Hirakata, Osaka

Hirakata
Hirakata; 枚方
	— Special city —
枚方市 · Hirakata
	; Flag
	; Flag
	Location of Hirakata in Osaka
	Hirakata
	Coordinates: 34°49′N 135°39′E / 34.817°N 135.65°ECoordinates: 34°49′N 135°39′E / 34.817°N 135.65°E
Country	Japan
Region	Kansai
Prefecture	Osaka
	Government
• Mayor	Hiroshi Nakatsuka
	Area
• Total	65.08 km2 (25.1 sq mi)
	Population (August 1, 2011)
• Total	407,465
• Density	6,260/km2 (16,213.3/sq mi)
Time zone	Japan Standard Time (UTC+9)
City symbols
- Tree	Willow
- Flower	Chrysanthemum
- Bird	Common Kingfisher
Phone number	72-841-1221
Address	2-1-20 Ogaito-chō, Hirakata-shi, Osaka-fu; 573-8666
Website	City of Hirakata

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Hirakata City Hall

Hirakata (枚方市, Hirakata-shi^?) is a city located in north-eastern Osaka, Japan, near the prefectural borders of Nara and Kyoto. It is renowned for its chrysanthemum doll exhibition, as well as Hirakata Park — an amusement park featuring five roller coasters.

The city was founded on August 1, 1947. On April 1, 2001, Hirakata was designated as a special city of Japan.

The total area of the city is 65.07 km². As of January 1, 2010, the city has an estimated population of 411,777, and a population density of 6,327.24 persons per km².

Hirakata Park is known for being the first amusement park that opened in Kansai in 1910.^{[citation needed]}

Ferris wheel in Hirakata Park

[edit] Mayors

Soichiro Terashima (in office 1947 - 1955, 1959 - 1967) former mayor of Hirakata-chō
Harufumi Hatakeyama (1955 - 1959)
Tomizō Yamamura (1967 - 1975)
Kazuo Kitamaki (1975 - 1991)
Kazuo Ōshio (1991 - 1995)
Hiroshi Nakatsuka (1995 - )

[edit] Sister and Friendship cities

Shimanto, Kōchi, Japan - Friendship city agreement concluded in 1974 (with former Nakamura city)
Betsukai, Hokkaidō, Japan - Friendship city agreement concluded in 1987
Takamatsu, Kagawa, Japan - Friendship city agreement concluded in 1987 (with former Shionoe town)
Chang Ning District, Shanghai, China - Sister city agreement concluded in 1987
Logan City, Queensland, Australia - Sister city agreement concluded in 1995