Ashikaga

Ashikaga 足利市
Flag
Ashikaga
Coordinates: 36°20′N 139°27′E / 36.333°N 139.45°E / 36.333; 139.45
Country	Japan
Region	Kantō
Prefecture	Tochigi Prefecture
Government
- Mayor	Muneo Yoshitani
Area
- Total	177.82 km2 (68.7 sq mi)
Population (September 1, 2008)	156,917
City Symbols
- Tree	Maple
- Flower	Azalea
Website	Ashikaga City
Phone number	0284-20-2222
Address 3-2145 Honjo,Ashikaga 326-8601

Ashikaga (足利市, Ashikaga-shi^?) is a city located in Tochigi Prefecture, Japan. Ashikaga is located 80 km (50 miles) north of Tokyo.

As of 2008, the city has an estimated population of 156,917 and a density of 882.45 persons per km². The total area is 177.82 km².

The city was founded on January 1, 1921.

History

Ashikaga from Nearby Mountain

During the Heian Period, Ashikaga was developed by Minamoto no Yoshikuni, whose descendants later became the Ashikaga clan.

Ashikaga has long been noted for its textile industry, but in recent years it has also become known as an industrial and commercial city producing various aluminum, machine metal works and products.

Education

Ashikaga is home to Ashikaga Kogyō Daigaku Fuzoku Kōkō 足利工業大学付属高校(Ashikodai足工大) boys' high school, as well as Ashikaga Tanki Daigaku Fuzoku Kōkō 足利短期大学付属高校(Ashitandai足短大) girls' high school. These schools are notable due to a 19-year standing foreign exchange program with Elk Grove High School, in Elk Grove Village, Illinois. The city was also recently named a special area for English education by the Japanese government, as all the junior high schools have native English-speaking ALTs, three hailing from Ashikaga's sister City, Springfield (Illinois), United States.

Tourism

Ashikaga Gakko's main gate

• Ashikaga Gakkō (足利学校):referred to as the oldest school in Japan.
• Ashikaga Flower Park (足利フラワーパーク）:Japan's oldest and largest wisteria.

Other locations popular with domestic tourists include

• Orihime Shrine（織姫神社): This shrine was built in 1879,the guardians of the textile city, Ashikaga.
• Bannaji Temple（鑁阿寺): A temple known for its association with the Ashikaga clan.
• Kurita Museum (栗田美術館): This museum has a fine collection of Imari and Nabeshima porcelains.

The Watarase River Fireworks display, which takes places on the first Saturday of August attracts thousands of people from around the Kantō area.

The foothills on the outskirts of town are home to Coco Farm & Winery. Founded around 1950, the vineyards are tended by adults with special needs and staff members living in community. During the third weekend of November, a harvest festival is held with live music and wine-tasting. Thousands of visitors attend every year.

Transportation

• Route 50: for Maebashi or Mito
• Route 293: for Hitachi
• Route 407: for Iruma
• Ryomo Line(Ashikaga Station): for Takasaki or Oyama
• Tobu Isesaki line(Ashikagashi Station): for Asakusa or Isesaki
• Intercity/Express bus: for Narita Airport,Haneda Airport, Osaka, Kyoto, Nara, Nagoya, Kanazawa, Toyama and Sendai

Sister cities

• Springfield (Illinois), United States
• Jining, China

See also

• Ashikaga shogunate

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Ashikaga, Tochigi

• Ashikaga official website in Japanese
• Ashikaga official website in English (very little information)
• Coco Farm & Winery Home Page
• Ashikaga Flower Park
• Ashikaga travel guide from Wikitravel

Tochigi Prefecture
Cities
Ashikaga | Kanuma | Mooka | Nasukarasuyama | Nasushiobara | Nikkō | Ōtawara | Oyama | Sakura | Sano | Shimotsuke | Tochigi | Utsunomiya (capital) | Yaita
Districts
Haga | Kamitsuga | Kawachi | Nasu | Shimotsuga | Shioya
See also: Towns and villages by district edit