Coordinates: 34°39′N 135°0′E Akashi, Hyōgo 明石市 Akashi ( Akashi-shi) is a city located in southern Akashi Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan, on the Seto Inland Sea west of 明石市 Kobe. Core city As of April 1, 2017 , the city has an estimated population of 294,312 and a population density of 6,000 persons per km². The total area is 49.22 square kilometres (19 sq mi). Contents History Geography Politics and government Akashi from Akashi Castle. Economy Culture Education Sport Principal sights of Akashi Transportation Flag JR Emblem Sanyo Railway Highways Ferries International relations Twin towns – Sister cities References External links History Akashi was an important city during Japan's pre-modern period due to the presence of Akashi Castle, headquarters of the Akashi Domain. The city, in its current form, was founded on November 1, 1919. On July 21, 2001, 11 people were killed and 247 injured in a pedestrian stampede after a fireworks show. Five city and civil officials were subsequently convicted for negligence for not preventing the disaster.[1] Geography Location of Akashi in Hyōgo Prefecture Akashi Municipal Planetarium stands on the meridian of 135 degrees east longitude, that is used to determine Japan Standard Akashi Time. Contrary to Akashi Municipal Planetarium, as the name, the known the place Japan Standard Time is determined terminus of the Location in Japan Akashi Kaikyō Coordinates: 34°39′N 135°0′E Bridge that connects Honshu to Awaji Island (and thereby to Shikoku) Country Japan is not in Akashi but in Tarumi-ku, Kōbe. Region Kansai Prefecture Hyōgo Prefecture The remains of Akashi Castle are located just north of Government Akashi Station and are visible from the station platform. • Mayor Fusaho Izumi (since May 2011) Politics and government Area • Total 49.22 km2 (19.00 sq mi) Akashi is governed by Mayor Hiroto Kitaguchi, an Population (April 1, 2017) independent. The city assembly has 31 elected members • Total 294,312 and is dominated by independents. • Density 6,000/km2 (15,000/sq mi) Symbols Economy • Tree Sweet Osmanthus Y amato Scale, a leading global manufacturer of commercial • Flower Chrysanthemums weighing and packaging equipment is headquartered in the Time zone Japan Standard Time city.[2] (UTC+9) City hall 1-5-1 Nakasaki, Akashi-shi, address Hyogo-ken Culture 673-8686 Akashi is well known for Akashiyaki, a kind of takoyaki Website www.yokoso-akashi.jp/en particular to the region. Small pieces of octopus (tako) are /index.html (http://www.yo koso-akashi.jp/en/index.ht placed inside a ball-shaped mold containing a mixture of ml) flour and eggs and this is then fried. Akashiyaki is often eaten by dipping in a thin soup. People who live in Akashi call it "tamagoyaki."(tamago, 玉 子 or 卵, literally "egg") Akashi is the site of the Uontana (Uo-no-Tana, 魚の棚, literally "fish-shelf") Fish Market where local fishermen display an array of fresh seafood caught in the Akashi Strait. Education The city once had a North Korean school, Akashi Korean Elementary School (明石朝鮮初級学校).[3] Sport Akashi Park Stadium is a track and field stadium that can hold 20,000 spectators. Principal sights of Akashi Port of Akashi Sanyo Akashi Station Old town area Uontana Transportation JR The Sanyō Main Line (JR Kobe Line) passes through the city with stations at: Akashi Station Asagiri Station Nishi-Akashi Station (also a Sanyō Shinkansen station) Ōkubo Station Uozumi Station Sanyo Railway The Sanyo Electric Railway Main Line passes through the city with stations at: Eigashima Station Fujie Station Hayashisaki-Matsuekaigan Station Higashi-Futami Station Hitomarumae Station Nakayagi Station Nishi-Eigashima Station Nishi-Futami Station Nishi-Shimmachi Station Ōkuradani Station Sanyo Akashi Station Sanyo Uozumi Station Highways Japan National Route 2 (Kobe, Okayama, Hiroshima, Shimonoseki) Japan National Route 28 (Kobe, Tokushima) Japan National Route 175 (Maizuru) Japan National Route 250 (Kobe, Okayama) Japan National Route 427 (Nishiwaki, Asago) Second Shinmei Road (Kobe) Ferries Akashi Awaji Ferry and Awaji Jenova Line to Awaji Island International relations Twin towns – Sister cities Akashi is twinned with: Vallejo, California, USA[4] References 1. Kyodo News, "Ex-cop pleads not guilty in fatal '01 Akashi crush (http://www.japantimes.co.jp/text/nn20120120 a2.html)", Japan Times, 20 January 2012, p. 1. 2. "Yamato Scale corporate profile" (https://web.archive.org/web/20140306185055/http://www.yamato-scale.c o.jp/en/corporate/7-2.html). Archived from the original (http://www.yamato-scale.co.jp/en/corporate/7-2.ht ml) on 6 March 2014. Retrieved 6 March 2014. 3. "ウリハッキョ一覧 (https://web.archive.org/web/20051106010302/http://www.chongryon.com/j/cr/link3.htm l)" (). Chongryon. November 6, 2005. Retrieved on October 15, 2015. 4. "Vallejo Sister City" (https://web.archive.org/web/20130911222629/http://www.vallejosistercity.org/about-u s.html). Vallejo Sister City Association. Archived from the original (http://www.vallejosistercity.org/about-us.ht ml) on 2013-09-11. Retrieved 2013-09-11. External links Akashi City official website (http://www.yokoso-akashi.jp/en/index.html) Geographic data related to Akashi, Hyōgo (https://www.openstreetmap.org/relation/900530) at OpenStreetMap Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Akashi,_Hyōgo&oldid=839501160" This page was last edited on 3 May 2018, at 21:10 (UTC). Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License; additional terms may apply. By using this site, you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Wikipedia® is a registered trademark of the Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., a non-profit organization..