Ashikaga (足利市, Ashikaga-shi) is a city located in Tochigi Prefecture, Japan. It is 80 km north of Tokyo. The city was founded on January 1, 1921.
As of April 1, 2011, the city has an estimated population of 153,766, with 59,219 households and a population density of 864.73 persons per km². The total area is 177.82 km².
History
During the Heian Period, Ashikaga was developed by Minamoto no Yoshikuni, whose descendants later became the Ashikaga clan.
Ashikaga has long been noted for its textile industry, but in recent years it has also become known as an industrial and commercial city producing various aluminum, machine metal works and products.
Education
Ashikaga is home to Ashikaga KogyÅ Daigaku Fuzoku High School for boys, as well as Ashikaga Tanki Daigaku Fuzoku High School for girls. These are notable due to a 26-year standing foreign exchange program with Elk Grove High School, in Elk Grove Village, Illinois. The city was also recently named a special area for English education by the Japanese government, as all the junior high schools have native English-speaking ALTs, one hailing from Ashikaga's sister City, Springfield (Illinois), United States.
Tourism
- Ashikaga GakkÅ (足利å¦æ ¡):referred to as the oldest school in Japan.
- Ashikaga Flower Park (足利フラワーãƒ'ーク）:Japan's oldest and largest wisteria.
Other locations popular with domestic tourists include
- Orihime Shrine（ç¹"姫神社): This shrine was built in 1879,the guardians of the textile city, Ashikaga.
- Bannaji Temple（é'阿寺): A temple known for its association with the Ashikaga clan.
- Kurita Museum (æ —ç"°ç¾Žè¡"館): This museum has a fine collection of Imari and Nabeshima porcelains.
The Watarase River Fireworks display, which takes places on the first Saturday of August attracts thousands of people from around the KantÅ area.
The foothills on the outskirts of town are home to Coco Farm & Winery. Founded around 1950, the vineyards are tended by adults with special needs and staff members living in community. During the third weekend of November, a harvest festival is held with live music and wine tasting. Thousands of visitors attend every year.
Transportation
- Route 50: for Maebashi or Mito
- Route 293: for Hitachi
- Route 407: for Iruma
- Ryomo Line(Ashikaga Station): for Takasaki or Oyama
- Tobu Isesaki line(Ashikagashi Station): for Asakusa or Isesaki
- Intercity/Express bus: for Narita Airport, Haneda Airport, Osaka, Kyoto, Nara, Nagoya, Kanazawa, Toyama and Sendai
Sister cities
- Springfield (Illinois), United States
- Jining, China
See also
- Ashikaga shogunate
External links
Media related to Ashikaga, Tochigi at Wikimedia Commons
- Ashikaga City official website (Japanese)
- Ashikaga City official website (very little information)
- Coco Farm & Winery Home Page
- Ashikaga Flower Park
- Ashikaga travel guide from Wikivoyage
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