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

Hiroshima Prefecture is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located in the Chūgoku region of Honshu. Hiroshima Prefecture has a population of 2,811,410 (1 June 2019) and has a geographic area of 8,479 km² (3,274 sq mi). Hiroshima Prefecture borders Okayama ...

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

. The name derives from a market traditionally held on the 20th of each month with ''hatsuka'' (廿日) meaning "20th day" and ''ichi'' (市) translating to "market". The market continues to this day on a small scale featuring fresh, locally grown vegetables and foodstuffs. Following the absorption of the nearby towns of

Ōno ONO, Ono or Ōno may refer to: Places Fiji * Ono Island (Fiji) Israel * Kiryat Ono * Ono, Benjamin, ancient site Italy * Ono San Pietro Ivory Coast * Ono, Ivory Coast, a village in Comoé District Japan * Ōno Castle, Fukuoka * ...

and

Miyajima may refer to: Places * Miyajima, another name for the Japanese island Itsukushima * Miyajima, Hiroshima, a former town on this island, merged into Hatsukaichi, Hiroshima is a city located in Hiroshima Prefecture, Japan. The name derives from a ...

on November 3, 2005 (as of September 1, 2016), Hatsukaichi has a population of 117,106 and a

population density Population density (in agriculture: 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 term.Matt RosenberPopul ...

of 239.36 persons per km². The total land area stands at 489.36 km².

History

* The name "Hatsuka-ichi" was from the

ichi The International Classification of Health Interventions (ICHI) is a system of classifying procedure codes being developed by the World Health Organization (WHO). It is currently available as a beta 3 release. The components for clinical documentat ...

on the 20th of every month from

Kamakura Period The is a period of Japanese history that marks the governance by the Kamakura shogunate, officially established in 1192 in Kamakura by the first ''shōgun'' Minamoto no Yoritomo after the conclusion of the Genpei War, which saw the struggle bet ...

. * "Hatsukaichi- machi",

Saeki District, Hiroshima was a district located in Hiroshima Prefecture, Japan. As of 2003, the district had an estimated population of 54,592 and a density of . The total area was . Towns and villages At the time of discontinuation of the district, there were two tow ...

was founded on April 1, 1889. * The city "Hatsukaichi" was founded on April 1, 1988. * On March 1, 2003, the town of Saeki and the village of

Yoshiwa was a List of villages in Japan, village located in Saeki District, Hiroshima, Saeki District, Hiroshima Prefecture, Japan. On March 1, 2003, Yoshiwa, along with the town of Saeki, Hiroshima, Saeki (also from Saeki District, Hiroshima, Saeki Distr ...

, both from Saeki District, merged into the expanded city of Hatsukaichi. * On November 3, 2005, the towns of

and

(both from Saeki District) were merged into Hatsukaichi. Therefore, Saeki District was dissolved as a result of this merger.

Climate

Education

The Japanese Red Cross Hiroshima College of Nursing is a private university in Hatsukaichi, Hiroshima, Japan, established in 2000. Academics Undergraduate school * Faculty of Nursing (with the start of a four-year curriculum in 2000) Graduate school * Masterʼs Program in Nursing (Master's pr ...

Sanyo Women's College is a private women's junior college in Hatsukaichi, Hiroshima is a city located in Hiroshima Prefecture, Japan. The name derives from a market traditionally held on the 20th of each month with ''hatsuka'' (廿日) meaning "20th day" and ''ichi ...

Points of interest

* Itsukushima Shrine - an

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture. It ...

World Heritage Site A World Heritage Site is a landmark or area with legal protection by an international convention administered by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). World Heritage Sites are designated by UNESCO for h ...

on the island of

Itsukushima is an island in the western part of the Inland Sea of Japan, located in the northwest of Hiroshima Bay. It is popularly known as , which in Japanese means "Shrine Island". The island is one of Hayashi Gahō's Three Views of Japan specified in ...

(also known as Miyajima) - one of the three most beautiful sites in Japan. *

Marine Plaza Miyajima is an aquarium on the island of Itsukushima in Hatsukaichi, Hiroshima, Japan. Overview There are about 350 variety of aquatic animals include finless porpoises, sea otters, Steller sea lions, sea lions and penguins. Hours are from January 1 to ...

- an aquarium on Miyajima * Miyajima Natural Botanical Garden * Miyao Castle ruins, site of the

Battle of Miyajima The 1555 was the only battle to be fought on the sacred island of Miyajima; the entire island is considered to be a Shinto shrine, and no birth or death is allowed on the island. Extensive purification rituals took place after the battle, to clea ...

(1555) * Miyajima Underwater Firework Festival, held in mid-August * Hatsukaichi City is considered to be the birthplace of

kendama The is a traditional Japanese skill toy. It consists of a handle (''ken''), a pair of cups (''sarado''), and a ball (''tama'') that are all connected together by a string. On one end of the ''ken'' is a cup, while the other end of ''ken'' is na ...

, a traditional Japanese toy.

Transportation

* Hatsukaichi can be accessed from Hiroshima city via the

JR West , also referred to as , is one of the Japan Railways Group (JR Group) companies and operates in western Honshu. It has its headquarters in Kita-ku, Osaka. It is listed in the Tokyo Stock Exchange, is a constituent of the TOPIX Large70 index, an ...

Sanyo Line; on the

Hiroden is a Japanese transportation company established on June 18, 1910, that operates streetcars and buses in and around Hiroshima Prefecture. It is known as for short. The company's rolling stock includes an eclectic range of trams manufactu ...

streetcar services' Miyajima Line; as well as by buses and boats. *

JR Miyajima Ferry is the ferry route between Miyajimaguchi, Hatsukaichi, Hiroshima and Miyajima (Itsukushima). JR Miyajima Ferries are operated by , a wholly owned subsidiary of West Japan Railway Company (JR West). There are three ferries called the ''Miyaji ...

and

Miyajima Matsudai Kisen is a Japanese ferry company based in Hatsukaichi, Hiroshima, Japan. Miyajima Matsudai Kisen operates the ferries between Miyajimaguchi, Hatsukaichi, Hiroshima and Miyajima (Itsukushima). Between Miyajima-guchi and Miyajima, it operates tour ...

connect between

Miyajimaguchi is a neighborhood in Hatsukaichi, Hiroshima, Japan. It was a part of the town of Ōno until 2005 when the town was annexed by the city of Hatsukaichi. It is located on Route 2 from Osaka to Fukuoka, and is served by the JR West train station ...

and

Sister cities

Hatsukaichi has Sister City relationships with: * Masterton,

Greater Wellington Greater Wellington, also known as the Wellington Region (Māori: ''Te Upoko o te Ika''), is a non-unitary region of New Zealand that occupies the southernmost part of the North Island. The region covers an area of , and has a population of T ...

, New Zealand * Mont Saint-Michel,

Normandy Normandy (; french: link=no, Normandie ; nrf, Normaundie, Nouormandie ; from Old French , plural of ''Normant'', originally from the word for "northman" in several Scandinavian languages) is a geographical and cultural region in Northwestern ...

, France

References

External links

*
Hatsukaichi city official website

Le Mont Saint-Michel

The 150 year anniversary of France and Japan in 2008
* Cities in Hiroshima Prefecture {{Hiroshima-geo-stub