Hatsukaichi, Hiroshima

Hatsukaichi
Hatsukaichi ; 廿日市市
	City
	Top:Hayatani Shrine, Itsukushima Shrine, Bottom:Movnt Aki Kanmuri, Memorial sourse in Yuhama Spa, Oze River Dam (all item of left to right)
	Flag Emblem
	Location of Hatsukaichi in Hiroshima Prefecture
	Hatsukaichi Location in Japan
	Coordinates: 34°21′N 132°20′E
Country	Japan
Region	Chūgoku (San'yō)
Prefecture	Hiroshima Prefecture
First official recorded	middle 5th century
City Settled	April 1, 1988
Government
• Mayor	Katsuhiro Shinno
Area
• Total	489.36 km2 (188.94 sq mi)
Population (September 1, 2016)
• Total	117,106
• Density	239.36/km2 (619.9/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+09:00 (JST)
City hall address	1-11-1 Shimohera, Hatsukaichi-shi, Hiroshima-ken.; 738-8501
Website	www.city.hatsukaichi.hiroshima.jp
	Symbols
Flower	Satsuki azalea
Tree	Sakura

Hatsukaichi (廿日市市, Hatsukaichi-shi) is a city of some 120,000 people located in Hiroshima Prefecture, Japan. The name derives from a market traditionally held on the 20th of each month with hatsuka (廿日) meaning "20th day" and ichi (市) translating to "market". The market continues to this day on a small scale featuring fresh, locally grown vegetables and foodstuffs.

Hatsukaichi City hall

Following the absorption of the nearby towns of Ōno and Miyajima on November 3, 2005 (as of September 1, 2016), Hatsukaichi has a population density of 239.36 persons per km². The total land area stands at 489.36 km².

History

The name "Hatsuka-ichi" was from the ichi on the 20th of every month from Kamakura Period.
"Hatsukaichi-machi", Saeki District, Hiroshima was founded on April 1, 1889.
The city "Hatsukaichi" was founded on April 1, 1988.
On March 1, 2003, the town of Saeki and the village of Yoshiwa, both from Saeki District, merged into the expanded city of Hatsukaichi.
On November 3, 2005, the towns of Miyajima and Ōno (both from Saeki District) were merged into Hatsukaichi. Therefore, Saeki District was dissolved as a result of this merger.

Education

Points of interest

Itsukushima Shrine - an UNESCO World Heritage Site on the island of Itsukushima (also known as Miyajima) - one of the three most beautiful sites in Japan.
Marine Plaza Miyajima - an aquarium on Miyajima
Miyajima Natural Botanical Garden
Miyao Castle ruins, site of the Battle of Miyajima (1555)
Miyajima Underwater Firework Festival, held in mid-August[1]

Torii Gate in Itsukushima Shrine

Hatsukaichi City is considered to be the birthplace of kendama, a traditional Japanese toy.

Miyajima

Transportation

Hatsukaichi can be accessed from Hiroshima city via the JR West Sanyo Line; on the Hiroden streetcar services' Miyajima Line; as well as by buses and boats.
JR Miyajima Ferry and Miyajima Matsudai Kisen connect between Miyajimaguchi and Miyajima.

Sister cities

Hatsukaichi has Sister City relationships with:

Masterton, New Zealand
Mont Saint-Michel, France

References

"Miyajima Water Fireworks Display". Retrieved July 20, 2012.

External links

Hatsukaichi city official website (in Japanese)
Le Mont Saint-Michel (in French)
The 150 year anniversary of France and Japan in 2008 (in French)
Geographic data related to Hatsukaichi, Hiroshima at OpenStreetMap

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[1] "Miyajima Water Fireworks Display". Retrieved July 20, 2012.