Ami, Ibaraki

Ami 阿見町
Town
Ami town office
Flag Seal
Location of Ami in Ibaraki Prefecture
Ami
Coordinates: 36°1′50.9″N 140°12′53.4″E / 36.030806°N 140.214833°ECoordinates: 36°1′50.9″N 140°12′53.4″E / 36.030806°N 140.214833°E
Country	Japan
Region	Kantō
Prefecture	Ibaraki Prefecture
District	Inashiki
Area
• Total	71.40 km^2 (27.57 sq mi)
Population (September 2015)
• Total	48,019
• Density	673/km^2 (1,740/sq mi)
Time zone	Japan Standard Time (UTC+9)
- Tree	Sakura
- Flower	Chrysanthemum
- Bird	Japanese bush warbler
Phone number	0296-48-1111
Address	1-1-1 Chuo, Ami-machi, Inashiki-gun, Ibaraki-ken 300-0332
Website	Official website

Ami (阿見町 Ami-machi) is a town located in Inashiki District, Ibaraki Prefecture, in the northern Kantō region of Japan. As of September 2015, the town had an estimated population of 48,019 and a population density of 673 persons per km². Its total area was 71.40 km².

Geography

Located in southern Ibaraki Prefecture, Ami is bordered to the north by Lake Kasumigaura

Surrounding municipalities

• Ibaraki Prefecture
  • Inashiki
  • Tsuchiura
  • Ushiku
  • Miho

History

During the Edo period, the area around Ami was part of Hitachi Province. The villages of Ami, Kimihara, Asahi and Funashima were created with the establishment of the municipalities system on April 1, 1889. In 1921, the Imperial Japanese Navy established a naval aviation training base at Ami, with floatplane operations on nearby Kasumigaura. Zeppelin operations also began from 1929. In 1937, the Youth Aviation Squadron was transferred from Yokosuka. The base was repeated bombed in 1944 and 1945 during World War II, with the attack on June 10, 1945 killing over 300 people. On April 1, 1955, the villages of Ami, Kimihara and Asahi merged to form the town of Ami. Most of the village of Funashima joined on April 20, 1955.

Economy

Ami has a mixed economy. Agriculture remains predominant; however, there are also numerous factories for chemicals, light manufacturing and electronics.

Education

• Ibaraki University – Department of Agriculture
• Ibaraki Prefectural University of Health Sciences
• Ami also has eight elementary schools, four middle schools and one high school.

Transportation

Railway

• Ami is not served by any passenger train service. The nearest stations are Tsuchiura and Arakawaoki in neighboring Tsuchiura.

Highway

• Ken-O Expressway – Ushiku-Ami IC, Ami-Higashi IC
• Japan National Route 125

Military facilities

• JGSDF Camp Tutiura
• JGSDF Ordnance School
• JGSDF Camp Kasumigaura

Local attractions

• site of Jojo Castle
• Yokaren Peace Memorial Museum
• Ami Premium Outlet Shopping Center

International relations

• – Superior, WI, USA – sister city since 1997 ^[1]
• – Liuzhou, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, China (friendship city) from June 1997 ^[2]

References

1. Superior Sister City Commission HP
2. Ami International Exchange Association

External links

Media related to Ami, Ibaraki at Wikimedia Commons

• Official website (Japanese)