| Naka-ku 中区 |
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| — Ward — | |
| Sakae area with TV tower as seen from Midland Square | |
| Location of Naka-ku in Aichi Prefecture | |
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Naka-ku
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| Coordinates: | |
| Country | Japan |
| Region | Chūbu region Tōkai region |
| Prefecture | Aichi Prefecture |
| Area | |
| • Total | 9.38 km2 (3.6 sq mi) |
| Population (September 2011 [1]) | |
| • Total | 79,206 |
| • Density | 8,091/km2 (20,955.6/sq mi) |
| Time zone | Japan Standard Time (UTC+9) |
| City symbols | |
| - Tree | Ginkgo [2] |
| - Flower | Pansy |
Naka-ku (中区, "central ward") is the heart of Nagoya, Aichi Prefecture, Japan. Largely hemmed in by Sakura-dōri (桜通り), Ōtsu-dōri (大津通り), Fushimi-dōri (伏見通り) and Tsurumai-dōri (鶴舞通り), it contains the main shopping area of Sakae, a massive air-conditioned 5 square-kilometer underground mall) and the 'after-five' semi-red light districts of Nishiki and Shin-sakae.
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In addition the Sakae shopping area, there is also Ōsu, a sprawling old-style small-trader shopping area spreading out from the large Ōsu Kannon (大須観音), a Buddhist temple that holds flea markets. The covered streets house stalls selling fashion garments, TVs and alternative medicine give a taste of what Japan might have been like before modernization. Between Ōsu and Sakae can be found the city's Science and Modern Art museums. South of Ōsu is Kanayama Station (straddling the border with Atsuta-ku and Nakagawa-ku), Nagoya's second-most important rail transportation hub after Nagoya Station and a major access point for the Central Japan International Airport. Many izakayas and pachinko parlors can be found in its vicinity.
Naka-ku is also home to the city's Opera House and the main government offices, including the Nagoya City Hall and the Aichi Prefectural Government.
Dentsu and Yomiuri Shimbun have branch offices in Naka-ku.[3][4] Air China has an office on the 9th floor of the Hirokoji YMD Building in Naka-ku.[5] Asiana Airlines operates a sales office on the twelfth floor of the Nishiki Park Building in Naka-ku.[6]
When Matsuzakaya was an independent company, its headquarters were in Naka-ku.[7]
Japan Airlines at one time operated a ticketing facility on the tenth floor of the Naka-kuyakusho Asahi-Seimei Kyodo Building in Naka-ku.[8]
After blanket bombing in World War II, most of Nagoya was burned to the ground. Nagoya is a good example of how the Japanese made use of the devastation to completely redesign and rebuild its cities. Following the grid-like design of New York City, large streets stretch out from Naka-ku towards the suburbs. The city is especially proud of Sakae's 100-meter road (100メートル道路) so named because of its width. There are small parks and areas for public performances in the area between two four-lane roads that service the city centre. The road is close to 100 m (328 ft) in width, and 1 km (0.6 mi) in length.
Until the 1980s, town-planners were not allowed to build anything more than six stories in height outside of the business districts, unless it was for danchi (団地), multi-unit apartment blocks that can be found in parts of every Japanese city. The rules have been relaxed now, but many of the more suburban parts of the city are different as a result of the low architecture.
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