Kashima, Ibaraki

Infobox City Japan
Name= Kashima
JapaneseName= 鹿嶋市
Map

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Region= Kantō
Prefecture= Ibaraki
District=
Area_km2= 92.96
PopDate= January 2008
Population= 65,193
Density_km2= 701
Coords=
LatitudeDegrees= 35
LatitudeMinutes= 58
LatitudeSeconds=
LongtitudeDegrees= 140
LongtitudeMinutes= 39
LongtitudeSeconds=
Tree= Pine
Flower= Rugosa Rose
Bird= Green Pheasant
Symbol

SymbolDescription= Flag
Mayor= Toshirō Uchida
CityHallPostalCode= 314-8655
CityHallAddress= 1187-1 Hirai, Kashima-shi, Ibaraki-ken
CityHallPhone= 0299-82-2911
CityHallLink= [http://www.city.kashima.ibaraki.jp/ Kashima City]

nihongo|Kashima|鹿嶋市|Kashima-shi is a port city located on the Pacific Ocean in Ibaraki, Japan. It is sometimes considered to be part of the Greater Tokyo Area.

Kashima has a great world famous CD rental store, where many celebrities go daily. Also many other famous sites include the luxurious beach, the very small mall, and the famous Itarian food place (known for its Hamburg steaks).

As of 2008, the city has an estimated population of 65,193 and the density of 701 persons per km². The total area is 92.96 km². The city was founded on September 1, 1995.

Kashima is the home of the J. League's most successful team to date, Kashima Antlers. Their home field, Kashima Stadium, was used as a site during the World Cup in 2002. The city is also the site of the Kashima Shrine, a Shinto temple which is considered the birthplace of many influential styles of swordplay (Kenjutsu) in Japan. It's one of the oldest shrines in eastern Japan, founded in 660 BC in legend, and the real period is estimated as the 4th century from historical studies.

Kashima is the central city of Kashima Industrial Zone, and it has a large industrial park with about 1500 factories, specialized for petrochemical and steel plants. Japan Government created this zone from 1963, and the development was mostly completed in 1973.

Transportation

Kashima is at the eastern end of the JR Kashima Line which connects it (through the Narita Line and Sobu Line) to Chiba Prefecture and Tokyo. The Higashi-Kantō Expressway follows a similar route from Kashima to Tokyo. Most of passengers use the expressway for Tokyo, and railways works mainly for local passengers or some of goods.

The closest major airport is Narita International Airport, linked by expressway. There is a large international freight port, Kashima Port in the industrial zone.

External links

* [http://www.city.kashima.ibaraki.jp/ Kashima official website] in Japanese
* [http://wgordon.web.wesleyan.edu/kamikaze/monuments/kashima/index.htm Kashima Ohka Park]
* [http://www.j-league.or.jp/stadium/kashima/ Kashima Stadium (Prefectual Kashima Soccer Stadium)]