Atsugi 厚木市 | |
|---|---|
 Atsugi City Hall | |
 Flag  Seal | |
 Location of Atsugi in Kanagawa Prefecture | |
  Atsugi | |
| Coordinates:35°26′00″N139°22′00″E / 35.43333°N 139.36667°E /35.43333; 139.36667 | |
| Country | Japan |
| Region | Kantō |
| Prefecture | Kanagawa |
| Town Settled | April 1, 1889 |
| City Settled | February 1, 1955 |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | Takahiro Yamaguchi (from February 2023) |
| Area | |
• Total | 93.83 km2 (36.23 sq mi) |
| Population (June 1, 2021) | |
• Total | 223,960 |
| • Density | 2,387/km2 (6,182/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC+9 (Japan Standard Time) |
| – Tree | Maple |
| – Flower | Rhododendron indicum |
| Phone number | 046-223-1511 |
| Address | 3-17-17 Nakacho, Atsugi-shi, Kanagawa-ken 243-8511 |
| Website | Official website |
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Atsugi (厚木市,Atsugi-shi) is acity inKanagawa Prefecture,Japan. As of 1 June 2021[update], the city had an estimatedpopulation of 223,960 and apopulation density of 2400 persons per km2.[1] The total area of the city is 93.83 square kilometres (36.23 sq mi). While the name "Atsugi" is often associated with theUnited States Navy base namedNaval Air Facility Atsugi, the base is actually not in Atsugi, but straddles the border between the nearby cities ofAyase andYamato.
Atsugi is located in the hilly center of Kanagawa Prefecture, approximately 45 kilometres (28 mi) from centralTokyo or 30 kilometres (19 mi) from centralYokohama. It is located at the northern end of the Sagami Plain created by theSagami River, which originates fromLake Yamanaka, and straddles theTanzawa Mountains in the west and the plain on the west bank of the Sagami River to the southeast. The Nakatsu River and Koayu River, which originate from the Higashitanzawa Mountains, join the Sagami River, which forms the border with Ebina, Zama, and Sagamihara. Parts of the western portion of the city are within theTanzawa-Ōyama Quasi-National Park and includeMount Ōyama.
Kanagawa Prefecture
Atsugi has ahumid subtropical climate (KöppenCfa) characterized by warm summers and cool winters with light to no snowfall. The average annual temperature in Atsugi is 13.4 °C. The average annual rainfall is 1906 mm with September as the wettest month. The temperatures are highest on average in August, at around 24.5 °C, and lowest in January, at around 2.3 °C.[2]
Per Japanese census data,[3] the population of Atsugi grew rapidly during the late 20th century and has plateaued in the 21st.
| Year | Pop. | ±% |
|---|---|---|
| 1920 | 28,786 | — |
| 1930 | 30,680 | +6.6% |
| 1940 | 32,981 | +7.5% |
| 1950 | 43,191 | +31.0% |
| 1960 | 46,239 | +7.1% |
| 1970 | 82,894 | +79.3% |
| 1980 | 145,392 | +75.4% |
| 1990 | 197,283 | +35.7% |
| 2000 | 217,369 | +10.2% |
| 2010 | 224,420 | +3.2% |
| 2020 | 223,705 | −0.3% |
The area around present-day Atsugi city has been inhabited for thousands of years. Archaeologists have found ceramic shards from theJōmon period at numerous locations in the area. By theKamakura period, this area part of the Mōrishōen, part of the holdings ofŌe no Hiromoto. His descendants, theMōri clan later ruledChōshū domain. During the Kamakura period, the area was also known for itsfoundry industry for the production ofbells for Buddhist temples. The area came under the control of theAshikaga clan in the earlyMuromachi period and was later part of the territories of theLater Hōjō clan fromOdawara. With the start of theEdo period, the area wastenryō territory controlled directly by theTokugawa shogunate, but administered through varioushatamoto, as well as exclaves under the control ofOdawara Domain,Sakura Domain,Mutsuura Domain,Ogino-Yamanaka Domain andKarasuyama Domain. After theMeiji Restoration, the area was consolidated intoAikō District ofKanagawa Prefecture by 1876. Atsugi town was created on April 1, 1889, through merger of several small hamlets, with the establishment of the modern municipalities system. Atsugi was elevated to city status on February 1, 1955, through merger with neighboring Mutsuai Village, Koaiyu Village, Tamagawa Village and Minamimori Village. The city expanded on July 8, 1958, through merger with neighboring Echi Village, and with Aikawa Village fromNaka District. On September 30, 1956, Ogino Village joined with Atsugi. In April 2000, Atsugi exceeded 200,000 in population and was proclaimed aspecial city with increased autonomy from the central government.
Atsugi has amayor-council form of government with a directly elected mayor and aunicameral city council of 28 members. Atsugi contributes three members to the Kanagawa Prefectural Assembly. In terms of national politics, the city is part of Kanagawa 16th district of thelower house of theDiet of Japan.
Atsugi is mainly known as abedroom community for theTokyo-Yokohama metropolitan area.Nissan has operated a design center in Atsugi, Japan, since 1982.[4]Sony operates the Atsugi Technology Center and the Atsugi Technology Center No. 2 in Atsugi.[5]Anritsu is headquartered in Atsugi, as well as some of theNTT Research and Development labs.
Atsugi has 23 public elementary schools and 13 public middle schools operated by the city government. The city has six public high schools operated by the Kanagawa Prefectural Board of Education. There are also one private elementary school and two private high schools.Shoin University and theKanagawa Institute of Technology are based in Atsugi, and theTokyo Polytechnic University and theTokyo University of Agriculture has campuses in the city
Odakyu Electric Railway –Odakyū Odawara Line
Ken-Ō Expressway
Tōmei Expressway, toTokyo orNagoya
National Route 129, toHiratsuka orSagamihara
National Route 246, to centralTokyo orNumazu
National Route 271, toOdawara (toll)
National Route 412, toSagamiko
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Gunpo,Gyeonggi-do, Republic of Korea, since February 5, 2005
New Britain,Connecticut, United States, since May 31, 1983
Yangzhou.Jiangsu, China, since October 23, 1984Yokote, Akita, Japan, since May 24, 1985
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