Kitakata, Fukushima
| Kitakata 喜多方市 |
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| — City — | |
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 Kitakata
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| Coordinates: 37°39′N 139°52′E / 37.65°N 139.867°ECoordinates: 37°39′N 139°52′E / 37.65°N 139.867°E | |
| Country | Japan |
| Region | Tōhoku |
| Prefecture | Fukushima |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | Hideo Shirai |
| Area | |
| • Total | 554.67 km2 (214.16 sq mi) |
| Population (1 May 2011) | |
| • Total | 51,955 |
| • Density | 94/km2 (240/sq mi) |
| Time zone | Japan Standard Time (UTC+9) |
| City symbols | |
| - Tree | Iide Cryptomeria |
| - Flower | Himesayuri (Lilium rubellum) |
| - Bird | Wagtail |
| - Fish | Three-spined stickleback |
| - Others | Insect: Firefly |
| Phone number | 0241-24-5211 |
| Address | 7244-2 Oshimizuhigashi, Kitakata-shi, Fukushima-ken 966-8601 |
| Website | Kitakata City |
Kitakata (喜多方市 Kitakata-shi) is a city located in Fukushima, in northern Honshū, Japan. Kitakata was once written '北方', which meant 'northern place'.[1]
As of May 2011, the city had an estimated population of 51,955.[2] The total area is 554.67km².
The city was founded on March 31, 1954.
The city is well-known for its distinctive ramen. The area within its former city boundaries has the highest per-capita number of ramen establishments in Japan. Ramen has such prominence in the region that locally, the word soba usually refers to ramen, and not to actual soba which is referred to as nihon soba ("Japanese soba"). Kitakata's ramen consists of rather thick, flat, curly noodles served in a pork and niboshi broth.
The city has over 2600 kura storehouses which are now typically used as sake breweries, living quarters and workshops.[3]
The municipality has recently introduced the use of lacquerware in school meals served in the city, as a precaution against possible endocrine disruptors which may be present in common chemicals.
In 1882, more than 3,000 peasants gathered at the Danjo-ga-hara Field in Shiokawa and then marched on the Kitakata Police Station to rebel against the oppression of the prefectural government. Known as the Kitakata Incident of 1882, it was the first people's rights movement in the Tohoku area.[1]
On January 4, 2006, the towns of Shiokawa and Yamato and the villages of Atsushiokanou and Takasato (all from Yama District) merged into the city of Kitakata.
[edit] Notes
- ^ a b Fukushima Today & Tomorrow, page 18
- ^ "Estimated population May 1, 2011". Official Fukushima Prefecture website. http://www.pref.fukushima.jp/toukei/html/01/m-jinko/22_23_3_4doutai.xls. Retrieved 29 July 2011.(Japanese)
- ^ Japan, Lonely Planet (2007) p505.
[edit] References
Takeda, Toru; Hishinuma, Tomio; Oguma, Chiyoichi; Takiguchi, R. (December 20, 1991), Fukushima Today & Tomorrow (1st ed.), Tokyo: Kenkyusha, p. 18, ISBN 4-327-76309-8
[edit] External links
Media related to Kitakata, Fukushima at Wikimedia Commons
- Kitakata official website (Japanese)
- Kitakata Sightseeing Association (Japanese)
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