Ōarai, Ibaraki
Ōarai
大洗町 | |
|---|---|
 Ōarai town hall | |
 Flag  Seal | |
 Location of Ōarai in Ibaraki Prefecture | |
  Ōarai | |
| Coordinates: 36°18′48″N 140°34′29.5″E / 36.31333°N 140.574861°E | |
| Country | Japan |
| Region | Kantō |
| Prefecture | Ibaraki Prefecture |
| District | Higashiibaraki |
| Area | |
| • Total | 23.74 km2 (9.17 sq mi) |
| Population (September 2015) | |
| • Total | 16,823 |
| • Density | 709/km2 (1,840/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC+9 (Japan Standard Time) |
| - Tree | Pine |
| - Flower | Azalea |
| - Bird | Common gull |
| Phone number | 029-288-3111 |
| Address | 6881-275 Isohamacho, Ōarai-machi, Higashiibaraki-gun, Ibaraki-ken 311-1392 |
| Website | http://www.town.oarai.lg.jp/ |
Ōarai (大洗町, Ōarai-machi) is a town located in Ibaraki Prefecture, Japan. As of September 2015, the town had an estimated population of 16,823, and a population density of 709 persons per km². Its total area is 23.74 km². The Japan Atomic Energy Agency operates a research center in Ōarai with a number of nuclear research reactors, including the Jōyō and High-temperature engineering test reactor facilities.
Geography
Located on the coast of central Ibaraki Prefecture, Ōarai is bordered by the Pacific Ocean to the east. The Naka River flows through the town. Ōarai and Sun Beach bathing beaches were first to introduce barrier-free bathing beaches for the disabled in Japan.
Surrounding municipalities
History
The villages of Isohama and Ōnuki within Higashiibaraki District and the village of Natsumi within Kashima District were created with the establishment of the municipalities system on April 1, 1889. Ōnuki was elevated to town status on January 26, 1894. Ōnuki and Isohama merged on November 3, 1954 to create the town of Ōarai. A portion of Natsumi was annexed by Ōarai on July 23, 1955.
In 1928, Nisshō Inoue, the founder of the far-right militant organization Ketsumeidan (血盟団, League of Blood), relocated to Ōarai, where he established Risshō Gokokudō (立正護国堂, Righteous National Defense Temple), which served as a youth training center advocating a militarist revolution in Japan.
Since 1998 the chief of a factory association in Oarai has invited Japanese descendants and migrants from North Sulawesi, Indonesia, to work for seafood industries.[1] A majority of the Indonesians inhabitants was later arrested for being undocumented.[1]
Economy
The nuclear industry and government largess form the basis of the local economy. Main agricultural products include rice, sweet potatoes and Japanese radish. Main fishery products include whitebait, sardines, flounder and clams. Marine food processing includes salted and dried horse mackerel, smelt and sardines and boiled octopus.
Education
- Ōarai has two elementary schools, two middle schools and one high school.
Transportation
Train
Highway
Seaport
- Port of Ōarai (A ferry company operates two ferries to Tomakomai, Hokkaidō, a day)
Local attractions
Ōarai attracts 3 million visitors a year. Tourist attractions include bathing beaches, yacht and cruiser marina, marine sports, camping site, fishing, aquarium, and a famous golf course. It is known for its monkfish.[2]
- Oarai Beach
- Aqua World (formerly Oarai Aquarium)
- Oarai Marine Tower
- Oarai Sea Museum
- Oarai Museum of Art
- Oarai Museum of Bakumatsu-Meiji History
- "Kurumazuka-kofun" and "Kagamizuka-kofun"
- Ōarai Isozaki Jinja
In addition, the city has become an anime pilgrimage location due to being the setting for the popular franchise Girls Und Panzer, which pretty much every shop having some reference to the show somewhere.
Noted people from Ōarai
- Kei Igawa – professional baseball player
- Hiromoto Okubo – professional baseball player
In popular culture
The main characters of the animated series Girls und Panzer study in a huge ship originally based in Ōarai. Real locations in the city are depicted faithfully, prompting fans to visit the town and giving a boost to local commerce. [3]
References
- ^ a b https://www.mdpi.com/2076-0760/7/12/268/htm
- ^ "Monkfish Hot Pot - あんこう鍋". WASHOKU@KITCHEN Blog. Wordpress. 13 February 2015. Retrieved 6 May 2015.
- ^ "Oarai, Home of Girls und Panzer". Infinite Mirai Blog. Wordpress. 14 January 2017. Retrieved 14 January 2017.
External links
Media related to Ōarai, Ibaraki at Wikimedia Commons- Official Website (in Japanese)
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