Fujieda, Shizuoka

Template:Infobox City Japan Fujieda (藤枝市, Fujieda-shi) is a city located in Shizuoka, Japan. The modern city was founded on March 31, 1954. As of February 2009, the town has an estimated population of 142,023 and a density of 732 persons per km². The total area is 194.03 km².

Geography

Fujieda is located in the Shida Plateau in central Shizuoka Prefecture between the Abe River and the Ōi River. The area enjoys a warm maritime climate with hot, humid summers and mild, cool winters.

Neighboring municipalities

History

In the Edo period, much of the area of present-day Fujieda was part of Tanaka Domain, and its castle formed part of the eastern fortifications of Sunpu. The town also developed as Fujieda-juku, a post town on the Tōkaidō highway connecting Edo with Kyoto.

During the cadastral reform of the early Meiji period in 1889, Fujieda-juku became Fujieda Town within Shida District Shizuoka Prefecture. Fujieda Station on the Tōkaidō Main Line railway opened on April 16, 1889, leading to development of the surrounding area. On March 31, 1954, Fujieda merged with neighboring Aoshima Town and four neighboring villages to form Fujieda City. Setoya Village merged on February 15, 1955 and Hirohata Village on April 1, 1957.

On January 1, 2009, the neighboring town of Okabe merged into Fujieda. As a result, Shida District was dissolved.^[1]

Economy

Fujieda is primarily a bedroom community for nearby Shizuoka. The local economy is dominated by agriculture (tea, strawberry, rice, shiitake) and by light manufacturing, including pharmaceuticals, beverages, and food processing.