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 de ...

located in

Hiroshima Prefecture is a 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 Prefecture to the ...

, Japan. 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 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 in 2005 * Itsukushima Shrine is a Shinto shrine on the island of Itsu ...

on November 3, 2005 (as of September 1, 2016), Hatsukaichi has a population of 117,106 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 239.36 persons per km². The total land area stands at 489.36 km².

History

* The name "Hatsuka-ichi" was from the ichi 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 to ...

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

and Ōno (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 * Sanyo Women's College

Points of interest

Itsukushima Shrine is a Shinto shrine on the island of Itsukushima (popularly known as Miyajima), best known for its "floating" ''torii'' gate. Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric (2005)"''Itsukushima-jinja''"in ''Japan Encyclopedia'', p. 407. It is in the city of Hatsuk ...

- 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. I ...

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 ...

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 i ...

(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 (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, and ...

Sanyo Line , stylized as SANYO, is a Japanese electronics company and formerly a member of the ''Fortune'' Global 500 whose headquarters was located in Moriguchi, Osaka prefecture, Japan. Sanyo had over 230 subsidiaries and affiliates, and was founded ...

; on the Hiroden 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 ''Miyaj ...

and Miyajima Matsudai Kisen connect between Miyajimaguchi and

Sister cities

Hatsukaichi has Sister City relationships with: *

Masterton Masterton ( mi, Whakaoriori), a large town in the Greater Wellington Region of New Zealand, operates as the seat of the Masterton District (a territorial authority or local-government district). It is the largest town in the Wairarapa, a r ...

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 Mont-Saint-Michel (; Norman: ''Mont Saint Miché''; ) is a tidal island and mainland commune in Normandy, France. The island lies approximately off the country's north-western coast, at the mouth of the Couesnon River near Avranches and is ...

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