Article

10382 ／しもにたまち

Gunma Prefecture 甘楽郡

Shimonita Town

Three square stone walls in a column.

Arafune Cold Storage, Nos. 1-3

Photo by Qurren (CC BY-SA 4.0)

01 ／ Ironworks site

Three braziers were cast for an exposition, it is said;two have yet to be found.

Ironworks site in Shimonita Town — Photo by のりまき (CC BY 3.0)

Iron production with a Western-style blast furnace is said to have begun at Nakaosaka in 1874 with private capital, and the works were state-run from 1878 to 1884. A cast-iron brazier surviving in the town is said to be one of three made for the 1877 National Industrial Exhibition. The ironworks site is a town cultural property.

State-run 1878-1884
Three braziers cast
Town cultural property (1978)

02 ／ Geology

The "rootless mountains" arerock that moved in from the continent's edge.

The lumpy ridges seen from central Shimonita are called "rootless mountains" by locals. Rock from the eastern edge of the Asian continent was thrust over onto the Pacific side, and the Atokura Klippe was chosen as one of Japan's 100 Geological Sites. The sliding surface is the boundary where the rock moved.

One of Japan's 100 Geological Sites
"Rootless mountains" = klippe
Sliding surface marks the boundary

03 ／ Shrine carvings

The records and building plaques are lost,but the master carpenter was from Suwa.

Suwa Shrine was rebuilt in 1837. Its worship hall has a hip-and-gable roof with a curved gable over the porch, and the main hall is a one-bay nagare-zukuri building. The carvings on the walls and beams are called a masterpiece of the Osumi school. The master carpenter was from Suwa in Shinano, and the shrine is a town cultural property.

Rebuilt in 1837
Osumi school carvings
Town cultural property (1979)

Shimonita Town from the sky

Now and 1974–78. Tap a photo to zoom in.

Now1974–78

Wide (about 6 km across)

Close (about 1.5 km across)

Now (shot December 2022 – February 2023)Shot 1974–78

Source: Geospatial Information Authority of Japan (GSI) GSI Tiles（全国最新写真（シームレス）／国土画像情報（第一期：1974〜1978年撮影））

Open in GSI Maps (now)Open in GSI Maps (1974–78)

Living here

By train from Takasaki to the terminus, Shimonita Station.

about 7,000 people
Rural district town

The town's station is Shimonita Station on the Joshin Line, and the town office gives about 60 minutes from Takasaki Station to the terminus. Chikuma Bus highway buses also link the town with Ikebukuro and Shinjuku; the fastest scheduled trips take 134 and 166 minutes, by advance reservation.

People living here: 6,576people
Area: 188.38km²
Households: 2,808households
Rent (average for rentals): —
Healthcare: 1 hospital ／ 4 clinics

Area and habitable land at the same scalee-Stat B1101 / B1103

Children waiting for childcare: —2 nurseries and similar
Home purchase subsidy: —
Average annual temperature: —

These 3 items are waiting on a nationwide data source. We do not fill them with estimates.

ACCESS

Where you can go from here.

Shimonita Town in Japan36.212°N 138.789°E

to IkebukuroHighway bus134min
to ShinjukuHighway bus166min

Travel times follow 千曲バス『高速バス上田・佐久・軽井沢ー池袋・新宿線』の2026年6月1日改正の時刻表（chikuma-bus.com の時刻表ページと、そこからリンクされる PDF〈kanto_t1_20260601.pdf＝上り、kanto_t2_20260601.pdf＝下り〉）。下仁田町観光協会（DMO下仁田）『高速バスでのアクセス』のページ（池袋東口より千曲高速バス乗車、下仁田下車）と、千曲バスの『下仁田』乗り場ページ (checked 2026-10-21). They vary by time of day.

Shape

Borders 8 municipalities across 1 prefectures.

Territory of Shimonita Town

Boundaries: National Land Numerical Information (Administrative Area Data), MLIT. Processed by Machigatari.Lakes: National Land Numerical Information (Lake Data), MLIT. Processed by Machigatari. Prepared with the approval of the Director-General of the Geospatial Information Authority of Japan, using its Digital Map 25000 (Spatial Data Framework) and Digital Map 25000 (Place Names and Public Facilities). (承認番号平27情使、第585号)

North to south

18.5km

Gunma Prefecture: Tomioka City, Nanmoku Village, Annaka City, Kanna Town, Fujioka City, Kanra Town
Nagano Prefecture: Saku City, Karuizawa Town

Shimonita Town isthis kind of town.

01Arafune Cold Storage is the site of a silkworm-egg storage facility built in 1905 by Niwaya Seitaro, with three stone walls standing in a column; it is a National Historic Site and a component of a World Heritage property
02Iron production with a Western-style blast furnace is said to have begun at Nakaosaka in 1874, and a cast-iron brazier in the town is said to be one of three made
03The Atokura Klippe, whose ridges are called the "rootless mountains", was chosen as one of Japan's 100 Geological Sites, and the carvings of Suwa Shrine carry on the Osumi school's craft

If something caught your eye, ask the town itself.

Shimonita Town official site ↗Wikipedia ↗

From this town's themes