Ōnojō, Fukuoka

Ōnojō 大野城市
—  City  —
Flag
Location of Ōnojō in Fukuoka
Ōnojō
Coordinates: 33°32′N 130°29′E / 33.533°N 130.483°E / 33.533; 130.483Coordinates: 33°32′N 130°29′E / 33.533°N 130.483°E / 33.533; 130.483
Country	Japan
Region	Kyūshū
Prefecture	Fukuoka
Government
– Mayor	Muneji Imoto
Area
– Total	26.88 km2 (10.4 sq mi)
Population (April 2008)
– Total	93,822
– Density	3,490/km2 (9,039.1/sq mi)
Time zone	Japan Standard Time (UTC+9)
City symbols
- Tree	Round Leaf Holly
- Flower	Chinese bellflower
Phone number	092-501-2211
Address	2-2-1, Akebonomachi, Ōnojō-shi, Fukuoka-ken 816-8510
Website	City of Ōnojō

Ōnojō (大野城市, Ōnojō-shi^?) is an area located in Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan. Its name is made up of the kanji for 'big', 'field', and 'castle'. It is mostly a southern suburb of the city of Fukuoka, and has a border to the northwest with the Hakata-ku area of the city. It also shares borders with Dazaifu and Kasuga, Umi, Chikushino, Nakagawa and Shime. The border with Umi is marked by the summit of Otoganayama at 268 metres above sea level, a wide expanse of deciduous and bamboo forest, uninhabited except by the occasional snake. The Mikasa river flows through Ōnojō on its way to Hakata bay, with some of its tributaries such as Cow neck river originating in the mountains in the south. Ducks, turtles, egrets and Japanese Wagtails can be seen in or around the river, depending on the season.

As of 2008, the city has an estimated population of 93,822 and a population density of 3,490 persons per km². The total area is 26.88 km². The city was founded on April 1, 1972. The city flower is the Chinese bellflower, known in Japanese as kikyō.

JR Kyushu has a railway station named Ōnojō, five stops south of Hakata Station on the Kagoshima Main Line. The Nishitetsu Tenjin Ōmuta Line also serves the area, as do Nishitetsu buses.

There is a Daimonji festival in September, near the Madokapia culture centre, library and city office. Like other parts of Fukuoka, homeless people can be found sleeping in some of the parks. It has areas devoted to the mizu shobai. It also has many Shinto shrines and Buddhist temples.

At the beginning of the 21st century the area has seen continued real estate development partly due to good infrastructure, unlike more rural parts of the prefecture. Major retailers Seiyu Group[1] and Aeon have stores here, as do several conbini chains. However in summer 2009 very heavy rain led to a mudslide, killing 2 people on the Kyushu Expressway.

Musician Aska is from Ōnojō, as is baseball player Yuichi Honda.

The city has a comprehensive recycling policy, but deforestation is continuing in 2011.

External links

• Onojo official website in English