Iwanashiro, Fukushima Prefecture, Tōhoku Region, Japan

🇯🇵 nawashiro (猪苗代町, Inawashiro-machi) is a town located in Fukushima Prefecture, Japan. The town has an estimated population density of 35 persons per km². The total area of the town is around 395 square km (152.45 sq mi). It is noted as the birthplace of the famous doctor Hideyo Noguchi, who contributed to knowledge in the fight against syphilis and yellow fever.

Geography Inawashiro is located in the far north of the Aizu region of Fukushima Prefecture, bordering Yamagata Prefecture to the north and Lake Inawashiro to the south. • Mountains: Mount Bandai, Mount Adatara, Mount Azuma-kofuji • Rivers: Nagase River • Lakes: Lake Inawashiro, Akimoto Lake.

Neighboring municipalities Fukushima Prefecture: • Aizuwakamatsu • Fukushima • Nihonmatsu • Kōriyama • Kitashiobara • Bandai.

Yamagata Prefecture: • Yonezawa.

History The area of present-day Inawashiro was part of ancient Mutsu Province and the location of Inawashiro Castle since the Kamakura period. It was the site of the Battle of Suriagehara during the Sengoku period. The area formed part of the holdings of Aizu Domain during the Edo period. During the Boshin War, the Battle of Bonari Pass took place near Inawashiro. After the Meiji Restoration, the area was organized as part of Yama District, Fukushima Prefecture. The town of Inawashiro was founded with the establishment of the modern municipalities system on April 1, 1898. The town borders expanded considerably in 1955 through a merger with the villages of Iwase, Iwaho, Azauma, Nagase, Tsukinowa, Chisato, and Okinajima.

Economy The economy of Inawashiro is based on tourism and agriculture. Primary agricultural crops include buckwheat and rice, along with tomatoes, dairy farming and miso. There are many ski resorts, onsen and leisure facilities at Lake Inawashiro. Sulfur mining, formerly a mainstay of the local economy, ended with the closure of the last mine in 1968.

Education Inawashiro has six public elementary schools and three public junior high schools operated by the town government. The town has one public high school operated by the Fukushima Prefectural Board of Education. The prefecture also operates one special education school.

Transport: Rail JR East – Ban'etsu West Line • Jōko - Sekito - Kawageta - Inawashiro - Okinashima.

Transport: Road • Ban-etsu Expressway – Inawashiro-Bandai Kogen IC • National Route 49 • National Route 115.

Local attractions • Tenkyōkaku, a Meiji-period former residence of Prince Arisugawa Takehito, designated an Important Cultural Property (ICP) • Noguchi Hideyo Memorial Hall • Lake Inawashiro • former Okinashima Villa of Prince Takamatsu (ICP) • former Baba residence (ICP) • Aizu-Matsudiara clan cemetery, National historic site.