Utsunomiya (宇都宮市, Utsunomiya-shi) is the capital and the most populous city of Tochigi Prefecture, Japan. In 2007, the city had an estimated population of 505,381 and a density of 1,212 persons per km². The total area is 416.84 km². The Greater Utsunomiya had a population of 888,005 in the 2000 Census. The nearby city of Oyama, Tochigi is included in Greater Tokyo, but Greater Utsunomiya is not, despite the two areas amalgamating somewhat. Utsunomiya is accessed by the Tohoku Expressway or Utsunomiya Station of the Tohoku Shinkansen line. Utsunomiya is approximately 100 km north of Tokyo. The historic town of Nikkō is approximately 35 km west of Utsunomiya.
Utsunomiya is accessible from Tokyo by Shinkansen (Bullet Train) in approximately 60 minutes. It is also connected with Narita International Airport by bus or car in about 3 hours.
The battle of Utsunomiya Castle took place between May 10-14, 1868, during the Boshin war. The city itself was founded on 1 April 1896. The city added the two towns from Kawachi District on 31 March 2007.
It is also home to a Canon optical manufacturing plant, a Japan Tobacco plant, Honda design centers, and various other industrial concerns in the Kiyohara Industrial Park. In addition, one of the largest malls in the North Kantō region, Bell Mall is located near central Utsunomiya.
Utsunomiya is most well known within Japan for gyōza dumplings. Utsunomiya is also well known for its abundance and quality of cocktail bars. |
