Shisui

Shisui (酒々井町, Shisui-machi) is a town located in Chiba Prefecture, Japan. As of April 2012, the town had an estimated population of 21,158, and a population density of 1,110 persons per km². The total area of the town is 19.02 square kilometres (7.34 sq mi).[1]

Shisui 酒々井町
Town
Shisui Parking Area on the Higashi-Kanto Expressway
Flag Emblem
Location of Shisui in Chiba Prefecture
Shisui
Coordinates: 35°43′N 140°16′E
Country	Japan
Region	Kantō
Prefecture	Chiba Prefecture
District	Inba
Area
• Total	19.02 km^2 (7.34 sq mi)
Population  (April 2012)
• Total	21,158
• Density	1,110/km^2 (2,900/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+9 (Japan Standard Time)
Symbols
• Tree	Prunus mume
• Flower	Narcissus
• Bird	Japanese white-eye
Phone number	043-496-1171
Address	4-11 Chuodai Inba-gun, Shisui-machi, Chiba-ken 285-8510
Website	http://www.town.shisui.chiba.jp/

Etymology

The name of Shisui in the Japanese language is formed from three kanji characters. The first, 酒, means "sake", The second, 々, is an ideographic iteration mark, indicating a repetition of the first character, and the third, 井 means "well". The area in present-day Shisui was noted for its freshwater springs, and a local legend arose that pure sake gushed freely from the ground, creating "wells of sake".[2]

Geography

Shisui is located on the Shimōsa Plateau in northern Chiba Prefecture. The town overlooks the Inba Marsh.[2] The town sits on relatively flat, even ground. The south of Shisui is crossed by three small rivers: the Takazaki, Egawa, and Nakagawa, all of which empty into the Inba Marsh.[1]

Neighboring municipalities

• Narita, Chiba
• Inzai, Chiba
• Sakura, Chiba
• Yachimata, Chiba
• Tomisato, Chiba

History

The area around Shisui has been inhabited since at least the Japanese Paleolithic, and archaeologists have found stone tools and the foundations of houses dating 24,000 years ago. During the Muromachi period, the area was under control of the Chiba clan. After the start of the Edo period, much of the area of Shisui was part of Sakura Domain, a feudal domain under the Tokugawa shogunate. After the Meiji Restoration, Shisui Town was founded on April 1, 1889 within Inba District of Chiba Prefecture. Proposals to merge Shisui with the neighboring city of Sakura failed to pass a public referendum in 2002.

Economy

Shisui was historically a center of rice and sake production. The town is located directly south of Narita International Airport. The central part of the town was developed as a regional commercial center beginning in 1975 due to the construction and expansion of the airport.[2]

Transportation

Railway

• JR East - Narita Line
  • Shisui
• JR East - Sōbu Main Line
  • Minami-Shisui
• Keisei Electric Railway – Keisei Main Line
  • Keisei Shisui – Sōgosandō[2]

Highway

• Higashi-Kantō Expressway
• Japan National Route 51
• Japan National Route 296[2]

References

1. "酒々井町" [Shisui]. Nihon Rekishi Chimei Taikei (in Japanese). Tokyo: Shogakukan. 2012. OCLC 173191044. dlc 2009238904. Retrieved 2012-06-29.
2. "酒々井（町）" [Shisui (Town)]. Nihon Daihyakka Zensho (Nipponika) (in Japanese). Tokyo: Shogakukan. 2012. OCLC 153301537. Archived from the original on 2007-08-25. Retrieved 2012-06-29.

External links

• Official Website (in Japanese)