Ashiya, Hyōgo
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| Ashiya 芦屋市 |
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| Ashiya's location in Hyōgo, Japan. | |
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| Ashiya's location in Japan. | |
| Location | |
| Country |  Japan |
| Region | Kansai |
| Prefecture | Hyōgo |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Area | 18.47 km2 (7.13 sq mi) |
| Population (as of January 2008) | |
| Total | 92,828 |
| Density | 5,030 /km2 (13,028 /sq mi) |
| Location | 34°44′N 135°18′E / 34.733°N 135.3°ECoordinates: 34°44′N 135°18′E / 34.733°N 135.3°E |
| Symbols | |
| Tree | Japanese Black Pine |
| Flower | Kobano-mitsuba-tsutsuji |
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| Ashiya Government Office | |
| Mayor | Ken Yamanaka |
| Address | 7-6 Seidōchō, Ashiya-shi, Hyōgo-ken 659-8501 |
| Phone number | 0797-31-2121 |
| Official website: City of Ashiya | |
Ashiya (芦屋市 Ashiya-shi) is a city founded on November 10, 1940 located in Hyōgo, Japan, between the cities of Osaka and Kobe. It is known as the Beverly Hills of Japan.[citation needed]
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[edit] Demographics
As of 2009, the city has an estimated population of 93,094 and the density of 5,030 persons per km². The total area is 18.47 km². The average household income in Ashiya is the highest of any city in Japan based on annual income tax reports.
[edit] History
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Lists of miscellaneous information should be avoided. Please relocate any relevant information into appropriate sections or articles. (October 2007) |
Ashiya was established in 1871 as a township in Hyogo prefecture. In the early 1900's, it was designated as an urban planning area. This led to the building of large single-family homes with tennis courts, swimming pools, and tea houses, etc. along the hills overlooking Osaka Bay.
In 1945, the City of Ashiya prohibited the operation of pachinko parlors, gambling and entertainment facilities as well as small factories. Those laws still stand and there is no other municipal government with similar regulations in Japan.
In 1991, Ashiya residents elected Harue Kitamura (北村 春江 Kitamura Harue, born July 11, 1928) as the first woman to hold the office of mayor of a city in Japan. Kitamura was mayor when Ashiya suffered major damage during the Kobe Earthquake on January 17, 1995.
Since 2008, buying, selling or building on property less than 4,269 square meters in area has been prohibited in the Rokurokusō-chō (六麓荘町) area by city architectural agreement.
[edit] Culture and People
Persons of note associated with Ashiya include Jiro Shirasu ("the man who reproached MacArthur"), Ryoji Noyori (Nobel prize winner), Takashi Asahina (symphony director), Chitaru Asahina (symphony director), Junichiro Tanizaki (writer), Haruki Murakami (writer), Atsuko Suga (writer/scholor of Italian literature), Yuriko Koike (House of Representatives member), Yoko Ogawa (writer), Hiroko Koshino (fashion designer) and Tsumasaburo Bando (Kabuki actor).
The city was the setting for Jun'ichiro Tanizaki's novel Sasameyuki (細雪） (The Makioka Sisters, Eng. trans. Edward G. Seidensticker).
A house designed by Frank Lloyd Wright sits on a hill overlooking Hankyu Ashiyagawa Station and Osaka Bay. It was completed in 1924 as a residence for the Yamamura family, founders of the famous sake company "Sakuramasamune" (櫻正宗). It is now known as the Yodokō Guest House and is open for tours.
[edit] External links
- (Japanese) Official website
- (English) Official website
- (English) Tanizaki Junichiro Memorial Museum of Literature
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