is a

city A city is a human settlement of notable size.Goodall, B. (1987) ''The Penguin Dictionary of Human Geography''. London: Penguin.Kuper, A. and Kuper, J., eds (1996) ''The Social Science Encyclopedia''. 2nd edition. London: Routledge. It can be def ...

located in Aichi Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated

population Population typically refers to the number of people in a single area, whether it be a city or town, region, country, continent, or the world. Governments typically quantify the size of the resident population within their jurisdiction using a ...

of 92,179 in 39,382 households, and a

population density Population density (in agriculture: Stock (disambiguation), standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geographical ...

of 2,739 persons per km². The total area of the city is . Ōbu has been a member of the

World Health Organization The World Health Organization (WHO) is a specialized agency of the United Nations responsible for international public health. The WHO Constitution states its main objective as "the attainment by all peoples of the highest possible level of ...

’s

Alliance for Healthy Cities The Alliance for Healthy Cities (AFHC) is a cooperative international alliance aimed at protecting and enhancing the health and health care of city dwellers. It is composed of groups of cities, urban districts and other organizations from countrie ...

(AFHC) since June 5, 2000.

Geography

Ōbu is located in the far northeastern neck of

Chita Peninsula Chita Peninsula (知多半島 ''Chita Hantō'') is a peninsula to the south of Aichi Prefecture, central Honshū, Japan. It runs approximately north-south. To the west is Ise Bay, while to the east it encloses Mikawa Bay. It faces the Atsumi ...

in southern Aichi Prefecture, and is bordered by the metropolis of Nagoya to the north.

Climate

The city has a climate characterized by hot and humid summers, and relatively mild winters (

Köppen climate classification The Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by German-Russian climatologist Wladimir Köppen (1846–1940) in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen, notabl ...

''Cfa''). The average annual temperature in Ōbu is . The average annual rainfall is with October as the wettest month. The temperatures are highest on average in August, at around , and lowest in January, at around .

Demographics

Per Japanese census data,Ōbu population statistics
/ref> the population of Ōbu has been increasing steadily over the past 70 years.

Neighboring municipalities

; Aichi Prefecture *

Nagoya is the largest city in the Chūbu region, the fourth-most populous city and third most populous urban area in Japan, with a population of 2.3million in 2020. Located on the Pacific coast in central Honshu, it is the capital and the most po ...

( Midori-ku) *

Tōkai Tōkai ( 東海, literally ''East Sea'') in Japanese may refer to: * Tōkai region, a subregion of Chūbu * Tōkai, Ibaraki, a village, also known as "Tokaimura" (Tokai-village) * Tōkai, Aichi, a city * Tōkai University, a private university in T ...

* Toyoake *

Kariya is a Cities of Japan, city in central Aichi Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 153,162 in 66,751 households, and a population density of 3,040 persons per km2. The total area of the city is . Geography Kariya is situat ...

* Higashiura

History

Late modern period

The village of Ōbu was established within Chita District, Aichi on October 1, 1889, with the establishment of the modern municipalities system. On May 1, 1906, Ōbu annexed the neighboring villages of Yoshida, Kyowa, Kitasaka, Yokote, Nagagusa and part of the village of Morioka. It was elevated to town status on November 1, 1915.

Contemporary history

Ōbu became a city on September 1, 1970.

Government

Ōbu has a mayor-council form of government with a directly elected mayor and a

unicameral Unicameralism (from ''uni''- "one" + Latin ''camera'' "chamber") is a type of legislature, which consists of one house or assembly, that legislates and votes as one. Unicameral legislatures exist when there is no widely perceived need for multi ...

city legislature of 19 members. The city contributes one member to the Aichi Prefectural Assembly. In terms of national politics, the city is part of Aichi District 7 of the lower house of the Diet of Japan.

External relations

Twin towns – Sister cities

International

;Sister cities *

Port Phillip Port Phillip ( Kulin: ''Narm-Narm'') or Port Phillip Bay is a horsehead-shaped enclosed bay on the central coast of southern Victoria, Australia. The bay opens into the Bass Strait via a short, narrow channel known as The Rip, and is com ...

（

Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Victoria (Australia), a state of the Commonwealth of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, provincial capital of British Columbia, Canada * Victoria (mythology), Roman goddess of Victory * Victoria, Seychelle ...

, Australia） **since November 20, 1993

Economy

Tertiary sector of the economy

Commerce

Ōbu has a mixed economic base due to its proximity to the

metropolis and numerous transportation connections.

Education

University

Shigakkan University is a private university Private universities and private colleges are institutions of higher education, not operated, owned, or institutionally funded by governments. They may (and often do) receive from governments tax breaks, public st ...

* University of Human Environments, Ōbu campus

Schools

*Ōbu has nine public elementary schools and four public junior high schools operated by the city government, and three public high schools operated by the Aichi Prefectural Board of Education.

Transportation

Railways

Conventional lines

;

Central Japan Railway Company *

Tōkaidō Main Line The is a major Japanese railway line of the Japan Railways Group (JR Group) network, connecting and stations. It is long, not counting its many freight feeder lines around the major cities. The high-speed Tōkaidō Shinkansen largely parallel ...

：- - - *

Taketoyo Line The is a Japanese railway line which connects Ōbu Station in Ōbu, Aichi Prefecture with Taketoyo Station in Taketoyo, Aichi Prefecture. It is owned and run by Central Japan Railway Company (JR Central). The line has been electrified as ...

： -

Roads

Expressways

Isewangan Expressway The is a national expressway in the Tōkai region of Japan. It is owned and operated by Central Nippon Expressway Company. Naming The route primarily follows the north shore of Ise Bay (wangan means bayshore in Japanese). Officially, the route ...

Chitahantō Road The (lit. Chita Peninsula Road) is a 4-laned toll road in Aichi Prefecture, Japan. It is managed by Aichi Prefectural Road Public Corporation. Overview A portion of the road was opened to traffic in 1970 and the entire road was completed in 19 ...

Japan National Route

* * *

Notable people from Ōbu

* Kumiko Koiwai, figure skater *

Kyoko Takezawa is a prominent Japanese-born violinist. She has recorded for the RCA Victor Red Seal label. Born in Ōbu, Aichi, she started her training in Japan as a part of the Suzuki Method program and was part of a tour of the United States. She is a gr ...

, violinist *

Masayoshi Nagata Masayoshi Nagata (Japanese: 永田雅宜 ''Nagata Masayoshi''; February 9, 1927 – August 27, 2008) was a Japanese mathematician, known for his work in the field of commutative algebra. Work Nagata's compactification theorem shows that var ...

, mathematician *

Hidehiko Yoshida is a Japanese gold-medalist judoka and retired mixed martial artist. He is a longtime veteran of Japan's PRIDE Fighting Championships, competing in the Middleweight (93kg) and Heavyweight divisions. He won gold at the 1992 Sum ...

, Olympic gold-medalist judoka *

Takahiro Nakai is a Japanese judoka. He competed in the men's 81 kg event at the 2012 Summer Olympics. He defeated Boas Munyonga in the second round and Sergiu Toma in the third round before losing to Ole Bischof in the fourth round; after defeating Leandro G ...

, Judoka

References

External links

* (with link to pages in English)
Sister Cities by the Sea
- information on the relationship between Obu and Port Phillip (English and Japanese content). {{DEFAULTSORT:Obu, Aichi Cities in Aichi Prefecture