (422.26 sq mi)
Population  (December 2019)
• Total	25,857
• Density	24/km2 (61/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+9 (Japan Standard Time)
Phone number	0187-43-1111
Address	30 Miyanoshiro, Obonai, Tazawako, Semboku-shi, Akita-ken 014-1201
Website	Official website

Semboku (仙北市, Semboku-shi) is a city located in Akita Prefecture, Japan. As of 31 December 2019, the city had an estimated population of 25,857 in 10,584 households,^[1] and a population density of 24 persons per km². The total area of the city is 1,093.64 square kilometers (422 sq mi).

Geography[]

Semboku is located in the mountains of central Akita Prefecture, bordering on Iwate Prefecture and the Ōu Mountains on the east. Lake Tazawa, the deepest lake in Japan, is located in the center of the city borders. Parts of the city are within the borders of the Towada-Hachimantai National Park.

Neighboring municipalities[]

• Akita Prefecture
  • Akita
  • Kitaakita
  • Kazuno
  • Daisen
• Iwate Prefecture
  • Hachimantai
  • Shizukuishi
  • Nishiwaga

Demographics[]

Per Japanese census data,^[2] the population of Semboku peaked in the early 1960s, and has since declined to the same level as a century ago.

Historical population

Year	Pop.	±%
1920	29,123	—
1930	32,017	+9.9%
1940	37,453	+17.0%
1950	43,358	+15.8%
1960	43,765	+0.9%
1970	39,216	−10.4%
1980	39,098	−0.3%
1990	36,297	−7.2%
2000	33,565	−7.5%
2010	29,572	−11.9%

Climate[]

Semboku has a Humid continental climate (Köppen climate classification Dfa) with large seasonal temperature differences, with warm to hot (and often humid) summers and cold (sometimes severely cold) winters. Precipitation is significant throughout the year, but is heaviest from August to October. The average annual temperature in Semboku is 9.8 °C. The average annual rainfall is 1539 mm with September as the wettest month. The temperatures are highest on average in August, at around 24.0 °C, and lowest in January, at around -3.2 °C.^[3]

History[]

The area of present-day Semboku was part of ancient Dewa Province. During the Edo period, the area came under the control of the Satake clan, who had been relocated to Kubota Domain from their former holdings in Hitachi Province. After the start of the Meiji period, the area became part of Semboku District, Akita Prefecture in 1878. The town of Kakunodate was established on April 1, 1889 with the establishment of the modern municipalities system.

The city of Semboku was established on March 22, 2005, from the merger of the towns of Kakunodate and Tazawako, and the village of Nishiki (all from Semboku District).

Government[]

Semboku has a mayor-council form of government with a directly elected mayor and a unicameral city legislature of 18 members. The city contributes one member to the Akita Prefectural Assembly. In terms of national politics, the city is part of Akita District 3 of the lower house of the Diet of Japan.

Economy[]

The economy of Semboku is based on agriculture, forestry and seasonal tourism.

Education[]

Semboku has seven public elementary schools and five public middle schools operated by the city government and one public high school operated by the Akita Prefectural Board of Education.

Transportation[]

Railway[]

East Japan Railway Company - Akita Shinkansen

• Tazawako – Kakunodate

East Japan Railway Company - Tazawako Line

• Tazawako - Sashimaki - Jindai - Shōden - Kakunodate

Akita Nairiku Jūkan Railway - Akita Nairiku Line

• Tozawa - Kami-Hinokinai - Sadōri - Ugo-Nakazato - Matsuba - Ugo-Nagatoro - Akita - Saimyoji - Ugo-Ōta - Kakunodate

Highway[]

• National Route 46
• National Route 105
• National Route 341

Local attractions[]

• 

  Buke-yashiki (samurai residences) street, Kakunodate

• 

  Lake Tazawa

• Tamagawa Hot Spring has the highest flow rate of any hot spring in Japan at 150 liters/second, which feeds a 3 meter wide stream with a temperature of 98 degrees C. The water from Tamagawa Hot Spring is also very acidic.^{[citation needed]}
• Towada-Hachimantai National Park
• Lake Tazawa – the deepest lake in Japan
• Ōfuka Onsen
• Kakunodate samurai residences

International relations[]

Twin towns — Sister cities[]

Semboku is twinned with:

• Ōmura, Nagasaki, Japan, since July 18, 1979
• Sanuki, Kagawa, Japan, since September 28, 1996
• Shinjō, Yamagata, Japan, since July 27, 1996
• Takahagi, Ibaraki, Japan, since July 27, 1996
• Hitachiōta, Ibaraki, Japan, since November 21, 1998

Noted people from Semboku[]

• Ayako Fuji, musician
• Norihisa Satake, politician
• Shigehiro Taguchi, basketball player
• Yasuhiko Takahashi, wheel gymnastics acrobat

References[]

External links[]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Semboku, Akita.

• Official Website (in Japanese)
• Semboku Sightseeing Info Website