Toyohashi, Aichi

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Toyohashi ([豊橋市]; -shi) is a city located in Aichi Prefecture, Japan.

As of October 1 2005, the city has an estimated population of 379,830 and a density of 1,413.94 persons per km². The total area is 261.26 km².

The city was founded on August 1, 1906.

Contents

1 Features
2 Administration

2.1 Mayor
2.2 National government

3 Transportation

3.1 Rail
3.2 Roads
3.3 Bus

4 Industry
5 Agriculture
6 Special products
7 Place of interests & ruins
8 Facilities and parks
9 Festivals
10 Educational facilities
11 Media
12 Miscellaneous notes
13 External links

Features

The city is located in the east of Aichi Prefecture, and is the central city of the prefecture's Higashi Mikawa ([東三河]) district. Mikawa Port ([三河港]) is a major port for worldwide trade, and its presence has made Toyohashi an important city as the biggest import and export hub in Japan for automobiles, in volume terms. Compared to other ports around the world, Mikawa is roughly on a par with the German port of Bremerhaven.

The city also has a beach fronting the Pacific Ocean, where sea turtles have been seen laying eggs.

By size, Toyohashi was Aichi Prefecture's second-largest city until March 31, 2005. It was on April 1, 2005 that Toyota city combined with six peripheral municipalites and saw its total population rise above 400,000 people, thus edging ahead of Toyohashi into second place. Meanwhile, Ichinomiya city combined with two peripheral towns and saw its population rise above 370,000, and may soon surpass Toyohashi.

Hamamatsu city is just across the border in Shizuoka Prefecture, and saw large-scale municipal government mergers on July 1, 2005. There is some question as to whether Hamamatsu and Toyohashi might be merged in the future.

Administration

Toyohashi City Office

Mayor

Masaru Hayakawa (1996 -)

National government

Akihiko Yamamoto (Liberal Democratic Party (Japan))

Transportation

Rail

Toyohashi Station

Toyohashi is a station on the Tokaido Shinkansen and the Tokaido Main Line. The Hikari shinkansen stops in Toyohashi Station approximately once a day, and the Kodama shinkansen stops about every two hours. Aside from the Tokaido Shinkansen and Tokaido Main Line, Toyohashi Station is the start of the Iida Line, Meitetsu Nagoya Main Line, Toyohashi Railway Atsumi Line, and the Toyohashi Railway Azumada Line, making it an important transportation hub.

The Toyohashi Railway Azumada Line is a local shiden (市電 "street car") line running north from Ekimae station through Undō Kōen Mae station and Akaiwa station. The Toyohashi Railway Atsumi Line runs along the Atsumi Peninsula.

Roads

Expressway
* Tomei Expressway (Toyokawa IC :Toyokawa city)

National Highways
* Route 1
* Route 23
* Route 42
* Route 151
* Route 259
* Route 362

Bus

Almost all services are operated by Toyohashi Railway Co. (Toyotetsu or Houtetsu).

Industry

Automobiles made by Toyota, Mitsubishi, Suzuki, Daimler-Chrysler, Ford, Audi, Porsche and Volkswagen are imported and exported through Toyohashi. The city acts as the port for approximately 50% of all automobile imports into Japan, and the volume of foreign-car imports is rising annually. Toyohashi was also the top producer of thread and textiles in volume terms during World War II.

Agriculture

Toyohashi is active in growing vegetables such as cabbage, and is also one of the top producers in Japan of quail. The city is a leading agricultural area, producing roughly ¥600 million annually.

Special products

Chikuwa, Gohei rice cake (五平餅 Gohei-mochi), beach fermented soybeans, food boiled down in soy of goby, egg of the quail of production volume Japan one, Toyohashi writing brush (豊橋筆 Toyohashi-fude).

Place of interests & ruins

Toyohashi city public hall

Yoshida castle mark (吉田城址), Urigo ruins (瓜郷遺跡), Toumeidai of Maeshiba, Futagawa inn headquarter data mansion and Toyohashi Itimi technique museum, Watashi of Ushikawa, Toyohashi city public hall (豊橋市公会堂 Toyohashi-shi Kōkaidō) and Akaiwa temple etc...

Facilities and parks

Toyohashi is the self-governing community city in Japan with the most parks.

Toyohashi encompasses a flora and fauna park, Imou swamp, Mikawa Seaside Forest, Kamo Iris Garden, and the Mukaiyama Ume Garden.

Festivals

Toyohashi Festival, Spring Festival, Flower iris Festival, Gion festival, Ogre festival, Akumi joruri performed by manipulating marionettes, festival model of flame.

Educational facilities

Universities

Aichi University
Toyohashi University of Technology
Toyohashi Sozo College

Media

FM Toyohashi(JOZZ6AA-FM, 84.30MHz)
Higashi Aichi Newspaper
Tonichi Newspaper

Miscellaneous notes

The Japanese magazine Toyo Economics new information (東洋経済新報), life, industry, converting the exponent which it diverges such as health, it enters into 5 fingers at statistical numerical value of the town where Japan which has started is easy to live.
It is close, from resident in Toyota city applying in Hamamatsu city, automobile industry focusing on because needs of labor force are high, the foreign migrant worker of the South American type which begins Brazil increases, the number of foreign register people in Toyohashi city as of 2005 June 1st becomes also 18,557.
The terrestrial analog-digital television, NHK-FM, as for FM Aichi and the Toyohashi relay station of ZIP-FM there is Nukata town, the analog digital television of Aichi prefecture being only the UHF antenna, is all viewing possible. In addition before television Aichi establishes, the household which receives the triple television as a name remainder, it is many. At part area the analog digital television of Shizuoka prefecture it is viewing possible by the fact that the UHF-VHF antenna is directed in the Hamamatsu direction, but the household which really directs the antenna to the Hamamatsu direction is little.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to:

[Special]

[Toyohashi official website]

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