Inagawa, Hyōgo Prefecture, Kansai Region, Japan

🇯🇵 Inagawa (猪名川町, Inagawa-chō) is a town located in Kawabe District in Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan. The total area of the town is 90.33 square km (34.88 sq mi).

Geography Inagawa is located in the south-eastern part of Hyōgo Prefecture. Although it is a relatively short distance of 25 km in a straight line from Osaka Station and Umeda Station, which are the terminal stations of the Kansai region in downtown Osaka, Inagawa retains the atmosphere of an old village with forests and rural scenery. The southern part of the town forms part of the Tada Basin, one of the prominent basins in Hyōgo Prefecture that continues into neighboring Kawanishi. A lot of nature remains in the northern part, and firefly, Japanese giant salamander and forest tree frogs inhabit. In addition, the Inagawa Astronomical Observatory Astropia is located within the Ono Alpsland, the area around the summit of Mt. Oya, the highest peak in the Hanshin region at an altitude of 753 meters. The mascot of Inagawa is Inabō (いなぼう), a character of a wild boar.

Surrounding municipalities Hyōgo Prefecture • Kawanishi • Takarazuka • Sanda • Tamba-Sasayama.

Osaka Prefecture • Nose.

History The area of Inagawa was part of ancient Settsu Province. The Tada silver mine has been in operation since the Nara period. In the Edo Period, this area was tenryo territory under the direct control of the Tokugawa shogunate. The villages of Nakatani (中谷村) and Mutsuse (六瀬村) were established on April 1, 1889 with the creation of the modern municipalities system. The two villages merged on April 10,19555 to form the town of Inagawa.

Government Inagawa has a mayor-council form of government with a directly elected mayor and a unicameral town council of 16 members. Inagawa, together with the city of Kawanishi, contributes three members to the Hyōgo Prefectural Assembly. In terms of national politics, the town is part of Hyōgo 5t district of the lower house of the Diet of Japan.

Economy Since the closure of the Tada Silver Mine in 1973, Inagawa is largely a commuter town for neighboring Nishikawa and Osaka.

Education Inagawa has six public elementary schools and two public middle school operated by the town government, and one public high school operated by the Hyōgo Prefectural Board of Education.

Transport: Rail Nose Electric Railway - Nissei Line • Nissei-chuo.

Transport: Road • Shin-Meishin Expressway • National Route 173.