Manazuru, Kanagawa Prefecture, Kantō Region, Japan

🇯🇵 Manazuru (真鶴町, Manazuru-machi) is a town located in Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan. As of 1 June 2022, the town had an estimated population density of 1,000 persons per km². The total area of the town is 7.02 square km (2.71 sq mi).

Geography Located in the south-east of Mount Hakone, the consists of the small Manazuru Peninsula, which extends into Sagami Bay from the south-east to the north-west, sandwiched between Odawara City in the north and Yugawara Town in the south. The Manazuru Peninsula is a lava plateau with a steep coast and The town area is generally rugged with few flat areas. The urban area is at the base of the peninsula, with Manazuru Station to the north-west, Iwa Fishing Port and Iwo Beach to the east, and Manazuru Port to the southeast. There are many quarries in the mountains north of the city. Mandarin oranges are cultivated in the hills along the northern coast. The north-western part of the town is part of a mountainous area that extends to the outer ring of the Hakone volcano. The town is within the Manazuru Hantō Prefectural Natural Park.

Surrounding municipalities Kanagawa Prefecture • Odawara • Yugawara.

History As with the rest of Ashigarashimo District, the area now comprising modern Manazuru was part of Sagami Province under control of the later Hōjō clan in the Sengoku period, and part of Odawara Domain during the Edo period. During this time, it was known for high quality stones for construction. After the Meiji Restoration, Manazuru was established as a village in 1889 with the establishment of the modern municipalities system. On October 1, 1927, Manazuru village was elevated to town status. On September 30, 1956, neighboring Iwa village was merged into Manazuru. A proposal to merge Manazuru into neighboring Yugawara was overwhelmingly rejected by a citizen's referendum in 2005.

Government Manazuru has a mayor-council form of government with a directly elected mayor and a unicameral town council of 11 members. Manazuru, together with neighboring Yugawara, contributes one member to the Kanagawa Prefectural Assembly. In terms of national politics, the town is part of Kanagawa 16th district of the lower house of the Diet of Japan.

Economy Traditionally, the industry characterizing Manazuru was the mining of Komatsu stone (ja) dating back to Middle Ages. The economy of Manazuru is now based on tourism, and as a summer resort area, promoting itself as the "Japanese Riviera", claiming to loosely resembles the Mediterranean coast of France and Italy. The town also functions as a bedroom community for nearby Odawara. The hilly, stony peninsula is not suited for agriculture, but cultivation of mikan and commercial fishing also contribute to the local economy.

Education Manazuru has one public elementary school and one public middle school operated by the town government. The town does not have a high school.

Transport: Rail JR East – Tōkaidō Main Line • Manazuru Station

Transport: Road • National Route 135

Area attractions • Iwa Beach (ja) • Dōsojin (ja) • Ryumonji (ja) • The monument of Stonemason's ancestors (ja) • Manazuru Hantō Prefectural Natural Park • Kibune jinja Shrine (ja) ◦ Kibune Festival which is designated as an important intangible folk cultural asset designated as a country and is considered one of Japan's three major festivals. Held two days from 27 to 28 July. • Nakagawa Kazumasa art Museum (ja) • Kuroda Nagamasa memorial tower (ja) • Shitodo-no-iwaya Hidden Cave (ja) ◦ This historic site near Manazuru Port is associated with Minamoto no Yoritomo. After losing a battle with the Taira clan at Mt. Ishibasiyama in 1180, Minamoto no Yoritomo fled into the Fuji-Hakone-Izu National Park, stayed in this cave, then escaped to Awa (south of present-day Chiba). • Odaiba memorial tower • Manazuru Industrial vitalization Centre（Satoumi Base）(ja) • Sakanaza • Setomichi - The back streets of Manazuru.