Higashine, Yamagata
| Higashine 東根市 |
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| — City — | |
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 Higashine
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| Coordinates: 38°26′N 140°24′E / 38.433°N 140.4°ECoordinates: 38°26′N 140°24′E / 38.433°N 140.4°E | |
| Country | Japan |
| Region | Tōhoku |
| Prefecture | Yamagata |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | Seigō Tsuchida |
| Area | |
| • Total | 207.17 km2 (79.99 sq mi) |
| Population (October 1, 2008) | |
| • Total | 46,138 |
| • Density | 223/km2 (580/sq mi) |
| Time zone | Japan Standard Time (UTC+9) |
| City symbols | |
| - Tree | Japanese Zelkova |
| - Flower | Cherry |
| Phone number | 0237-42-1111 |
| Address | 1-1-1 Chūō, Higashine-shi, Yamagata-ken 999-3795 |
| Website | City of Higashine |
Higashine (東根市 Higashine-shi) is a city located in Yamagata Prefecture, Japan, founded on November 3, 1958.
The city name means 'east root'. As of 2008, the city has an estimated population of 46,138 and a population density of 223 people per km². The total area is 207.17 km². The city's western border is the Mogami River. The eastern border is Miyagi Prefecture. The surrounding cities are Kahoku to the west, Murayama to the north, and Tendo to the south.
The Yamagata Shinkansen stops at Sakuranbo Higashine station and the Yamagata City airport (which is just within Higashine's city limits) encourages a growing commercial and industrial center. The city of Higashine has a large industrial park. Some of the businesses include 3M, Casio, THK, ODELIC, and Kyocera. Many of these businesses are involved in manufacturing and research and development.
Higashine is known as "The Fruit Kingdom" and is especially well known for its cherries as well as for apples, pears and persimmons. The city mascot is a pear with cherry earrings and a staff with an apple. Higashine is the largest producer of cherries in Yamagata Prefecture. Yamagata Prefecture is the third largest producer of cherries in Japan.
The city also boasts a brand new Yokubinimaru supermarket.
In 1996 the Jangle Jungle snowboard and ski park opened. Jangle Jungle is regarded as the home of the Tohoku region's most adventurous snowboarders. Due to Jangle Jungle's closure during the 2006 season, kite skiing has experienced an explosion of popularity on the 'tanbo' (rice fields) around Higashine. Higashine is also famous for its hot spring baths (onsen) and its unique Yojiro-style yakitori (skewered meat cooked on charcoal), which is widely acclaimed as the purest style of yakitori. Perhaps most impressive is Higashine's "Big Tree". This massive tree is claimed to be the oldest Zelkova tree in Japan and regularly draws huge crowds in summer, especially during the festival season. The tree is estimated to be over 1,200 years old. In 2006, the tree suffered permanent damage when nearly one-third of its trunk broke off due to heavy snowfall, strong winds, and freezing temperatures.
Contents |
[edit] Transportation
[edit] Airport
[edit] Train stations
[edit] Major roads
- Tōhoku Chūō Expressway: Higashine interchange
- Route 13, Route 48, Route 287
[edit] External links
- Higashine City official website in Japanese
- Higashine Community
- Yamagata Tourism in English
- MarksMaps.info has lots of local information about places in the city.
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