Kōriyama
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Kōriyama (郡山市, Kōriyama-shi) is a city in the center of the Nakadōri region of Fukushima Prefecture, Japan. As of May 2011, the city had an estimated population of 336,328[1]. The total area is 757 km².
The city was founded on 1 September 1924. It is now designated as a "core city" and functions as a commercial city in Fukushima Prefecture. Kōriyama is the second largest conurbation in the Tōhoku region.
History
Kōriyama once thrived as a Shukuba town because of its importance as a traffic focal point. Kōriyama was formerly called Asaka(安積). In the Meiji period, the Meiji government had many samurai reclaim the land to help the poor. As a result, Asaka developed into a big food basket and the population grew.
Kōriyama was incorporated as a city on 1 September 1924.
In 1965, the city merged with some nearby towns and villages.
In 1997, the city was designated as a "core city".
On March 11, 2011, Fukushima Daiichi experienced a nuclear disaster, which forced mandatory evacuations of cities within 30km of the nuclear power plant. Koriyama is located approximately 34 miles (55 km) west of Fukushima Daiichi; therefore, it was not included in the evacuation zone, although most people refrained from outdoor activity.
Geography and climate
Kōriyama is located in the center of Fukushima Prefecture in the Tōhoku region (37°24′N 140°23′E / 37.400°N 140.383°E). The Adatara mountains are to the north, Lake Inawashiro is to the west, and the Abukuma highlands are to the east. The Abukuma River flows through downtown Kōriyama.
The downtown area is in front (West) of Kōriyama Station.
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Demographics
In a 2007 census the city's population was recorded as 339,118 and the population density as 447.94 people per square kilometer. The population of the conurbation is about 0.5 million, the second largest in the Tōhoku region after Sendai.
Economy
This section needs additional citations for verification. (January 2009) |
Kōriyama city is called the "commercial capital in Fukushima" and the economic bloc is the biggest in Fukushima Prefecture. There are many department stores and shops in front of Kōriyama Station.
Asiana Airlines operates a sales office on the second floor of the Nihonseimei Koriyama Nakamachi Building in Kōriyama.[2]
- Principal companies
- XEBIO; sports goods
- Kourakuen; ramen shops
- York Benimaru; the biggest supermarket in Kōriyama with networks in south Tōhoku, Nigata, and North Kanto
- Banks
Transportation
Kōriyama is an important point because it is located in the center of Fukushima and it is linked to many cities like Tokyo, Sendai, Fukushima, Niigata, Mito, and Iwaki. The city serves as a hub for the railways and the expressways.
Railway
- Central station: Kōriyama Station
- Asaka-Nagamori - Kōriyama Station - Hiwada
- Kōriyama Station - Mōgi
- Kōriyama Station - Kikuta - Akogashima - Bandai-Atami - Nakayamajuku
- Kōriyama Station - Asaka-Nagamori - Yatagawa - Iwaki-Moriyama
Roads
- Tōhoku Expressway
- Asaka PA - Kōriyama-minami IC - Kōriyama IC - Kōriyama JCT
- Ban-etsu Expressway
- Kōriyama-higashi IC - Kōriyama JCT - Gohyakugawa PA - Bandai-atami IC
Highway buses
- from Kōriyama to Fukushima, Aizu-Wakamatsu, Iwaki, Sendai, Niigata, Shin-Koshigaya, Tokyo, Shinjuku, Narita Airport, Yokohama, Ōsaka
Ports
- Konan Port (besides Lake Inawashiro)
Airports
None in the city. Some available airports are as follows.
- Fukushima Airport (Sukagawa, Fukushima); domestic and international
- Sendai Airport (Natori, Miyagi); domestic and international
- Niigata Airport (Niigata, Niigata); domestic and international
- Narita Airport (Narita, Chiba); international and domestic
- Haneda Airport (Ota, Tokyo); domestic and international
Culture
Festivals
- Kōriyama Uneme Festival
- Koriyama Summer Festival - an Oktoberfest-style festival.
- Koriyama Autumn Festival - includes children's activities, taiko and mikoshi parades.
Foods
- rice
- Peach
- Japanese Nashi
- Usukawa Manjū (means thin-shell manjū)
- Yubeshi
- Mamadōru
- Lemo
- Farmed carp
- Kan-nyapo
Media
Television
analogue
- Fukushima Central Television (Nittele chain)
- Fukushima Broadcasting (TV Asahi chain)
CATY
- Information Network Kōriyama
Newspaper
- Fukushima Mimpō (Fukushima, Mainichi chain)
- Fukushima Min-Yū (Fukushima, Yomiuri chain)
- Kahoku Shimpō (Sendai)
Radio
FM Fukushima (JFN)
Education
Universities and colleges
- Nihon University, Faculty of Engineering
- Ohu University
- Kōriyama Women's University & Colleges
- Kōriyama Women's University Junior College
- Open University of Japan, Fukushima Learning Center
Senior high schools
Prefectural
- Asaka High School
- Asaka Mitate Branch High School
- Asaka Reimei High School
- Kōriyama High School
- Kōriyama Higashi High School
- Kōriyama Shōgyō High School
- Kōriyama Kita Kōgyō High School
- Asaka Kaisei High School
- Konan High School
- Kōriyama Hōsei High School
Private
- Tohoku High School of Nihon University
- Shōshi Gakuen Shōshi High School
- Teikyō Asaka High School
- High School affiliated with Kōriyama Women's Colleges
Junior high schools
Public
- Koriyama First Junior High School
- Koriyama Second Junior High School
- Koriyama Third Junior High School
- Koriyama Fourth Junior High School
- Koriyama Fifth Junior High School
- Koriyama Sixth Junior High School
- Koriyama Seventh Junior High School
- Tomita Junior High School
- Asaka Junior High School
- Asaka Second Junior High School
- Ōtsuki Junior High School
- Mihota Junior High School
- Futase Junior High School
- Nishida Junior High School
- Katahira Junior High School
- Kikuta Junior High School
- Midorigaoka Junior High School
- Moriyama Junior High School
- Hiwada Junior High School
- Meiken Junior High School
- Koharada Junior High School
- Kohken Junior High School
- Miyagi Junior High School
- Ose Junior High School
- Konan Junior High School
- Mitate Junior High School
- Takase Junior High School
- Atami Junior High School
Private
- Xaverio Junior High School
People
Mayors
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Sources:[3]
Notable people
- Takeshi Honda - Figure skater
- Toru Iwaya - Mezzotint engraver, painter
- Miki Nagasawa - voice actor
- Toshiyuki Nishida - actor
- Saga(Alice Nine) - musician
- Masashi Ohuchi - Olympic weightlifter[4]
- Satoru Saito - Actor
- Toshio Tamogami - chief of staff of Japan Air Self-Defense Force
- Joji Yuasa - composer
Twinnings
Japanese sister cities
- Nara, Nara (since 5 August 1971)
- Kurume, Fukuoka (since 3 August 1975)
- Tottori, Tottori (since 25 November 2005)
International sister city
- Brummen, Netherlands (since 25 June 1988)
Neighboring municipalities
References
- ^ "Estimated population May 1, 2011". Official Fukushima Prefecture website. Retrieved 29 July 2011.Template:Ja icon
- ^ "Worldwide Offices Japan." Asiana Airlines. Retrieved on January 19, 2009.
- ^ "歴代の郡山市長の一覧" (in Japanese). Retrieved 28 November 2009.
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suggested) (help) - ^ "Masashi Ohuchi Passes On". International Weightlifting Federation. 2011-06-07. Retrieved 2011-06-19.