Towada, Aomori

Towada 十和田市
City
Oirase Valley in Towada
Flag Seal
Location of Towada in Aomori Prefecture
Towada
Coordinates: 40°36′45.7″N 141°12′21.1″E / 40.612694°N 141.205861°ECoordinates: 40°36′45.7″N 141°12′21.1″E / 40.612694°N 141.205861°E
Country	Japan
Region	Tōhoku
Prefecture	Aomori Prefecture
Government
• - Mayor	Hisashi Oyamada (since January 2009)
Area
• Total	725.65 km^2 (280.18 sq mi)
Population (September 1, 2015)
• Total	63,340
• Density	87.3/km^2 (226/sq mi)
Time zone	Japan Standard Time (UTC+9)
- Tree	Japanese Red Pine
- Flower	Azalea
Phone number	0176-23-5111
Address	6-1 Nishi Jūniban-chō, Towada-shi, Aomori-ken 034-8615
Website	Official website

Towada City Hall

Towada (十和田市 Towada-shi) is a city located in central Aomori Prefecture, in the Tōhoku region of northern Japan. As of September 2015, the city had an estimated population of 63,340 and a population density of 87.3 persons per km². The total area was 725.65 square kilometres (280.18 sq mi).

Geography

Towada is located in the foothills of the Hakkoda Mountains and encompasses the Aomori portion of Lake Towada. The Oirase River passes through the town. The city has a cold maritime climate characterized by cool summers and cold winters with heavy snowfall. Part of the city is within the limits of the Towada-Hachimantai National Park.

Neighbouring municipalities

• Aomori Prefecture
  • Aomori
  • Kamikita District
    • Tōhoku
    • Rokunohe
    • Shichinohe
  • Sannohe District
    • Gonohe
    • Shingō
  • Hirakawa
• Akita Prefectyre
  • Kazuno, Akita
  • Kosaka, Akita

History

The area around present-day Towada was formerly a wasteland known as Sanbongihara (三本木原), which became the location of a colonization and land reclamation project initiated by the Nambu clan of Morioka Domain from 1855. The project was headed by Nitobe Tsutō, the grandfather of Inazō Nitobe. The project was continued by the Meiji government, and the area was designated a ranch area for breeding cavalry horses by the Imperial Japanese Army in 1885. The inclement climate of the area was considered ideal for breeding horses that would be suitable for use in the cold climate areas of Manchuria and Siberia. On September 1, 1910, Sanbongi was designated a town. It was elevated to the status of a city on February 1, 1955. In October 1956, it changed its name to “Towada”.

On January 1, 2005, the town of Towadako (from Kamikita District) was merged into Towada.

Transportation

Rail

The Towada Kankō Electric Railway Line, which had following five stations in the city, was discontinued in 2012:

• Towadashi, Higashino-Danchi, Kōgyōkōkō-mae, Kitasato Daigaku-mae, Takashizu

Highway

• Japan National Route 4
• Japan National Route 45
• Japan National Route 102
• Japan National Route 103
• Japan National Route 394

Local attractions

• Towada-Hachimantai National Park
• Lake Towada
• Oirase River - listed as one of the 100 Soundscapes of Japan by the Japanese Ministry of the Environment ^[1]
• Matsumi Falls - one of "Japan’s Top 100 Waterfalls" ^[2]

Sister city relations

•  Canada - Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada, since 2002 ^[3]

Noted people from Towada

• Koji Kumagai – soccer player

References

1. "100 Soundscapes of Japan". Ministry of the Environment. Retrieved 8 December 2015.
2. Ministry of Environment
3. Lethbridge Twinning Society homepage

External links

• Official website (Japanese)
• Chamber of Commerce website (Japanese)