Seihi, Nagasaki

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Seihi (西彼町; -chou) is a town located in Saikai City, Nagasaki, Japan.

[edit] Geography

As of 2003, the town has an estimated population of 9,794 and a density of 143.00 persons per km². The total area is 68.49 km². Seihi is a long, narrow city running along the west side of Omura Bay (大村湾); it occupies most of the northeastern part of the Nishisonogi Peninsula. Seihi is bordered on the south by Kinkai (琴海町, part of Nagasaki City), on the west by Oseto(大瀬戸町), and on the north by Saikai (both of which are also part of Saikai City). On the northeastern edge of Seihi lie the Saikai Bridge (西海橋), part of Highway 202/206, which takes motorists to Hario Town in Sasebo. Another option is to catch the Pearl Line Expressway, a toll road with bridge completed in 2006. This route ends near the regionally famous Huis Ten Bosch theme park.

[edit] Industry

The backbone of Seihi is agriculture, with major crops including lotus root, grapes, and watermelon. Highway 206, winding through Seihi, features numerous farmers' markets which attract shoppers from the nearby cities of Sasebo and Nagasaki. The waters of the Omura Bay are also filled with oyster farms, both the pearl-yielding and culinary varieties. There is also a thriving local fishing industry, and the waters around Seihi are the source of sea cucumbers, among other fish and shellfish, which find their way into fish markets in Nagasaki.