Abiko, Chiba
Encyclopedia
is a city
located in northern Chiba Prefecture
, Japan
. As of February 2011, the town had an estimated population
of 134,154 and a population density
of 3110 persons per km². The total area was 43.19 km².
to the north.
times, and archaeologists have found stone tool
s dated from 30,000 years ago. During the Edo period
, Abiko was a river port on the Tone River
and a post station
on the Mito Kaidō, a highway connecting Edo
with Mito
. After the Meiji Restoration
, Abiko Town was created in Minamisoma District , Chiba Prefecture on April 1, 1889, along with the town of Fusa and village of Kohoku. Abiko was transferred to Higashikatsushika District
in 1897. On November 1, 1954, it annexed neighboring Tomise village from the same district. On April 29, 1955, Abiko annexed Fusa Town and Kohoku Village. Abiko achieved city status on July 1, 1970. In 2003, a proposal to merge Abiko with neighboring city of Kashiwa and the town of Shōnan
was defeated by a public referendum. Parts of the city were damaged by soil liquefaction
due to the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami
.
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Cities of Japan
||A is a local administrative unit in Japan. Cities are ranked on the same level as and , with the difference that they are not a component of...
located in northern Chiba Prefecture
Chiba Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan located in the Kantō region and the Greater Tokyo Area. Its capital is Chiba City.- History :Chiba Prefecture was established on June 15, 1873 with the merger of Kisarazu Prefecture and Inba Prefecture...
, Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
. As of February 2011, the town had an estimated population
Population
A population is all the organisms that both belong to the same group or species and live in the same geographical area. The area that is used to define a sexual population is such that inter-breeding is possible between any pair within the area and more probable than cross-breeding with individuals...
of 134,154 and a population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
of 3110 persons per km². The total area was 43.19 km².
Geography
Abiko is located in the far northwestern corner of Chiba Prefecture, bordered by the Tone RiverTone River
The is a river in the Kantō region of Japan. It is in length and has a drainage area of...
to the north.
Neighboring municipalities
- Inzai, ChibaInzai, Chibais a city located in the north-west of Chiba Prefecture, Japan. As of late February 2011, the city has an estimated population of 88,652 and a population density of 716 persons/square kilometer. The total area was 128.80 km².-Geography:...
- Kashiwa, ChibaKashiwa, Chibais a city located in northern Chiba Prefecture, Japan. As of February 2011, the city had an estimated population of 404,820 and a population density of 3520 persons per km²...
- Toride, IbarakiToride, Ibarakiis a city located in Ibaraki, Japan.As of March 1, 2008 , the city has an estimated population of 109,926 and the density of 1,570 persons per km². The total area is 69.96 km²....
- Tone, IbarakiTone, Ibarakiis a town located in Kitasōma District, Ibaraki, Japan.As of 2003, the town has an estimated population of 18,258 and a density of 733.25 persons per km². The total area is 24.90 km².-External links:*...
History
The area around Abiko has been inhabited since Japanese PaleolithicJapanese Paleolithic
The began around 50,000 to 30,000 BC, when the earliest stone tool implements have been found, and continued to around 14,000 BC, at the end of the last ice age, which corresponds to the beginning of the Mesolithic Jōmon period...
times, and archaeologists have found stone tool
Stone tool
A stone tool is, in the most general sense, any tool made either partially or entirely out of stone. Although stone tool-dependent societies and cultures still exist today, most stone tools are associated with prehistoric, particularly Stone Age cultures that have become extinct...
s dated from 30,000 years ago. During the Edo period
Edo period
The , or , is a division of Japanese history which was ruled by the shoguns of the Tokugawa family, running from 1603 to 1868. The political entity of this period was the Tokugawa shogunate....
, Abiko was a river port on the Tone River
Tone River
The is a river in the Kantō region of Japan. It is in length and has a drainage area of...
and a post station
Shukuba
were post stations during the Edo period in Japan, generally located on one of the Edo Five Routes or one of its sub-routes. They were also called shukueki . These post stations were places where travelers could rest on their journey around the nation...
on the Mito Kaidō, a highway connecting Edo
Edo
, also romanized as Yedo or Yeddo, is the former name of the Japanese capital Tokyo, and was the seat of power for the Tokugawa shogunate which ruled Japan from 1603 to 1868...
with Mito
Mito, Ibaraki
is the capital of Ibaraki Prefecture, Japan and has a central location, moderately offset towards the coast in that prefecture. As of 2005, the city has an estimated population of 263,748 and a total area is 217.45 km², giving a population density of 1,212.91 persons per km²...
. After the Meiji Restoration
Meiji Restoration
The , also known as the Meiji Ishin, Revolution, Reform or Renewal, was a chain of events that restored imperial rule to Japan in 1868...
