Gotemba, Shizuoka

Gotemba (御殿場市, Gotenba-shi, sometimes Gotenba), is a city on the southeastern flank of Mt. Fuji in Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan.

As of April 2015, the city has an estimated population of 88,976 and a population density of 457 persons per km². The total area was 194.63 km².

Gotemba is notable for its Peace Pagoda, built in 1964 by Nipponzan Myohoji.

Geography

Located in far eastern Shizuoka Prefecture at an altitude of 250â€"600 metres (820â€"1,970 ft), Gotemba has a cool climate, characterized by high rainfall (average 3,433 millimetres [135.2 in] per year).

Surrounding municipalities

• Shizuoka Prefecture
  • Oyama
  • Susono
  • Fujinomiya
  • Fuji
• Kanagawa Prefecture
  • Hakone

Climate

History

Gotemba was the site of a shōen belonging to Ise Shrine in the Heian period. During the Edo period the area was part of Odawara Domain. After the start of the Meiji period, it became part of Shizuoka Domain until the abolition of the han system in 1871 and the establishment of Shizuoka Prefecture. The opening of Gotemba Station on what was then the Tōkaidō Main Line on February 1, 1889 spurred development of the area. In the cadastral reform of April 1, 1889 Gotemba Town was created within Suntō District, along with Fujioka Village, Harasato Village, Ino Village, Tamaho Village, and Takane Village.

However, the opening of the Tanna Tunnel on December 1, 1934 resulted in the route of Tōkaidō Main Line shifting south to Atami, leaving Gotemba on the spur Gotemba Line, which resulted in temporary depopulation. During the pre-war era, Gotemba was a major base area for the Imperial Japanese Army, and still houses military facilities and a large training area for the modern Japanese Ground Self-Defense Force and the United States Marine Corps.

Gotemba was elevated to city status on February 11, 1955 through the merger of Gotemba Town with neighboring Fujioka Village, Harasato Village, Ino Village, and Tamaho Village. The city expanded through annexation of Takane Village on January 1, 1956 and the Furusawa District of Oyama Town on September 1, 1957. The Gotemba Interchange on the Tōmei Expressway was completed on May 25, 1969.

Economy

Gotemba has a mixed economy. Agriculture has traditionally been dominated by rice, irrigated by water from Mount Fuji, and has been supplemented by the growing of various green vegetables and the raising of pigs. Development of light industries, especially in food processing and electronics has profited through Gotemba's location on the Tōmei Expressway, and Gotemba is noted for a number of golf courses and a spacious outlet shopping center.

Gotemba Premium Outlets Shopping mall

Retailing company Chelsea Japan rented former Gotemba Family Land Amusement Park, and officially opened on July 2000, as Gotemba Premium Outlets.

Transportation

Highways

• Tōmei Expressway
• National Route 138
• National Route 246
• National Route 469

Railways

• JR Central - Gotemba Line
  • Gotemba â€" Minami-Gotemba - Fujioka

Sister cities

• - Chambersburg, Pennsylvania, United States (since August 22, 1960)
• - Beaverton, Oregon, United States (since October 22, 1987)

Notable people from Gotemba

• Kenyu Horiuchi, voice actor

References

External links

Media related to Gotemba, Shizuoka at Wikimedia Commons

• Gotemba City official website
• Mount Fuji Gotemba Trail