Coordinates: 35°19′N 139°21′E
Hiratsuka, Kanagawa
平塚市 Hiratsuka ( Hiratsuka-shi) is a city located in Hiratsuka Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan. 平塚市 As of April 1, 2017 , the city has an estimated Special city population of 257 ,87 7 , with 109,020 households,[1] and a population density of 3,800 persons per km². The total area is 67 .88 km².[2]
Contents Geography Surrounding municipalities History Economy Hiratsuka City Transportation Railway Highway
Tourist attractions Sister cities Flag Notable people from Hiratsuka Seal References External links
Geography
Hiratsuka is located on the western Kantō Plain midway between Tokyo and Mount Fuji, and has a 5- kilometer coastline in the Shōnan area on the Pacific Ocean in Sagami Bay.
Location of Hiratsuka in Kanagawa Prefecture Surrounding municipalities
Chigasaki Hadano Atsugi Isehara Samukawa Nakai Oiso Ninomiya
History The area around Hiratsuka has been settled since prehistoric times, and mention of the area as part of ancient Ōsumi District, Sagami Province is found in Nara period records. From the Heian period through Kamakura period, the area was divided into shōen controlled by various samurai clans and in the Sengoku period was the site of several battles Hiratsuka between the later Hōjō clan of Odawara and the Miura clan. After the defeat of the Hōjō at the Battle of Odawara by Toyotomi Hideyoshi, the area came under the control of Tokugawa Ieyasu, who built a summer palace (the Nakahara Goten) in 1596 at the Coordinates: 35°19′N 139°21′E site now occupied by the Hiratsuka City Nakahara Elementary/Primary School. Hiratsuka was retained Country Japan as tenryō territory after the establishment of the Region Kantō Tokugawa shogunate, and flourished as Hiratsuka- Prefecture Kanagawa Prefecture juku, a post town on the Tōkaidō connecting Edo Government with Kyoto. As the 7 th station, it is often depicted in • Mayor Katsuhiro Ochiai (since May the series of ukiyo-e about the 53 Stations of the 2011) Tōkaidō made among others by artists such Hokusai Area and Hiroshige. • Total 67.88 km2 (26.21 sq mi) Population (April 1, 2017) After the Meiji Restoration, Hiratsuka town was • Total 257,877 founded on April 1, 1889, as part of the new Naka • Density 3,800/km2 (9,800/sq mi) District within Kanagawa Prefecture. It merged with Time zone Japan Standard Time (UTC+9) neighboring Suma Town on April 1, 1929, and was - Tree Camphor Laurel proclaimed Hiratsuka City on April 1, 1932. - Flower Dianthus Prior to World War II, Hiratsuka was the location of - Bird Egret the Hiratsuka Navy Ammunitions Arsenal (平塚海軍 Phone number 0463-23-1111 火 薬 廠 ) of the Imperial Japanese Navy and Japan Address 9-1 Sengenchō, Hiratsuka-shi, Kanagawa-ken 254-8686 International Aircraft Industries (日本国際航空工業), a Nissan group military aircraft factory. Hiratsuka Website www.city.hiratsuka.kanagawa.jp (http://www.city.hiratsuka.kan was largely destroyed on July 16, 1945, during the agawa.jp) Bombing of Hiratsuka in World War II. Due to its strategic location and wide beaches, it was also one of the targets for the planned invasion of Japan during the final stages of World War II.
The city quickly rebuilt after the war, annexing several neighboring villages in the mid-1950s to attain its current area. The population exceeded 200,000 by 2001 and Hiratsuka became a special city with increased autonomy from the central government. The current mayor is the independent OCHIAI Katsuhiro (落合克宏) who was elected April 24, 2011, and assumed office on April 30. Previously he had served two terms on the Hiratsuka city council and as council chairperson for the majority of the second term. OCHIAI succeeded Ritsuko ÔKURA the city's first female mayor who served from 2003 to 2011.
Economy Hiratsuka has a mixed economy, with tax revenue coming from wagers made at Shonan Bank Cycling Velodrome, and several industries located in industrial parks in the outskirts of town. Major plants are operated by Nissan Shatai, Y okohama Rubber Company, Canon, Furukawa Electric, Pilot (pen company) (the famous Namiki pens are produced at Kiratsuka), Kansai Paint, and Mitsubishi Plastics. Nissan Shatai produced the largest employment on the City, but announced the plan to let a factory move to Kanda. Western firms such as Moog and MacDermid Performance Solutions also have a strong presence in this city.[3] Hiratsuka is also a bedroom community for Y okohama and Tokyo, with residents attracted by the "Shōnan lifestyle".
Transportation
Railway
JR East - Tōkaidō Main Line, Shōnan Shinjuku Line Hiratsuka Station
Highway
Japan National Route 1, to Tokyo or Kyoto Japan National Route 129, to Sagamihara Japan National Route 134, to Yokosuka via Kamakura Japan National Route 271, to Atsugi or Odawara (toll) Odawara-Atsugi Road Shinshōnan Bypass
Tourist attractions
Tanabata festival Shonan Bellmare football club, three-time Japanese champions based at Hiratsuka Athletics Stadium
Sister cities
Takayama city, Japan, since October 22, 1982 Hanamaki city, Japan, since April 27, 1984 Izu city, Japan, since February 6, 2013 Lawrence, Kansas, USA, since September 21, 1990 Hiratsuka Tanabata festival
Notable people from Hiratsuka
Yukari Fukui - voice actress Shinya Suzuki - manga artist Yamanashi Hanzō - general, politician Michael Hora - former child actor Yui Imaizumi - idol singer
References 1. "Statistics of Hiratsuka City" (http://www.city.yamato.lg.jp/web/soumu/jinkoutosetaisu.html) (in Japanese). Japan: Hiratsuka City. Retrieved 6 May 2017. 2. Hiratsuka City Hall (ed.). "Hiratsuka-shi Statistical Documentation" (http://www.city.hiratsuka.kanagawa.jp/com mon/100066394.pdf) (PDF). Retrieved March 11, 2016. 3. "MacDermid Performance Solutions Completes Major Expansion of Japan Facility" (https://finance.yahoo.co m/news/macdermid-performance-solutions-completes-major-082000703.html). Yahoo! Finance. 4 November 2016. Retrieved 2017-06-29. "MacDermid Performance Solutions’ state-of-the-art R&D facility is located in Hiratsuka City and now equipped with enhanced capabilities to accommodate the changing requirements of Japanese customers of both plating chemistry and assembly materials."
External links
Official Website (http://www.city.hiratsuka.kanagawa.jp/) (in Japanese)
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