Fujieda, Shizuoka

Fujieda 藤枝市
City
View from Fujieda Station
Flag Seal
Location of Fujieda in Shizuoka Prefecture
Fujieda
Coordinates: 34°52′2.7″N 138°15′27.8″E / 34.867417°N 138.257722°ECoordinates: 34°52′2.7″N 138°15′27.8″E / 34.867417°N 138.257722°E
Country	Japan
Region	Chūbu (Tōkai)
Prefecture	Shizuoka Prefecture
Area
• Total	194.06 km^2 (74.93 sq mi)
Population (September 2015)
• Total	143,582
• Density	740/km^2 (1,900/sq mi)
Time zone	Japan Standard Time (UTC+9)
- Tree	Pine
- Flower	Wisteria
- Bird	Japanese bush warbler
Phone number	054-643-3111
Address	1-11-1 Okadeyama, Fujieda-shi, Shizuoka-ken 426-8722
Website	Official website

Reconstruction of Tanaka Castle in Fujieda

Fujieda (藤枝市 Fujieda-shi) is a city located in Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan. As of September 2015, the city has an estimated population of 143,587 and a population density of 740 persons per km². The total area was 194.03 square kilometres (74.92 sq mi).

Geography

Fujieda is located in the Shida Plateau in central Shizuoka Prefecture between the Abe River and the Ōi River. The area enjoys a warm maritime climate with hot, humid summers and mild, cool winters.

Neighboring municipalities

• Shizuoka Prefecture
  • Shizuoka
  • Yaizu
  • Shimada

History

Under the Tokugawa shogunate of Edo period Japan, much of the area of present-day Fujieda was part of Tanaka Domain, and its castle formed part of the eastern outlying fortifications of Sunpu. The town also developed as Fujieda-juku, a post town on the Tōkaidō highway connecting Edo with Kyoto.

During the cadastral reform of the early Meiji period in 1889, Fujieda-juku became Fujieda Town within Shida District Shizuoka Prefecture. Fujieda Station on the Tōkaidō Main Line railway opened on April 16, 1889, leading to development of the surrounding area. On March 31, 1954, Fujieda merged with neighboring Aoshima Town and four neighboring villages to form Fujieda City. Setoya Village merged on February 15, 1955 and Hirohata Village on April 1, 1957.

On January 1, 2009, the neighboring town of Okabe (from Shida District) was merged into Fujieda. Shida District was dissolved as a result of this merger.^[1]

Economy

Fujieda is primarily a bedroom community for nearby Shizuoka. The local economy is dominated by agriculture (tea, strawberry, rice, shiitake) and by light manufacturing, including pharmaceuticals, beverages, and food processing.

Education

Fujieda has 17 elementary schools, ten public and two private middle schools, and three public and three private high schools. In addition, Shizuoka Sangyo University has a campus in Fujieda, and the agricultural fields for Shizuoka University are also located in the city.

Transportation

Railway

• JR Central - Tōkaidō Main Line
  • Fujieda

Highways

• Japan National Route 1 - Fujieda Bypass, Okabe Bypass

Sister City relations

• - Penrith, New South Wales, Australia,^[2] from November 3, 1984.
• - Yangju, Gyeonggi Province, South Korea,^[2] since August 24, 2009

Local attractions

• Site of Tanaka Castle
• Utsunoya Pass
• Gardens of Renge-ji temple

Notable people from Fujieda

• Kunio Ogawa - novelist
• Shizuo Fujieda - novelist
• Shin Asahina - professional soccer player
• Toshiya Ishii - professional soccer player
• Tatsuya Ishikawa - professional soccer player
• Kentaro Ohi - professional soccer player
• Hiroshi Nanami - professional soccer player
• Yoshikazu Suzuki - professional soccer player
• Masashi Nakayama - professional soccer player
• Makoto Hasebe - professional soccer player
• Nobuhisa Yamada - professional soccer player
• Takeshi Watanabe - professional soccer player
• Ryu Okada - professional soccer player
• Motoyuki Akahori - professional baseball player

References

1. http://www.kokudo.or.jp/new/cities/sub/chubu/22.htm
2. "International Exchange". List of Affiliation Partners within Prefectures. Council of Local Authorities for International Relations (CLAIR). Retrieved 21 November 2015.

External links

Media related to Fujieda, Shizuoka at Wikimedia Commons

• Fujieda City official website (Japanese)