Kitakata, Fukushima

Infobox City Japan
Name= Kitakata
JapaneseName= 喜多方市
Map

Region= Tōhoku
Prefecture= Fukushima
District=
Area_km2= 554.67
PopDate= January 2008
Population= 54,684
Density_km2= 98.6
Coords=
LatitudeDegrees= 37
LatitudeMinutes= 39
LatitudeSeconds=
LongtitudeDegrees= 139
LongtitudeMinutes= 52
LongtitudeSeconds=
Tree= Iide Cryptomeria
Flower= Himesayuri (Lilium rubellum)
Bird= Wagtail
Fish= Three-spined stickleback
Others=Insect: Firefly
Symbol
!border
SymbolDescription= Flag
Mayor= Hideo Shirai
CityHallPostalCode= 966-8601
CityHallAddress= 7244-2 Oshimizuhigashi, Kitakata-shi, Fukushima-ken
CityHallPhone= 0241-24-5211
CityHallLink= [http://www.city.kitakata.fukushima.jp/ Kitakata City]

Kitakata (喜多方市; -shi) is a city located in Fukushima, in northern Honshū, Japan. Kitakata was once written '北方', which meant 'northern place'. [Fukushima Today & Tomorrow, page 18]

As of 2008, the city has an estimated population of 54,684. The total area is 554.67km²

The city was founded on March 31, 1954.

The city is well-known for its distinctive ramen. The area within its former city boundaries has the highest per-capita number of ramen establishments in Japan. Ramen has such prominence in the region that locally, the word "soba" usually refers to ramen, and not to actual soba which is referred to as "nihon soba" ("Japanese soba"). Kitakata's ramen consists of rather thick, flat, curly noodles served in a pork and niboshi broth.

The municipality has recently introduced the use of lacquerware in school meals served in the city, as a precaution against possible endocrine disruptors which may be present in common chemicals.

In 1882, more than 3,000 peasants gathered at the Danjo-ga-hara Field in Shiokawa and then marched on the Kitakata Police Station to rebel against the oppression of the prefectural government. Known as the Kitakata Incident of 1882, it was the first people's rights movement in the Tohoku area. [Fukushima Today & Tomorrow, page 18]

On January 4, 2006, the towns of Shiokawa and Yamato and the villages of Atsushiokanou and Takasato (all from Yama District) merged into the city of Kitakata.

Notes

References

External links

* [http://www.city.kitakata.fukushima.jp/ Kitakata official website] in Japanese