Toride, Ibaraki

Takahagi 取手市
City
Toride city hall
Flag Seal
Location of Toride in Ibaraki Prefecture
Takahagi
Coordinates: 35°54′41.4″N 140°3′1.3″E / 35.911500°N 140.050361°ECoordinates: 35°54′41.4″N 140°3′1.3″E / 35.911500°N 140.050361°E
Country	Japan
Region	Kantō
Prefecture	Ibaraki Prefecture
Government
• Mayor	Shingo Fujii (since May 2007)
Area
• Total	69.94 km^2 (27.00 sq mi)
Population (September 2015)
• Total	106,691
• Density	1,530/km^2 (4,000/sq mi)
Time zone	Japan Standard Time (UTC+9)
- Tree	Osmanthus and Bay laurel
- Flower	Azalea and Wisteria
- Bird	Ural owl and Common kingfisher
Phone number	0297-74-2141
Address	5139 Terada, Toride-shi, Ibaraki-ken 302-8585
Website	Official website

Toride (取手市 Toride-shi) is a city located in Ibaraki Prefecture, in the northern Kantō region of Japan. As of September 2015, the city had an estimated population of 106,691 and a population density of 1530 persons per km². Its total area was 69.94  km². ^[1]

Geography

Located in southern Ibaraki Prefecture, Toride is bordered by Chiba Prefecture to the south. The Tone River passes along the southern border of Toride, which also marks the Ibaraki/Chiba border. It is approximately 40 kilometers from central Tokyo.

Surrounding municipalities

• Ibaraki Prefecture
  • Tsukubamirai
  • Hitachi
  • Moriya
  • Ryūgasaki
  • Tone
• Chiba Prefecture
  • Abiko
  • Kashiwa

History

Toride developed in the Edo period as a post town on the Mito Kaido highway connecting Edo with Mito. Toride town was created with the establishment of the municipalities system on April 1, 1889. It was elevated to city status on October 1, 1970. On March 28, 2005, the neighboring town of Fujishiro (from Kitasōma District) was merged into Toride, nearly doubling its size.

Economy

Due to its proximity to Tokyo, Toride is increasingly a bedroom community for the Tokyo metropolis.

Education

Takahagi has ten public and one private elementary schools, six public and two private middle schools and five public and two private high schools. In addition, the Tokyo University of the Arts maintains a campus at Toride.

Transportation

Train

• JR East – Jōban Line
  • Toride - Fujishiro
• Kantō Railway - Jōsō Line
  • Toride - Nishi-Toride - Terahara - Shin-Toride - Yumemino - Inatoi - Togashira

Highway

• Japan National Route 6
• Japan National Route 294

Sister city relations

• – Guilin, China
• – Yuba City, California, USA

References

1. Toride official home page

External links

Media related to Toride, Ibaraki at Wikimedia Commons

• Official website (Japanese)