Arai, Shizuoka

Arai 新居町
Former municipality
Flag Emblem
Location of Arai in Shizuoka Prefecture
Arai Location in Japan
Coordinates: 34°41′N 137°34′E
Country	Japan
Region	Chūbu (Tōkai)
Prefecture	Shizuoka Prefecture
District	Hamana
Merged	March 23, 2010 (now part of Kosai)
Area
• Total	18.65 km2 (7.20 sq mi)
Population  (March 31, 2010)
• Total	16,975
• Density	910/km2 (2,400/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+09:00 (JST)
Symbols
Bird	Barn swallow
Flower	Azalea
Tree	Japanese black pine

Arai (新居町, Arai-chō) was a town located in Hamana District, Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan.

As of March 31, 2010, the town had an estimated population of 16,975 and a population density of 910 persons per km². The total area was 18.65 km².

On March 23, 2010, Arai was merged into the expanded city of Kosai and thus no longer exists as an independent municipality. Hamana District was dissolved as a result of this merger.

Geography

Arai was located at the southwest end of Shizuoka Prefecture, with part of Lake Hamana located within the town boundaries. The town was on the Enshu Sea of the Pacific Ocean, with a temperate maritime climate with hot, humid summers and mild, cool winters.

History

Arai was located in former Tōtōmi Province, and was largely tenryō territory under direct control of the Tokugawa shogunate in the Edo period, when it was called Arai-juku, and prospered as a post town on the Tōkaidō highway connecting Edo with Kyoto. During the cadastral reform of the early Meiji period in 1889, the area was reorganized into Arai Town within Fuchi District, Shizuoka Prefecture. Fuchi District was merged into Hamana District in 1896.

Economy

The economy of Arai was largely based on commercial fishing, edible seaweed cultivation, and fireworks production.

Transportation

Highway

• Japan National Route 1
• Japan National Route 42
• Route 301 (Japan)

Rail

• JR Central – Tōkaidō Main Line
  • Araimachi

External links

Media related to Arai, Shizuoka at Wikimedia Commons