, Abiko Town was created in Minamisoma District , Chiba Prefecture on April 1, 1889, along with the town of Fusa and village of Kohoku. Abiko was transferred to Higashikatsushika District
Higashikatsushika District, Chiba
was a district located in Chiba, Japan until March 27, 2005. On March 28, 2005 the district was dissolved when the town of Shōnan merged into the city of Kashiwa.-Area:...
in 1897. On November 1, 1954, it annexed neighboring Tomise village from the same district. On April 29, 1955, Abiko annexed Fusa Town and Kohoku Village. Abiko achieved city status on July 1, 1970. In 2003, a proposal to merge Abiko with neighboring city of Kashiwa and the town of Shōnan
Shonan, Chiba
was a town located in Higashikatsushika District, Chiba Prefecture, Japan.On April 1, 1889 the villages of Kazahaya and Tega were established within the district of Minamisōma District, Chiba. On April 1, 1897, Minamisōma District merged with Higashikatsushika District. Shōnan Village was formed...
was defeated by a public referendum. Parts of the city were damaged by soil liquefaction
Soil liquefaction
Soil liquefaction describes a phenomenon whereby a saturated soil substantially loses strength and stiffness in response to an applied stress, usually earthquake shaking or other sudden change in stress condition, causing it to behave like a liquid....
due to the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami
2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami
The 2011 earthquake off the Pacific coast of Tohoku, also known as the 2011 Tohoku earthquake, or the Great East Japan Earthquake, was a magnitude 9.0 undersea megathrust earthquake off the coast of Japan that occurred at 14:46 JST on Friday, 11 March 2011, with the epicenter approximately east...
.
Economy
Abiko is a regional commercial center and a bedroom community for nearby Chiba and Tokyo.Railway
- East Japan Railway CompanyEast Japan Railway Companyis the largest passenger railway company in the world and one of the seven Japan Railways Group companies. The company name is officially abbreviated as JR East in English, and as in Japanese. The company's headquarters are in Yoyogi, Shibuya, Tokyo....
(JR East) - Jōban LineJoban LineThe is a railway line in Japan operated by East Japan Railway Company . It begins at Nippori Station in Taitō, Tokyo and follows the Pacific coasts of Chiba, Ibaraki, and Fukushima Prefectures before the line officially ends at Iwanuma Station in Iwanuma, Miyagi...
- –
- East Japan Railway CompanyEast Japan Railway Companyis the largest passenger railway company in the world and one of the seven Japan Railways Group companies. The company name is officially abbreviated as JR East in English, and as in Japanese. The company's headquarters are in Yoyogi, Shibuya, Tokyo....
(JR East) - Narita LineNarita LineThe is the name for a combination of three railway lines located in Chiba Prefecture, Japan, operated by East Japan Railway Company .The main line runs between Sakura Station and Matsugishi Station , and is sometimes referred to as the...
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Highway
- Jōban ExpresswayJoban ExpresswayThe , abbreviated , is a national expressway in Japan. It is owned and operated by East Nippon Expressway Company.-Naming:Jōban is a kanji acronym consisting of two characters...
- Japan National Route 6
- Route 294 (Japan)Route 294 (Japan)National Route 294 is a national highway of Japan connecting Kashiwa, Chiba and Aizuwakamatsu, Fukushima in Japan, with a total length of 249.9 km ....
- Route 356 (Japan)Route 356 (Japan)National Route 356 is a national highway of Japan connecting Chōshi, Chiba and Abiko, Chiba in Japan, with a total length of 91.7 km ....
Point of Interests
- Akebonoyama Park
- Abiko City Museum of Birds
- Abiko City Library
- Yamashina Institute for OrnithologyYamashina Institute for OrnithologyThe is a non-profit scientific research organization in Japan, specializing in ornithology studies.-History:The Yamashina Institute for Ornithology was founded by Dr. Yoshimaro Yamashina at his home in Shibuya, Tokyo as a private museum to store his collection of bird specimens and books. Marquis...
Noted people from Abiko
- Isao AokiIsao Aokiis one of Japan's most successful golfers. He was elected to the World Golf Hall of Fame in 2004.Aoki was born in Abiko, Chiba, Japan. He was introduced to golf while caddying at the Abiko Golf Club as a schoolboy. He turned professional in 1964...
– professional golfer - Makoto KanekoMakoto Kanekois the President, CEO and Representative Director of Zuken Inc., a public listed multinational corporation in the Tokyo Stock Exchange.Makoto Kaneko is better known as a prominent horse owner in Japan...
– professional baseball player - Hajime MeshiaiHajime Meshiaiis a Japanese professional golfer.Meshiai was born in Chiba. He turned professional in 1978. He won 11 tournaments on the Japan Golf Tour and led the money list in 1993...
–professional golfer - Kiyoshi Matsumoto – politician, founder of major drug store chain
- Seiji EbiharaSeiji Ebiharais a Japanese professional golfer.Ebihara was born in Abiko, Chiba, Japan. He won one tournament on the Japan Golf Tour and had career earnings of over ¥260 million....
–professional golfer - Asuka TonoAsuka TonoAsuka Tono is an actress who a top star for Star Troupe of Takarazuka Revue. She joined the revue company in 1998 and became the top star along with Kei Aran...
– Takarazuka musician - Morinosuke ChiwakiMorinosuke Chiwakiwas a dentist and the Chairman of the Japan Dental Association.He was a one of founders at Takayama dental school .He was known as Hideyo Noguchi's patron.-External links:*...
– founder of Japan Dental Association