Tsuchiura

Tsuchiura 土浦市
City
Upper: Kijo Park Middle:Tsuchiura Castle, Tsuchiura Station Lower:Skyline
Flag Seal
Location of Tsuchiura in Ibaraki Prefecture
Tsuchiura
Coordinates:
Country	Japan
Region	Kantō
Prefecture	Ibaraki Prefecture
Area
• Total	122.89 km2 (47.45 sq mi)
Population (September 2015)
• Total	141,181
• Density	1,150/km2 (3,000/sq mi)
Time zone	Japan Standard Time (UTC+9)
- Tree	Populus, Zelkova serrata
- Flower	Sakura
- Bird	Great reed warbler
Phone number	029-826-1111
Address	1-20-35 Shimotakatsu,Tsuchiura-shi, Ibaraki-ken 300-0812
Website	Official website

Tsuchiura city hall

Tsuchiura (土浦市, Tsuchiura-shi) is a city located in Ibaraki Prefecture, in the northern Kantō region of Japan. As of September 2015, the city had an estimated population of 141,181 and a population density of 1510 persons per km². Its total area was 122.89  km². About 2,000 residents are non-Japanese, including a large proportion of Brazilians, Koreans and Chinese.

Geography

Located in southwestern Ibaraki Prefecture, Tsuchiura is situated along the western shores of Lake Kasumigaura, the second largest lake in Japan. The Tokyo metropolis lies about 60 km to the south, and Tsukuba science city borders Tsuchiura to the west.

Surrounding municipalities

• Ibaraki Prefecture
  • Ushiku
  • Tsukuba
  • Kasumigaura
  • Ishioka
  • Ami

History

Premodern era

Human settlement in the Tsuchiura area dates to the Japanese Paleolithic period, Hunter-gatherers inhabited the coastal area of the Pacific Ocean (now Lake Kasumigaura) forming large shell middens, examples of which can be seen at the Kamitakatsu archeological site. Locals began wet-rice cultivation and develop iron and bronze technology during the Yayoi period and in the Kofun period numerous Burial mounds were constructed in the area. During the Nara period the area was organized under the [Code of Taiho|Taihō Code]] with what is now Tsuchiura occupying four districts of Hitachi Province. In the Heian period, In 939, Taira no Masakado lead an uprising against the central government by attacking the provincial capital at Ishioka, a few kilometers to the north of Tsuchiura. During the Kamakura period and Sengoku period, the area was dominated by several samurai clans During the Edo period, parts of what is now Tsuchiura was administered as a castle town by Tsuchiura Domain, one of the feudal domains of the Tokugawa shogunate. The area prospered due to its position on the Mito Kaido, a highway connecting Edo with Mito and with a canal connecting Lake Kasumigaura to Edo Bay.

Modern period

With the creation of the municipalities system after the Meiji Restoration on April 1, 1889, the town of Tsuchiura was established within Ibaraki Prefecture. In 1895 railroad service was started in Tsuchiura. The Gothic Revival architecture of the old junior high school from this period can be seen at the Daiichi high school. Tsuchiura was elevated to city status when the towns of Manabe and Tsuchiura were merged on November 3, 1940. The city suffered damage during an air raid on June 10, 1945 in World War II. On September 1, 1951, Tsuchiura absorbed parts of the village of Asahi (on the shores of Arakawa) and absorbed the village of Towa. The city later absorbed the village of Kamiotsu on November 1, 1954. On February 20, 2006, the village of Niihari (from Niihari District) was merged into Tsuchiura.

Government

The city is managed by the mayor’s office and the city council, essentially a mayor-council government. The mayor is elected through a citywide election and the city council are elected from their respective districts. The mayor’s office is made up of the Mayor, Kiyoshi Nakagawa (中川清), Deputy Mayor, Hiroyuki Takigasaki (瀧ヶ崎ひろゆき), and Treasurer, Hideaki Goto (五頭英明). And the 46-member city council is headed by Chairperson Akira Orimoto (折本明). Tsuchiura’s political system is similar to other cities in Japan, as the Local Autonomy Law makes all municipalities uniform in terms of power and organization.

Education

• Tsukuba International University
• Tsuchiura has 19 elementary schools, eight public and two private middle schools, and five public and four private high schools. It also has one special education school.

Transportation

Railway

• JR East – Jōban Line
  • Arakawaoki - Tsuchiura - Kandatsu - Niihari

Highway

• Jōban Expressway – Sakura-Tsuchiura IC, Tsuchiura-Kita IC
• Japan National Route 6
• Japan National Route 125
• Japan National Route 354

Sister city relations

• – Palo Alto, California, USA, since 2009
• – Friedrichshafen, Germany, since 1994

Local attractions

• site of Tsuchiura Castle
• Tsuchiura National Fireworks Competition

Noted people from Tsuchiura

• Kazuhiko Nishijima, physicist
• Takeshi Terauchi, musician
• Chiaki Kuriyama, actress
• Haruma Miura, actor, singer
• Mari Iijima, singer-songwriter
• Junko Minagawa, voice actress
• Nobuo Fujita, IJN aviator
• Tomoko Fukumi, judoka
• Takayasu Akira, sumo wrestler

External links

Media related to at Wikimedia Commons

• Official website (Japanese)
• Tsuchiura City official website (English)
• Google Maps 140 12E,36 04N
• Information about Tsuchiura Castle
• Guide from local English-language publication Alien Times
• World 66 Travel Guide
• Japan National Tourist Organization guide
• MSN Weather for Tsuchiura
• Meteorological Data