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| Ōita City 大分市 |
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| Ōita City's location in Ōita Prefecture, Japan. | |
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| Ōita City's location in Japan. | |
| Location | |
| Country | Japan |
| Region | Kyūshū |
| Prefecture | Ōita Prefecture |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Area | 501.25 km2 (193.53 sq mi) |
| Population (as of 2008) | |
| Total | 467,267 |
| Density | 932 /km2 (2,414 /sq mi) |
| Location | Coordinates: |
| Symbols | |
 Flag |
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| Ōita City Government Office | |
| Address | 2-31 Niage-machi, Ōita-shi, Ōita-ken 870-8504 |
| Phone number | 097-534-6111 |
| Official website: City of Ōita | |
Ōita (大分市 Ōita-shi?) is the capital city of Ōita Prefecture located on the island of Kyūshū, Japan.
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Demographics and Geography
Ōita is the most populous city in Ōita Prefecture. As of 2008, the city has an estimated population of 467,267 and a population density of 932 persons per km².
The total area of the city, after the merger with Town of Notsuharu and Town of Saganoseki on January 1, 2005, is 501.25 km².
The city is bordered by City of Beppu to the northwest, City of Yufu to the west, City of Taketa to the southwest, City of Bungo-ōno to the south, and City of Usuki to the southeast. The north of the city faces the Seto Inland Sea.
Economy
During the 1960s and 1970s, an industrial region was formed along the Beppu Gulf coast. Among the plants in the region were flagship plants of Nippon Steel and Showa Denko. The blast furnaces of Nippon Steel Ōita Plant are one of the biggest blast furnaces in the world.
In the 1970s, Toshiba and Canon built and expanded their plants in inland area. By then, the city emerged as a major production center of electronics products such as LSIs and digital cameras.
The downtown and shopping districts are located to the north of Oita Station. Recently, however, the area has been gradually declining in power, because the main commercial areas have been dispersed due to the construction of big shopping malls in the suburbs.
History
The Ōita area is historically known as Funai (府内?), the capital of Bungo (豊後?).
During the Sengoku period (15th - 16th century), the powerful Ōtomo clan based in Funai and the area prospered as a key port of trade with Portugal and Ming Dynasty China. Ōtomo Sōrin, a famous Christian Daimyo, first introduced western culture. It was in Funai that the first western style hospital was built and the first Japanese choir was formed.
Landmarks and points of interest
Takasaki mountain (高崎山) that borders Beppu is famous for wild monkeys, specifically the Japanese Macaque.
At the entrance to the Takasaki-yama park is the "Marine Palace" aquarium, also known as "Umi Tamago", or "Sea Egg".
The Ōita Stadium, also known as Big Eye or Kyushu Oil Dome, is situated along the city expressway. It is the home field of the J. League football club Oita Trinita and is used for large local events.
In the middle of the city, there are many shops and department stores. Some major departmental stores include Tokiwa, Parco, Frespo Kasugaura, and D Plaza. There are also shopping malls in the suburbs, such as Tokiwa Wasada Town and Park Place Oita.
Outside the city, scenic spots include mountain plateaus, seaside villages and towns renowned for onsen (geothermal hot springs).
Ōita is also famous for the intestines of puffer fish (河豚 fugu?). Ōita is believed to be the only place to serve puffer fish intestines in the world, although they are forbidden by law.1
Transportation
The principal railway station of the city is Ōita Station where Nippō Main Line, Kyudai Main Line, and Hohi Main Line of JR Kyushu gathers.
Buses are the primary mode of transportation in Oita, run by two main bus service companies. The Oita Bus Company operates bus routes in the city. The Oita Kotsu Company runs north of the city. For long distance bus services, these two companies, as well as Kamenoi Bus Company operate bus routes from Oita to main place of Kyushu, such as Fukuoka and Kumamoto, and Osaka, Tokyo and more.
Oita Airport is located nearby, at Kunisaki, and can be reached by hovercraft, which takes about 30 minutes. This is the fastest way to the airport as rail and bus services take much longer.
The Oita Expressway, Higashi-Kyushu Expressway, Japan National Route 10 and Japan National Route 210 all run through the city.
Many ships depart from the Port of Oita, to places such as Kansai, and Shikoku.
Sports
Annual sporting events include:
- Beppu-Oita Mainichi Marathon
- The Kyūshū Ekiden, beginning in Nagasaki and ending in Fukuoka, the world's longest relay race.
Sporting events held in Oita include:
- 1966 National Sports Festival of Japan
- 2001 Kirin Cup
- 2002 FIFA World Cup
- 2003, 2006, 2007 Kirin Challenge Cup
- 2005 J. League All-Star Soccer
Sports teams and facilities
| Club | Sports | League | Venue | Established |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oita Trinita | Football | J. League Division 1 |
Ōita Stadium | 1994(year of starting as Oita Trinity, changed to current name from 1999) |
| Vasagey Oita | Futsal | F. League | Oita Prefectual General Gymnasium | 2003 |
| Oita Miyoshi Weisse Adler | Volleyball | V.League | TOTO Oita factory gymnasium | 1996(year of starting as Miyoshi Department of Cardiology EKG, changed to current name from 2006) |
Education
Oita City operates all public elementary and junior high schools, while the prefecture operates the high schools.
- National Universities
- Oita University (大分大学)
- Prefectural University
- Oita University of Nursing and Health Sciences (大分県立看護科学大学)
- Private Universities
- Nippon Bunri University (日本文理大学)
- Beppu University - Oita Campus (別府大学大分キャンパス)
Famous People from Ōita
See also Category:People from Ōita (city).
- Akira Nishikino, singer
- Atsuhiro Miura, football player
- Chiyotaikai Ryūji, sumo wrestler
- Daisuke Miyazaki, handball player
- Eri Fukatsu, actress
- Kiyoshi Imaizumi, rugby player
- Kosetsu Minami, singer
- Naomi Zaizen, actress
- Seiichi Uchikawa, baseball player
- Shigeichi Nagano, photographer
- Teppei Tsuchiya, baseball player
- Tomiichi Murayama, 81st Prime Minister of Japan
- Yūko Kotegawa, actress
- Yūsuke Santamaria, tarento
- Yuya Ando, baseball player
Sister Cities
Aveiro, Portugal (1978)
Wuhan, People's Republic of China (1979)
Austin, Texas, United States (1990)- Guangzhou, People's Republic of China (1997)
Asia Pacific University
References
- ^ [] (Japanese)
External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Oita, Oita |
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| Cities | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Beppu | Bungotakada | Bungo-ōno | Hita | Kitsuki | Kunisaki | Nakatsu | Ōita (capital) | Saiki | Taketa | Tsukumi | Usa | Usuki | Yufu | |||
| Districts | |||
| Hayami | Higashikunisaki | Kusu | |||
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Wikipedia content modification information:
- This page was last modified on 31 December 2008, at 01:38.
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