Inakadate 田舎館村 |
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Village | |||
Inakadate Village Hall
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Location of Inakadate in Aomori Prefecture |
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Coordinates: 40°38′13″N 140°32′49″E / 40.63694°N 140.54694°ECoordinates: 40°38′13″N 140°32′49″E / 40.63694°N 140.54694°E | |||
Country | Japan | ||
Region | Tōhoku | ||
Prefecture | Aomori Prefecture | ||
District | Minamitsugaru | ||
Area | |||
• Total | 22.31 km2 (8.61 sq mi) | ||
Population (April 2012) | |||
• Total | 8,078 | ||
• Density | 362/km2 (940/sq mi) | ||
Time zone | Japan Standard Time (UTC+9) | ||
Phone number | 0172-58-2111 | ||
Address | 1 Nakatsuji, Inakadate-mura, Minamitsugaru-gun, Aomori-ken 038-1113 | ||
Website | www |
Inakadate (田舎館村 Inakadate-mura?) is a village in Minamitsugaru District in Aomori Prefecture in the Tōhoku region of Japan. As of April 2012, the village has an estimated population of 8,078 and a population density of 362 persons per km². Its total area was 22.31 km².
Inakadate occupies the flatlands within central Aomori. The village has a cold maritime climate characterized by cool short summers and long cold winters with heavy snowfall.
During the Edo period, the area around Inakadate was controlled by the Tsugaru clan of Hirosaki Domain. After the Meiji Restoration, it became part of Minamitsugaru District. On April 1, 1889, Inakadate was proclaimed as a village. On April 1, 1955, it annexed neighboring Kodaji Village, but lost a portion of its territory to Onoe Town on October 1, 1956.
In 1993, as part of a revitalization effort, Inakadate began creating rice paddy art, murals of art using rice paddy fields.
The people were looking for a way to revitalize their village. Archaeology showed that rice had been grown in the area for more than 2000 years. To honor this history, the villagers started a rice field behind the town hall. The villagers cultivated and used four different types of heirloom and modern strains of rice to create a giant picture in the field. To allow viewing of the whole picture, a mock castle tower 22 meters high was erected at the village office. In 2006, more than 200,000 people visited the village to see the art.
The economy of Inakadate is heavily dependent on agriculture, notably rice and horticulture.