| Wakayama 和歌山 |
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| — Core city — | |||
| 和歌山市 · Wakayama City | |||
| Wakayama Castle, Nishinomaru Garden Saikazaki, Kimiidera Temple Downtown Wakayama viewed from the Castle |
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| Location of Wakayama in Wakayama Prefecture | |||
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Wakayama
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| Coordinates: | |||
| Country | Japan | ||
| Region | Kansai | ||
| Prefecture | Wakayama Prefecture | ||
| Government | |||
| • Mayor | Kenichi Ohashi (since August 2002) | ||
| Area | |||
| • Total | 210.25 km2 (81.2 sq mi) | ||
| Population (October 1, 2010) | |||
| • Total | 369,088 | ||
| • Density | 1,755.47/km2 (4,546.6/sq mi) | ||
| Time zone | Japan Standard Time (UTC+9) | ||
| City symbols | |||
| - Tree | Cinnamomum camphora | ||
| - Flower | Azalea | ||
| Phone number | 81-(0)73-432-0001 | ||
| Address | Nanabancho 23, Wakayama City, Wakayama Prefecture (和歌山県和歌山市七番丁23番) 640-8511 |
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| Website | City of Wakayama | ||
Wakayama (和歌山市 Wakayama-shi) is the capital city of Wakayama Prefecture in the Kansai region of Japan.
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Wakayama occupies 4% of the land area and has 40% of Wakayama prefecture's population. The city was founded on April 1, 1889.
The city population rose from 382,155 in 2003 to 386,501 in 2004, a growth of 1.87%. The population density as of October 1, 2010, was 1,755.47 persons per km². The total area is 209.20 km².
This population increase has occurred despite Wakayama's beleaguered economy, which has suffered since Sumitomo Steel moved much of its steel producing operations to China. The Wakayama steel mills have since been reduced and restructured, with part of the industry completely shutting in 2004.
Wakayama is cleft in two by the Kinokawa River. The city is bordered at the north by mountains and Osaka Prefecture.
In the city center is Wakayama Castle, built on Mt. Torafusu (the name means "a tiger leaning on his side"). During the Edo period, the Kishū Tokugawa daimyo ruled from Wakayama Castle. Tokugawa Yoshimune, the fifth Kishū Tokugawa daimyo, became the eighth Tokugawa shogun.
Wakayama is home to one of Japan's three Melody Roads, which is made from grooves cut into the ground, which when driven over causes a tactile vibration and audible rumbling transmitted through the wheels into the car body.[1][2]
Wakayama is famous across Japan for its umeboshi and mikan.
Wakayama has sister-city relationships with four overseas municipalities:[1]
Wakayama City formed a sister-city relationship with the city of Jinan in China mainly due to the efforts of Hiroshi Yamazaki (山崎 宏), who was an escaped medic in the Imperial Japanese Army and stayed in China after the war. He married and runs his own clinic in China. In 1976, he visited Wakayama after nearly 40 years.
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