Osaka, Gifu

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Not to be confused with Ōsaka.

Map of Osaka, Gifu

Osaka (小坂町, Osaka-chō^?) was a town located in Mashita District, Gifu Prefecture. On March 1, 2004, the five towns and villages of Mashita District merged and became the city of Gero. Following the merger, the town became a district with the city of Gero.

1 Geography
2 Former neighboring municipalities
3 History
4 Sister cities
- 4.1 Domestic
- 4.2 International
5 Sightseeing
- 5.1 Tourist spots
- 5.2 Onsen
6 Transportation
- 6.1 Train lines

[edit] Geography

Osaka located in the south-eastern region of Hida Province in a mountainous area at the base of Mount Ontake. Due to the steep slopes of Mount Ontake, the town resides at the bottom of a ravine formed by Hida River, Osaka River and their tributaries.

97% of the land is made up of forests, which contains a number of Tenpō-growth, such as the Hinoki cypress. More than 60% of these are nationally protected.

There are also many waterfalls, including Neo Waterfall. The town established a waterfall survey committee and, as a result of their investigation, it was determined that there were more than two hundred waterfalls with a height of more than 5 m (16 ft). As a result, Osaka became known as the town with the most waterfalls within Japan. One waterfall has a height of 2,800 m (9,186 ft), the tallest in Japan.

The vicinity around Mount Ontake is designated as Mount Ontake Prefectural Nature Park.

Mountains: Mount Ontake
Rivers: Hida River, Osaka River

[edit] Former neighboring municipalities

Mashita District: Hagiwara, Gero
Ōno District: Kuguno, Asahi
Kiso District, Nagano Prefecture: Kaida, Mitake, Ōtaki

[edit] History

March 7, 1875: Eleven villages merged becoming the town of Osaka, Chikuma Prefecture
August 21, 1876: With the ablation of Chikuma prefecture, the three districts (Ōno, Yoshiki, and Mashita) became part of Gifu Prefecture
July 1, 1889: Creation of the village of Osaka within Mashita District
March 2, 1898: Becomes the town of Osaka
March 1, 2004: Gero, Hagiwara, Kanayama, Osaka, and Maze merge, becoming the city of Gero.