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

Fukuoka Prefecture is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located on the island of Kyūshū. Fukuoka Prefecture has a population of 5,109,323 (1 June 2019) and has a geographic area of 4,986 Square kilometre, km2 (1,925 sq mi). Fukuoka Prefecture borders S ...

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 ...

. As of 2016, the city has 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 41,348 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 2,600 persons per km². The total area is 15.98 km². It is perhaps best known as the birthplace of actor

Ken Takakura , born , was a Japanese actor and singer who appeared in over 200 films. Affectionately referred to as "Ken-san" by audiences, he was best known for his brooding style and the stoic presence he brought to his roles. He won the Japan Academy Prize ...

.Ken Takakura obituary
2014-11-18

Location

It is located along the Onga River, with Mizumaki Town to the north, Kitakyushu City's Yahata-nishi Ward to the east, Nogata City to the south, and Kurate Town to the west.

Education

The city currently has 6 elementary schools, 4 junior high-schools, and 2 high schools.

Facilities

The city is located on the

Kyushu Railway Company The , also referred to as , is one of the seven constituent companies of Japan Railways Group (JR Group). It operates intercity rail services within Kyushu, Japan and the JR Kyushu Jet Ferry Beetle hydrofoil service across the Tsushima Strait ...

(JR Kyushu)

Fukuhoku Yutaka Line The is the collective name for four sections of railway lines operated by Kyushu Railway Company (JR Kyushu) in Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan. It runs between Kurosaki Station and Hakata station (66.6 km). The sections called Fukuhoku Yutaka L ...

with Nakama (opened on August 30, 1891) and Chikuzen-Habu (opened April 26, 1935) stations. There is also a tram (

Chikuhō Electric Railroad Line The is a railway line in Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan, connecting Kurosaki-Ekimae in Kitakyushu with Chikuhō-Nōgata Station in Nōgata, operated by . The line does not have an official name. The company and the line is also called . The compan ...

) with stations at Toritani, Higashi-Nakama, Chikuho-Nakama, and Dotenouchi. Habu Park is the largest park in Nakama, with many cherry blossom trees. The Roofless Museum (Yane No Nai Hakubutsukan), near the JR Nakama Station, is a small green park area with sculptures by artists from around the world. The city is known locally for its

AEON The word aeon , also spelled eon (in American and Australian English), originally meant "life", "vital force" or "being", "generation" or "a period of time", though it tended to be translated as "age" in the sense of "ages", "forever", "timeles ...

(formerly

Daiei , based in Kobe, is one of the largest supermarket chains in Japan. In 1957, Isao Nakauchi founded the chain in Osaka near Sembayashi Station on the Keihan train line. Daiei is now under a restructuring process supported by Marubeni Corporation ...

) "Shoppers Mall" - a mall with shops, restaurants, a movie theatre (formerly

United Cinemas International UCI Cinemas (''United Cinemas International'') is a brand of cinema, currently operating in Germany, Italy, Portugal, and Brazil, which has been owned since 2004 by Odeon Cinemas Group, whose owner is now AMC Theatres, except for the UCI Cinemas ...

), a bowling alley, and game centres.

Festivals

Chikuzen Nakama Cherry Blossom Festival (end of March - beginning of April) at Habu Park. Kisshoji Temple

Wisteria ''Wisteria'' is a genus of flowering plants in the legume family, Fabaceae (Leguminosae), that includes ten species of woody twining vines that are native to China, Japan, Korea, Vietnam, Southern Canada, the Eastern United States, and north o ...

Festival (located in Yahatanishi, near Nakama High School, and held April 27–29. Chikuzen Nakamagawa Festival - held in the Obon season every year on August 15. Includes a fireworks festival and food/game stalls as well. Chikuzen Nakama Yatchare Festival, previously held near Onga River, but now at Harmony Hall, Nakama's biggest festival of the year on the third weekend of October.

History

The city was involved in the coal mining industry of the Chikuho region from the

Edo Edo ( ja, , , "bay-entrance" or "estuary"), also romanized as Jedo, Yedo or Yeddo, is the former name of Tokyo. Edo, formerly a ''jōkamachi'' (castle town) centered on Edo Castle located in Musashi Province, became the ''de facto'' capital of ...

to Showa eras. During the war, there was a POW camp in the city area, with inmates involved in mining. The city itself was incorporated on November 1, 1958. There were plans for amalgamation, with the city becoming a ward of

Kitakyushu is a Cities of Japan, city located in Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan. As of June 1, 2019, Kitakyushu has an estimated population of 940,978, making it the second-largest city in both Fukuoka Prefecture and the island of Kyushu after the city of Fuku ...

, which would have become Nakama-ku, Kitakyushu. A recent poll (December 2004) stated that 70% of the citizens of Nakama were in favor of the city being absorbed into Kitakyushu. However, on

Christmas Eve Christmas Eve is the evening or entire day before Christmas Day, the festival commemorating the birth of Jesus. Christmas Day is observed around the world, and Christmas Eve is widely observed as a full or partial holiday in anticipation ...

2004 Nakama city councilors rejected the merger plan, despite it having initially been proposed by Nakama. The councilors claim that they are rejecting the merger for the good of the city. The suspected main reason was that only 3 of the 21 councilors would be retained afterwards.

Gallery

File:Dotenouchi Lock on Sasaogawa River in Nakama, Fukuoka.jpg, Dotenouchi Lock on Sasaogawa River File:Gate of Daishiji Temple in Nakama, Fukuoka.jpg, Daishiji Temple File:Nakama City Fire Station from Ongabashi Bridge 2.jpg, Fire Station File:Nakama City office.jpg, Nakama City Hall File:Ongagawa River and Sasaogawabashi Bridge from Ongabashi Bridge.jpg, Onga River and Sasaogawabashi Bridge File:Daiei nakama higashi.JPG, Former Daiei Mall (now AEON) File:Ongagawa Source Pump Station 20160618-2.jpg, Onga River Pumping Station

References

External links

*
Nakama City official website

Nakama at Wikimapia
{{Authority control Cities in Fukuoka Prefecture