Chatan, Okinawa

Chatan
北谷町
Town
Montage of Chatan

Location of Chatan in Okinawa Prefecture
Chatan

Location in Japan

Coordinates: 26°19′12″N 127°45′50″E / 26.32000°N 127.76389°E / 26.32000; 127.76389Coordinates: 26°19′12″N 127°45′50″E / 26.32000°N 127.76389°E / 26.32000; 127.76389
Country Japan
Region Kyushu
Prefecture Okinawa Prefecture
District Nakagami
Government
 • Mayor Masaharu Noguni
Area
 • Total 13.62 km2 (5.26 sq mi)
Population (2013)
 • Total 28,299
 • Density 2,077.75/km2 (5,381.3/sq mi)
Time zone Japan Standard Time (UTC+9)
Website www.chatan.jp

Chatan (北谷町 Chatan-chō, Okinawan: Chatan) is a town located in Nakagami District, Okinawa Prefecture, Japan.[1] Although the Japanese kanji for the city's name are normally read Kitatani (北谷?) , the ki phoneme in Japanese becomes chi in Okinawan, so Kitatani became Chitatani then Chatani and finally Chatan. Also unfamiliar in standard Japanese is that the tan syllable of Chatan is emphasized in the local dialect, although many outside of Okinawa place emphasis on cha instead. As of March 2013 the town had an estimated population of 28,299 and the density of 2,077.75 per km².[2] The total area of Chatan is 13.62 square kilometres (5.26 sq mi). 53.5% of the land area of the town is covered by United States military bases.[1][3]

Geography

Araha Beach

Chatan is located in the central part of Okinawa Island. The town sits on the western coast of the island on the East China Sea. The east of Chatan is hilly and made up of Okinawan limestone. The hills of the eastern part of the town give way to low-lying land towards the coast.[1][3]

Two rivers run through Chatan west into the East China Sea: the Shiruhi River to the north, and the Futenma River at the south.[3]

Chatan, prior to World War II, was a noted area of rice production in Okinawa. The area was known as Chatan taa-bukkwa, a term in the Okinawa language for a "large area of rice paddies". Much of the land formerly used for rice cultivation is now utilized by military bases.[1][4]

Chatan is divided into six districts: Kitamae (北前), Mihama (美浜), and Sunabe (砂辺) (which enjoy great popularity among locals and tourists alike - for their many recreational and shopping destinations) as well as the primarily local business and residential wards of Kamiseido (上製頭), Ihei (伊平), and Kuwae (桑江).

Chatan primarily runs along Route 58 and a largely man-made coastline which includes the area of what used to be the U.S. Marine Corp base of Camp Hamby (now Camp Foster). The northern half of Kitamae is nicknamed "Hamby Town" in recognition of this, and the Hamby Post Office is one of the first Japanese Postal offices to have an English name. Parts of Camp Foster and Camp Lester are in Chatan.

The American Kadena Air Base is located on and forms the northern boundary of Chatan which is further demarcated by Route 23 - also known locally as Kokutai Road. The U.S. air base also encompasses much land which was once part of Chatan's area including most of the ward once named Shimoseido.

Neighboring municipalities

Economy

Shopping and recreation

Much of the Hamby area is home to the "Hamby Free Zone". Though the name is misleading due to romanization errors, it is a large flea market that is scattered over an area of several blocks, though much of the land it is on is constantly relocated or bought for expansion of businesses. With the expansion of shopping/recreational businesses in the Mihama area, Chatan has become one of the most popular destinations for recreation. It is home to a large ferris wheel (which has become a sort of landmark), a small convention center, several shopping plazas, arcades, karaoke parlors, a 25-story hotel named "The Beach Tower" and several beaches. Sunabe is famous for a large sea wall which attracts many SCUBA divers and surfers.

The Chunichi Dragons of Nippon Professional Baseball have their spring training camp in Chatan.

Education

The Town of Chatan maintains four elementary schools: Chatan, Chatan Number Two, Kitatama, and Hamagawa; each elementary school has an associated nursery school. The town also maintains two middle schools: Chatan Junior High School and Kuwae Junior High School. Chatan Senior High School, a prefectural school, is located directly north of the town hall.[5]

Transportation

Delta ticket office

Chatan is crossed from north to south by Japan National Route 58, which runs parallel to the coastal area of the town.[1]

Delta Air Lines has a city ticket office in the Towa Building #1 (東和第一ビル Tōwa Daiichi Biru) in Chatan.[6] Northwest Airlines previously operated a city ticket office in Chatan.[7]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 "北谷（町）" [Chatan]. Nihon Daihyakka Zensho (Nipponika) (in Japanese). Tokyo: Shogakukan. 2013. OCLC 153301537. Archived from the original on 2007-08-25. Retrieved 2013-04-19.
  2. ↑ 住民基本台帳法による世帯人口表 (PDF) (in Japanese). Chatan, Okinawa Prefecture, Japan: Town of Chatan. 2013. Retrieved 2013-04-19.
  3. 1 2 3 4 "北谷町" [Chatan]. Nihon Rekishi Chimei Taikei (in Japanese). Tokyo: Shogakukan. 2013. OCLC 173191044. Archived from the original on 2007-08-25. Retrieved 2013-01-19.
  4. ↑ Sakihara, Mitsugu (2006). Okinawan-English wordbook : a short lexicon of the Okinawan language with English definitions and Japanese cognates. Honolulu: University of Hawaiʻi Press. p. 169. ISBN 9780824831028.
  5. ↑ 学校施設 [Educational Facilities] (in Japanese). Chatan, Okinawa Prefecture, Japan: Town of Chatan. 2013. Retrieved 2013-04-19.
  6. ↑ "Ticket Office Locations > Asia." Delta Air Lines. Retrieved on November 19, 2012. "Okinawa International Express Company Towa Building #1 411-1 Aza Ihei Chatan-Cho Okinawa, Japan" - Japanese: "デルタ航空沖縄営業支店 沖縄県中頭郡北谷町字伊平 411-1東和第一ビル"
  7. ↑ "Ticket Offices and Phone Numbers." Northwest Airlines. June 13, 1998. Retrieved on November 20, 2012. "Northwest Airlines 411-3 Aza-Ihei Chatan-cho Okinawa 904-01 Japan "

External links

Wikivoyage has a travel guide for Chatan.
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