Mooka, Tochigi

Mooka 真岡市
City
Mooka City Hall
Flag Seal
Location of Mooka in Tochigi Prefecture
Mooka
Coordinates: 36°26′25.5″N 140°0′48.2″E / 36.440417°N 140.013389°ECoordinates: 36°26′25.5″N 140°0′48.2″E / 36.440417°N 140.013389°E
Country	Japan
Region	Kantō
Prefecture	Tochigi Prefecture
Government
• Mayor	Ryuichi Ida (since May 2009)
Area
• Total	167.34 km^2 (64.61 sq mi)
Population (May 2015)
• Total	80,541
• Density	481/km^2 (1,250/sq mi)
Time zone	Japan Standard Time (UTC+9)
- Tree	Zelkova serrata
- Flower	Gossypium
- Bird	Eurasian skylark
Phone number	285-82-1111
Address	5191 Aramachi, Mooka-shi, Tochigi-ken 321-4395
Website	Official website

Mooka (真岡市 Mooka-shi)} is a city located in Tochigi Prefecture, in the northern Kantō region of Japan. As of May 2015, the city had an estimated population of 80,541 and a population density of 481 persons per km². Its total area was 167.34 km². Moka is known for the Mooka Railway, which operates steam locomotives. The train line stretches from Shimodate, Ibaraki to Motegi, Tochigi. The town produces 9,000 tons of strawberries annually.^[1] There are harvests in mid-November and at the end of May.^[1] The name of the city is given as “Moka City” per the city’s official home page; however, the local train station is “Mōka Station”, and the direct transliteration of the city name into Hepburn romanization is “Mooka”.

Geography

Mooka is located in southeast Tochigi Prefecture.

Surrounding municipalities

• Tochigi Prefecture
  • Utsunomiya
  • Oyama
  • Shimotsuke
  • Tsuga
  • Ichikai
  • Mashiko
  • Kaminokawa
• Ibaraki Prefecture
  • Chikusei
  • Sakuragawa

History

The town on Mooka was established within Tsuga District, Tochigi on April 1, 1889 with the creation of the municipalities system. Mooka annexed the neighboring villages of Yamazeki, Ouchi and Naka on March 31, 1954. It was elevated to city status on October 1, 1954.

On March 23, 2009, the town of Ninomiya (from Haga District) was merged into Mooka.^[2]

Economy

Mooka is a regional commercial center with a mixed economy. Agriculture centers primarily on rice production and fruits. Traditional industries of sake brewing and cotton weaving have largely been replaced by light manufacturing of automotive and electronic components, primarily for the nearby Nissan factory in Kaminokawa and Honda factory in Tsuga.

Education

Mooka has 18 primary schools, nine middle schools and four high schools.

It previously hosted the Colégio Pitágoras Brasil, a Brazilian school.^[3]

Transportation

Railway

• Mooka Railway Mooka Line
  • Kugeta - Terauchi - Mōka - Kitamōka - Nishidai - Kitayama

Highway

• Kita-Kantō Expressway – Mooka IC
• Japan National Route 121
• Japan National Route 292
• Japan National Route 408

Local attractions

• Osaki Jinja
• site of Nakamura Castle

External relations

• – Douliu, Taiwan
• – Glendora, California, USA ^[4]

Noted people

• Takanori Hoshino – voice actor
• Nándor Wagner - artist and sculptor

References

1. "Tempting the taste buds", Daily Yomiuri, Feb. 20, 2010.
2. http://www.kokudo.or.jp/new/cities/sub/kanto/09.htm Archived April 18, 2008, at the Wayback Machine.
3. "Escolas Brasileiras Homologadas no Japão" (Archive). Embassy of Brazil in Tokyo. February 7, 2008. Retrieved on October 13, 2015.
4. "Glendora Public Library: Weblinks Collection – Community Information". Retrieved 2008-09-06.

External links

Media related to Mooka, Tochigi at Wikimedia Commons

• Official website (Japanese)