Ichinoseki, Iwate facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Ichinoseki 一関市
City
Ichinoseki Skyline
Flag Seal
Ichinoseki Location in Japan
Country	Japan
Region	Tōhoku
Prefecture	Iwate
Area
• Total	1,256.42 km2 (485.11 sq mi)
Population  (May 1, 2020)
• Total	114,476
• Density	91.1128/km2 (235.9812/sq mi)
Time zone	Japan Standard Time
Phone number	0191-21-2111
Address	7-2 Takeyama-chō, Ichinoseki-shi, Iwate-ken 021-8501
Climate	Cfa
Symbols Bird Japanese bush-warbler Flower Canola Tree Japanese beech

Ichinoseki City Office

Ichinoseki (一関市 (Ichinoseki-shi)) is a city located in Iwate Prefecture, in the Tōhoku region of northern Japan. As of May 1, 2020, about 114,476 people lived in the city. There were 46,375 households.

Ichinoseki is the second largest city in Iwate Prefecture by population, after Morioka. The city covers a total area of about 1,256.42 square kilometers.

Geography and Location

Ichinoseki is located inland in the southern part of Iwate Prefecture. It is about two hours north of Tokyo by the Tōhoku Shinkansen (a high-speed train).

A very strong type of rock called granite is found deep under the city. This area is being considered as a good place to build a special science project called the International Linear Collider (ILC). This project would help scientists study tiny particles.

Nearby Cities and Towns

Ichinoseki shares borders with several other places:

• In Iwate Prefecture:
  • Ōshū
  • Rikuzentakata
  • Sumita
  • Hiraizumi
• In Miyagi Prefecture:
  • Kesennuma
  • Kurihara
  • Tome
• In Akita Prefecture:
  • Higashinaruse

Climate and Weather

Ichinoseki has a humid subtropical climate. This means it has warm summers and cold winters. The average temperature each year is about 10.9°C.

The city gets about 1248 mm of rain each year. September is usually the wettest month, and January is the driest. August is the warmest month, with temperatures around 24.3°C. January is the coldest, with temperatures around -1.5°C.

Population Changes

Many people in the areas outside the city center are farmers. Because of this, some people from China and the Philippines have moved to Ichinoseki through marriage. This has made the city's population more diverse, even though these new residents are still a small group.

The population of Ichinoseki was highest in the 1950s. Since then, it has slowly decreased. Japan's government has recognized Ichinoseki for its good "digital transformation" and "telework" (working from home) setup. This helps the city deal with its shrinking population.

History of Ichinoseki

The area where Ichinoseki is today has been settled for a very long time, even since the Japanese Paleolithic period (Stone Age). It was once part of an old Japanese province called Mutsu Province.

Over time, different powerful families and clans ruled this area. These included the Abe clan and the Northern Fujiwara clan. Later, during the Sengoku period (a time of civil war), various samurai clans were in charge. Finally, the Date clan took control during the Edo period.

The modern town of Ichinoseki was officially created on April 1, 1889. It became a city on April 1, 1948, when it merged with some nearby towns and villages. Over the years, Ichinoseki grew by absorbing more neighboring towns and villages, especially in 2005 and 2011.

Education in Ichinoseki

Ichinoseki has many schools for students of all ages. The city government runs 29 public elementary schools and 16 public junior high schools. The Iwate Prefectural Board of Education also operates one junior high school and eight public elementary schools.

There is also one private high school and one private junior college in Ichinoseki. For students with special needs, the Prefecture has one special education school.

Junior College

• Shuko Junior College

Transportation

Ichinoseki is a hub for different types of transportation, making it easy to travel to and from the city.

Railway Lines

East Japan Railway Company (JR East) - Tōhoku Shinkansen (Bullet Train)

• Ichinoseki

East Japan Railway Company (JR East) - Tōhoku Main Line

• Yushima - Hanaizumi - Shimizuhara - (Arikabe) - Ichinoseki - Yamanome

East Japan Railway Company (JR East) - Ōfunato Line

• Ichinoseki - Mataki - Rikuchū-Kanzaki - Iwanoshita- Rikuchū-Matsukawa - Geibikei - Shibajuku - Surisawa - Senmaya - Konashi - Yagoshi - Orikabe - Niitsuki

Highways

• Tōhoku Expressway
• National Route 4
• National Route 284
• National Route 342
• National Route 343
• National Route 346
• National Route 456
• National Route 457

Fun Places to Visit

Geibikei Gorge, Ichinoseki

Ichinoseki has many interesting places to explore:

• Hiraizumi is a very important historical site located right next to Ichinoseki. It has ancient temples and gardens. Ichinoseki station is a good starting point to visit Hiraizumi.
• Geibikei is a beautiful river gorge. You can take a ride in traditional flat-bottomed boats. The boat guides even sing songs as they steer!
• Genbikei is another popular river area. It has amazing cliffs carved by nature.
• The Honederamura Shōen ruins are an important historical site. They show what an old Japanese estate looked like.

Sister Cities

Ichinoseki has special relationships with other cities, both in Japan and around the world. These are called "sister cities" or "friendship cities."

International Sister City

• Central Highlands Regional Council, Queensland, Australia.

Friendship Cities in Japan

• Miharu (Fukushima Prefecture)
• Kesennuma (Miyagi Prefecture)
• Tanabe (Wakayama Prefecture)
• Yoshikawa (Saitama Prefecture)

Famous People from Ichinoseki

Many talented people have come from Ichinoseki:

• Miyagiyama Fukumatsu, a famous sumo wrestler
• Keiko Fuji, a singer and actress
• Shota Kimura, a baseball player
• Ayaka Komatsu, a model and actress
• Takahira Kogorō, a diplomat (someone who represents their country)
• Masato Onodera, a professional wrestler
• Shota Onodera, a basketball player
• Yuumi Shida, a model and actress

See also

In Spanish: Ichinoseki para niños