Rifu

File:Rifu Town Office & Rifu townspeople Exchange Center.JPG

Rifu town hall

Rifu (利府町, Rifu-chō) is a town located in Miyagi District, Miyagi Prefecture, in the Tōhoku region of northern Japan. As of September 2015, the town had an estimated population of 35,769 and a population density of 797 persons per km². The total area was 44.89 square kilometres (17.33 sq mi). Rifu is known for its nashi pears. Recently, wine and candy made from nashi pears have been developed in the town.

Geography

Rifu is located in east-central Miyagi Prefecture, bordered by Sendai metropolis to the south and by Matsushima Bay to the east.

Neighboring municipalities

• Miyagi Prefecture
  • Sendai
  • Tagajō
  • Shiogama
  • Tomiya
  • Ōsato
  • Taiwa
  • Matsushima

History

The area of present-day Rifu was part of ancient Mutsu Province, and has been settled since at least the Jomon period by the Emishi people. With the establishment of Tagajō in the Nara period, Rifu was part of the central Yamato colonization area in the region. During the Sengoku period, the area was contested by various samurai clans before the area came under the control of the Date clan of Sendai Domain during the Edo period, under the Tokugawa shogunate.

The modern village of Rifu was established on June 1, 1889 with the establishment of the municipalities system. It was raised to town status on October 1, 1967.

Economy

The economy of Rifu is largely based on agriculture, primarily horticulture and the cultivation of rice. East Japan Railway Company's Sendai Shinkansen maintenance depot is located in Rifu.

Education

Rifu has six elementary schools, three middle schools and one high school, as well as one special education school.

Transportation

Railway

• East Japan Railway Company (JR East) – Tōhoku Main Line
  • Shin-Rifu – Rifu
• East Japan Railway Company (JR East) – Senseki Line
  • Rikuzen-Hamada

Highway

• Sanriku Expressway: Rifu-Shiogama, Rifu-Naka, Matsushima-Kaigan interchanges; Rifu junction
• North Sendai Expressway: Rifu junction, Rifu-Shirakashidai interchange
• National Route 45

Local attractions

• Miyagi Stadium
• Site of Rifu Castle

Sister city relations

• France – Lifou Island, New Caledonia, since September 4, 1980.

Noted people from Rifu

• Hisashi Kato – professional soccer player
• Tsukasa Fujimoto – professional wrestler and actress

External links

• www.town.rifu.miyagi.jp/%20Rifu%20official%20website (Japanese)