Toride 取手市
City
Toride city hall
Flag Seal
Location of Toride in Ibaraki Prefecture
Toride
Coordinates: 35°54′41.4″N 140°3′1.3″E / 35.911500°N 140.050361°E / 35.911500; 140.050361
Country	Japan
Region	Kantō
Prefecture	Ibaraki Prefecture
Government
• Mayor	Osamu Nakamura (since 2023)
Area
• Total	69.94 km2 (27.00 sq mi)
Population  (October 2020)
• Total	104,329
• Density	1,500/km2 (3,900/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+9 (Japan Standard Time)
- Tree	Osmanthus and Bay laurel
- Flower	Azalea and Wisteria
- Bird	Ural owl and Common kingfisher
Phone number	0297-74-2141
Address	5139 Terada, Toride-shi, Ibaraki-ken 302-8585
Website	Official website

Ohori-no-watashi

Toride (取手市, Toride-shi) is a city located in Ibaraki Prefecture, Japan. As of 1 October 2020, the city had an estimated population of 104,329 in 44,755 households and a population density of 1492 persons per km². The percentage of the population aged over 65 was 34.8%.^[1] The total area of the city is 69.94 square kilometres (27.00 sq mi).

Geography

Located in southern Ibaraki Prefecture, Toride is bordered by Chiba Prefecture to the south. The Tone River passes along the southern border of Toride, which also marks the Ibaraki/Chiba border. The city is located in the Kanto Plain and was often subject to flooding. It is approximately 40 kilometers from central Tokyo.

Demographics

Per Japanese census data,^[3] the population of Toride peaked around the year 2000 and has declined slightly since.

History

Toride developed in the Edo period as a post-town on the Mito Kaidō highway connecting Edo with Mito and as a nexus for water-borne traffic on the Tone River; however, the name is thought to derive from an ancient fort constructed by Taira no Masakado in the Heian period. The area was part of ancient Shimōsa Province, but was transferred to the newly created Ibaraki prefecture after the Meiji Restoration. Toride town was created with the establishment of the modern municipalities' system on April 1, 1889. It was elevated to city status on October 1, 1970.^[4] On March 28, 2005, the neighboring town of Fujishiro (from Kitasōma District) was merged into Toride, nearly doubling its size.^[4]

Government

Toride has a mayor-council form of government with a directly elected mayor and a unicameral city council of 24 members. Toride contributes two members to the Ibaraki Prefectural Assembly. In terms of national politics, the city is part of Ibaraki 3rd district of the lower house of the Diet of Japan.

Economy

Due to its proximity to Tokyo, Toride is increasingly a bedroom community for the Tokyo metropolis. Rice, sake, pickles and leeks dominate local agriculture.

Education

Toride has 14 public elementary schools and six public middle schools operated by the city government, and five public high schools operated by the Ibaraki Prefectural Board of Education. In addition, there are one private elementary school, two private middle schools and two private high schools.

The Tokyo University of the Arts maintains a campus at Toride.

Transportation

Sister city relations

• – Guilin, Guangxi, China
• – Yuba City, California, USA

Notable people from Toride

• Kiyoshi Mutō, architect and structural engineer (considered the "father of the Japanese skyscraper")
• Kakeru Ayabe, professional baseball player (pitcher for the Yokohama DeNA BayStars)
• Takako Inoue, professional wrestler (All Japan Women's Pro-Wrestling, Ladies Legend Pro-Wrestling, Oz Academy and Arsion)
• Yoshinari Ogawa, professional wrestler (Pro Wrestling Noah)

Local attractions

• Kokai River Cycling Road
• Toride Tone River Fireworks
• Kokaigawa Flower Canal
• Toride Yasaka Shrine
• Former Toride-juku Honjin
• Ryuzen-ji Buddhist temple
• Tomb of Honda Narishige

References

External links

Media related to Toride, Ibaraki at Wikimedia Commons

• Official Website (in Japanese)