Kōka, Shiga

Kōka 甲賀市
—  City  —
[[File:|border|100px|border|alt=|Flag of Kōka]] Flag
Location of Kōka in Shiga
Kōka
Coordinates: 34°58′N 136°10′E
Country	Japan
Region	Kansai
Prefecture	Shiga
Government
• Mayor	Takeshi Nakajima
Area
• Total	481.69 km2 (185.98 sq mi)
Population (April 2008)
• Total	93,882
• Density	195/km2 (510/sq mi)
Time zone	Japan Standard Time (UTC+9)
City symbols
- Tree	Cryptomeria
- Flower	Sasayuri (Lilium japonicum)
- Bird	Common Kingfisher
Phone number	0748-65-0650
Address	6053, Minakuchichō Minakuchi, Kōka-shi, Shiga-ken 528-8502
Website	Kōka City

Minakuchi Castle (reconstructed).

Kōka (甲賀市, Kōka-shi) is a city located in the southern part of Shiga Prefecture, Japan. (The word 'Kōka' is often rendered as 'Koga' in English, especially when referring to the Koga Ninja.)

As of April 2008, the city has an estimated population of 93,882 and a density of 195 humans per km². The total area is 481.69 km². The city was founded on October 1, 2004 when the towns of Kōka, Kōnan, Minakuchi, Shigaraki, Tsuchiyama, all from Kōka District, merged to form the new city of Kōka.

Kōka is quite well known for its ninja history, fine quality ceramics and for containing two post stations (Tsuchiyama-juku and Minakuchi-juku) from the historic Tōkaidō. The city launched a new English version of their homepage in April 2007, and they have begun to actively promote themselves as a little known, yet highly authentic, sightseeing destination.

Transport

Koka is served by local buses as well as two train lines.

Rail

Koka sits on the Kusatsu Line of the JR. The line runs from Kusatsu to Tsuge Station in Iga, Mie Prefecture. There are five stops in Koka - Kibukawa, Kōnan, Terashō, Kōka, and Aburahi.

Kibukawa Station also has lines for the Shigaraki Kōgen Railway: Shigaraki Line and the Ohmi Railway: Main Line.

See also

• Capital of Japan
• Kōga-ryū, the Koga Ninja school of ninjutsu
• Shigaraki ware
• Miho Museum

External links

• Kōka City Homepage