Okazaki, Aichi

From Freepedia

Okazaki (岡崎市)
Country	Japan
Region	Tokai
Prefecture	Aichi
Area	226.97km²
Population	355,359 as of 2005
Density	1565.67
Mayor	Koichi Shibata
City symbols	Tree:	Wisteria
	Flower:	Black Pine
Image:Okazakisymbol.jpg
Okazaki Hall
Address	〒444-8601
Okazaki-shi, Juuou-machi 2-9
Phone	0564-23-6495
External link	Okazaki City
Latitude & longitude	34°57' N 137°10' E
Image:Okazaki.png
Notes

Okazaki (岡崎市; -shi) is a city located in Aichi Prefecture (愛知県/Aichi-ken) on the main island (本州/Honshū) of Japan (日本/Nihon).

1 History
2 Language
3 Demographics
4 Transportation
5 Art and Culture
- 5.1 Okazaki Castle
- 5.2 Fireworks
6 Sister Cities
7 External links

History

The city was founded on July 1, 1916, and was designated as a core city (中核市/chūkakushi) in April 2003. On January 1, 2006, Okazaki will annex the neighboring town of Nukata (額田町; -chō ). Okazaki enjoys a long history, and a special notoriety for being the birthplace of Tokugawa Ieyasu (徳川家康), who was the founder of the Tokugawa Shogunate (徳川幕府/Tokugawa Bakufu), a military dictatorship that ruled Japan from 1600 until the Meiji Restoration (明治維新/Meiji ishin) in 1868.

Language

While the local Mikawa dialect (三河弁/Mikawa-ben) is generally indistinguishable from what is considered modern, standard Japanese, there are very subtle differences; however, differences are much more apparent in nearby Nagoya, with the Nagoya dialect (名古屋弁/Nagoya-ben).

Demographics

As of April 2005, the city had an estimated population of 355,359, of which approximately 9,500 being foreign nationals, and a density of 1565.67 persons per km². On January 1, 2006, Okazaki will annex the neighboring town of Nukata, which, as of December 2004, had an estimated population of 9,508, and a density of 59.32 persons per km².

Transportation

Okazaki is located on the JR Tokaido Shinkansen (JR東海道新幹線/JR Tōkaidō Shinkansen) line; it can also be reached by the JR Tokaido Main Line (JR東海道本線/JR Tōkaidō Honsen) or the Meitetsu Nagoya Main Line (名鉄名古屋本線/Meitetsu Nagoya Honsen). Okazaki is of course also accessible by an number of roads, and driving/traffic conditions are comparable to that of an average urban/sub-urban American city; not at all as cumbersome as driving in Tokyo (東京/Tōkyō).

Art and Culture

While Okazaki's tourist facilities lack in comparison to other major cities in Japan (i.e. Tokyo, Kyoto (京都/Kyōto), Osaka (大阪/Ōsaka), etc), Okazaki nonetheless has a wide variety of historical sites, museums and festivals that shouldn't be missed.

Okazaki Castle

Okazaki Castle was originally built in 1455 by a warrior named Saigo Tsugiyori. Though the castle changed hands, and even locations, it stood tall and still from 1617 for the next 260 years, until when the new Meiji Government came into power, and ordered all castle-buildings demolished. In 1959 it was reconstructed to its original style and specifications.

Image:Okazakijo2.jpg

Fireworks

Aside from Tokugawa Ieyasu, Okazaki is also well-known, and perhaps most famous for, its fireworks (花火/hanabi). The Tokugawa Shogunate restricted production of gunpowder outside of its immediate region (with few exceptions), and even today, more than seventy percent (70%) of Japan's fireworks are designed and manufactured here. A large fireworks festival, which people from all over Japan come to see, is held annually on the first Saturday in August in the area surrounding Okazaki Castle.