Otaru
Otaru-shi 小樽 市 |
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Geographical location in Japan | ||
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Region : | Hokkaidō | |
Prefecture : | Hokkaidō | |
Coordinates : | 43 ° 11 ' N , 141 ° 0' E | |
Basic data | ||
Surface: | 243.13 km² | |
Residents : | 114,947 (September 30, 2019) |
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Population density : | 473 inhabitants per km² | |
Community key : | 01203-3 | |
Symbols | ||
Flag / coat of arms: | ||
Tree : | Betula platyphylla var. Japonica | |
Flower : | azalea | |
Bird : | Sphenurus Sieboldii | |
town hall | ||
Address : |
Otaru City Hall 2 - 12 - 1 , Hanazono Otaru -shi Hokkaidō 047-8660 |
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Website URL: | https://www.city.otaru.lg.jp/ | |
Location Otarus in Hokkaido Prefecture | ||
Otaru ( Japanese 小樽 市 , - shi ) is a city about 30 km west of Sapporo on the Japanese island of Hokkaidō in the sub-prefecture of Shiribeshi . Although more than half of the total population of the sub-prefecture lives in Otaru, Kutchan is the seat of the sub-prefecture administration.
The name comes from the Ainu and probably means "river that flows through the sand".
history
Otaru was an important fishing port in the 19th century. In the first half of the 20th century , there was significant coal mining in the area. Until the 1950s, Otaru was even the most populous city on Hokkaidō, only then was it overtaken by the capital Sapporo, and industry also migrated there. Today Otaru functions as a “ sleeping town ” for Sapporo and is known nationwide as a starting point for several ski areas and because of its picturesque old town with stone warehouses on the river.
traffic
The city has a seaport with a container terminal and regular ferry connections to Niigata , Tsuruga , Maizuru and the Sakhalin Island in Russia .
There are several train stations in the city; the main ones are Otaru Station and Minami-Otaru Station on the Hakodate Main Line of JR Hokkaido Railway Company .
Otaru is served by the Sasson Highway , National Road 5, and National Roads 337 and 393.
education
Otaru has a commercial college and a pharmaceutical college.
Town twinning
Personalities
- Seiji Aochi (1942-2008), ski jumper
- Hideharu Miyahira (* 1973), ski jumper
- Nobuko Miyamoto (* 1945), actress
- Masaru Nagaoka (* 1962), ski jumper
- Ryōhei Nishimori (* 1976), ski jumper
- Yoshikazu Norota (* 1972), ski jumper
- Itō Sei (1905–1969), writer
- Kenji Suda (* 1966), ski jumper
- Daiki Suga (* 1998), soccer player
- Takuya Takeuchi (* 1967), ski jumper
- Miyoshi Umeki (1929–2007), actress
- Kazuya Yoshioka (* 1978), ski jumper