Naka, Ibaraki

Naka 那珂市
—  City  —
Flag
Location of Naka in Ibaraki
Naka
Coordinates: 36°27′N 140°29′E / 36.45°N 140.483°E / 36.45; 140.483Coordinates: 36°27′N 140°29′E / 36.45°N 140.483°E / 36.45; 140.483
Country	Japan
Region	Kantō
Prefecture	Ibaraki
Government
• Mayor	Toru Umino (since February 2011)
Area
• Total	97.80 km2 (37.76 sq mi)
Population (March 1, 2012)
• Total	55,859
• Density	571.16/km2 (1,479.3/sq mi)
Time zone	Japan Standard Time (UTC+9)
City symbols
- Tree	Yaezakura (Cherry blossom)
- Flower	Sunflower
- Bird	Swan
Phone number	81-(0)29-298-1111
Address	Fukuda 1819-５, Naka City, Ibaraki Prefecture (茨城県那珂市福田1819－５) 311-0192
Website	City of Naka

Naka (那珂市, Naka-shi^?) is a city located in Ibaraki, Japan. Naka was formerly a town in Naka District and became a city after merging with the neighboring town of Urizura on January 21, 2005.

As of March 1, 2012, the city has an estimated population of 55,859, with a household number of 21,092 and a density of 571.16 persons per km². The total area is 97.80 km².

History

• March 31, 1955: One town and 6 villages merged to become the town of Naka, Naka District. The town was the 4th largest population within the prefecture, following the town of Kamisu, Kashima District, town of Sōwa, Sashima District, and the town of Ami, Inashiki District.
• January 21, 2005: Absorbed the town of Urizura, Naka District and became the city of Naka. The area of the pre-merger of the town was 83.14 km² with a population of at least 46,000 people.

Points of interest

• The Japan Atomic Energy Agency operates a Fusion research facility in the town, which houses the JT-60, one of the premiere tokamak fusion reactors in the world.
• Ibaraki Botanical Garden
• Kiuchi Brewery
• Kasamatsu Park and Stadium
• Shizumine Furusato Park

Sister city

Naka is sister city, as designated by Sister Cities International with:

• Oak Ridge, Tennessee, United States

Sports

The city contains the home stadium of professional football team Mito HollyHock through 2008.

Transportation

Naka is serviced by the Suigun Line of the East Japan Railway Company. The Suigun Line splits from Kami-Sugaya Station: The Main Line and the Hitachi-Ōta Branch. There are nine stations in the city: Godai Station, Shimo-Sugaya Station, Naka-Sugaya Station, Kami-Sugaya Station, Hitachi-Kōnosu Station, Urizura Station, and Shizu Station on the Main Line as well as Minami-Sakaide Station and Nukada Station on the Hitachi-Ota branch. The city also has a major expressway running through it, the Jōban Expressway, which is operated by the East Nippon Expressway Company.

External links

Media related to Naka, Ibaraki at Wikimedia Commons

• Naka official website (Japanese)

v t e Ibaraki Prefecture Cities Bandō Chikusei Hitachi Hitachinaka Hitachiōmiya Hitachiōta Hokota Inashiki Ishioka Itako Jōsō Kamisu Kasama Kashima Kasumigaura Kitaibaraki Koga Mito (capital) Moriya Naka Namegata Omitama Ryūgasaki Sakuragawa Shimotsuma Takahagi Toride Tsuchiura Tsukuba Tsukubamirai Ushiku Yūki Higashiibaraki District Ibaraki Ōarai Shirosato Inashiki District Ami Kawachi Miho Kitasōma District Tone Kuji District Daigo Naka District Tōkai Sashima District Goka Sakai Yūki District Yachiyo

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