is the capital

city A city is a human settlement of notable size.Goodall, B. (1987) ''The Penguin Dictionary of Human Geography''. London: Penguin.Kuper, A. and Kuper, J., eds (1996) ''The Social Science Encyclopedia''. 2nd edition. London: Routledge. It can be def ...

of Ōita Prefecture, located on the island of Kyushu,

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the n ...

. On January 1, 2005, the town of Notsuharu (from Ōita District) and the town of Saganoseki (from Kitaamabe District) were merged into Ōita.

Demographics and geography

Ōita is the most populous city in Ōita Prefecture. As of March 31, 2017, the city has an estimated

population Population typically refers to the number of people in a single area, whether it be a city or town, region, country, continent, or the world. Governments typically quantify the size of the resident population within their jurisdiction usi ...

of 478,491, with 216,853

household A household consists of two or more persons who live in the same dwelling. It may be of a single family or another type of person group. The household is the basic unit of analysis in many social, microeconomic and government models, and is i ...

s and a

population density Population density (in agriculture: standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geographical term.Matt RosenberPopu ...

of 950 persons per km². The total area of the city is 502.39 km². The city is bordered by City of Beppu to the northwest, City of Yufu to the west, City of Taketa to the southwest, City of Bungo-ōno to the south, and City of Usuki to the southeast. The north of the city faces Beppu Bay and the Seto Inland Sea. Oita Chuo Dori

Economy

During the 1960s and 1970s, an industrial region was formed along the Beppu Gulf coast. Among the plants in the region were flagship plants of

Nippon Steel was formed in 2012 by the merger of the old Nippon Steel and Sumitomo Metal. was established in 1970 by the merger of Fuji Iron & Steel and Yawata Iron & Steel. Nippon Steel is the world's third largest steel producer by volume as of 2019. ...

and Showa Denko. In the 1970s,

Toshiba , commonly known as Toshiba and stylized as TOSHIBA, is a Japanese multinational conglomerate corporation headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan. Its diversified products and services include power, industrial and social infrastructure systems, ...

and Canon built and expanded their plants in inland area. By then, the city emerged as a major production center of electronics products such as LSIs and digital cameras. The downtown and shopping districts are located to the north of Oita Station. Recently, however, the area has been gradually declining, because the main commercial areas have been dispersed due to the construction of big

shopping mall A shopping mall (or simply mall) is a North American term for a large indoor shopping center, usually Anchor tenant, anchored by department stores. The term "mall" originally meant pedestrian zone, a pedestrian promenade with shops along it (that ...

s in the suburbs.

History

The Ōita area is historically known as , the capital of . During the

Sengoku period The was a period in History of Japan, Japanese history of near-constant civil war and social upheaval from 1467 to 1615. The Sengoku period was initiated by the Ōnin War in 1467 which collapsed the Feudalism, feudal system of Japan under the ...

(15th–16th centuries), the powerful Ōtomo clan based in Funai and the area prospered as a key port of trade with

Portugal Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic ( pt, República Portuguesa, links=yes ), is a country whose mainland is located on the Iberian Peninsula of Southwestern Europe, and whose territory also includes the Atlantic archipelagos of th ...

and Ming-dynasty China. Ōtomo Sōrin, a famous Christian ''

daimyō were powerful Japanese magnates, feudal lords who, from the 10th century to the early Meiji period in the middle 19th century, ruled most of Japan from their vast, hereditary land holdings. They were subordinate to the shogun and nominall ...

'', first introduced western culture. It was in Funai that the first western style hospital was built and the first Japanese choir was formed.

Climate

Ōita has a

humid subtropical climate A humid subtropical climate is a zone of climate characterized by hot and humid summers, and cool to mild winters. These climates normally lie on the southeast side of all continents (except Antarctica), generally between latitudes 25° and 40° ...

(

Köppen climate classification The Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by German-Russian climatologist Wladimir Köppen (1846–1940) in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen, nota ...

''Cfa'') with hot summers and cool winters. Precipitation is significant throughout the year, but is somewhat lower in winter.

Landmarks and points of interest

that borders

Beppu is a city in Ōita Prefecture on the island of Kyushu, Japan. As of March 31, 2017, the city had a population of 122,643Japanese macaque. At the entrance to the Takasaki-yama park is the "Marine Palace" aquarium, also known as "Umi Tamago", or "Sea Egg". The

Ōita Stadium is a retractable roof, multi-purpose stadium in the city of Ōita in Ōita Prefecture on Kyushu Island in Japan. The stadium will be called from 1 January 2023 as an abbreviated form, by naming rights. It was formerly called as , due to spons ...

, also known as Big Eye or Kyushu Oil Dome, is situated along the city expressway. It is the home field of the J. League football club Oita Trinita and is used for large local events. In the middle of the city, there are many shops and department stores. Some major departmental stores include Tokiwa, Parco, Frespo Kasugaura, and D Plaza. There are also

s in the suburbs, such as Tokiwa Wasada Town and Park Place Oita. Outside the city, scenic spots include mountain plateaus, seaside villages and towns renowned for onsen (geothermal hot springs). Ōita is also famous for the intestines of puffer fish. '' Toriten'' is another famous food in this city. JNR C55 53 is the locomotive on display in the park. (See JNR C55)

Transportation

The principal railway station of the city is Ōita Station where Nippō Main Line, Kyūdai Main Line, and Hōhi Main Line of

JR Kyushu The , also referred to as , is one of the seven constituent companies of Japan Railways Group (JR Group). It operates intercity rail services within Kyushu, Japan and the JR Kyushu Jet Ferry Beetle hydrofoil service across the Tsushima Str ...

gathers. The luxury '' Aru Ressha'' train was designed by Eiji Mitooka. It runs between Ōita and Hita and is in service to also revive tourism and the local economy. Buses are the primary mode of transportation in Oita, run by two main bus service companies. The Oita Bus Company operates bus routes in the city. The Oita Kotsu Company runs north of the city. For long-distance bus services, these two companies, as well as Kamenoi Bus Company operate bus routes from Oita to main place of Kyushu, such as

Fukuoka is the sixth-largest city in Japan, the second-largest port city after Yokohama, and the capital city of Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan. The city is built along the shores of Hakata Bay, and has been a center of international commerce since anc ...

and Kumamoto, and

Osaka is a designated city in the Kansai region of Honshu in Japan. It is the capital of and most populous city in Osaka Prefecture, and the third most populous city in Japan, following Special wards of Tokyo and Yokohama. With a population of ...

Nagoya is the largest city in the Chūbu region, the fourth-most populous city and third most populous urban area in Japan, with a population of 2.3million in 2020. Located on the Pacific coast in central Honshu, it is the capital and the most po ...

and more. Oita Airport is located nearby, at Kunisaki, and used to be accessible via

hovercraft A hovercraft, also known as an air-cushion vehicle or ACV, is an amphibious craft capable of travelling over land, water, mud, ice, and other surfaces. Hovercraft use blowers to produce a large volume of air below the hull, or air cushion, ...

, which takes about 30 minutes. However, this service has been suspended since late 2009. Other ways of accessing the airport is by bus, taxi or a private vehicle. The

Ōita Expressway is a Japanese expressway in Kyushu that travels from Tosu to Hiji, where it connects to the Higashikyushu Expressway. It runs through the southern half of Fukuoka Prefecture, and the northern half of Ōita Prefecture. The total length of Ōi ...

, Higashikyushu Expressway, National Route 10 and National Route 210 all run through the city. Many ships depart from the Port of Oita, to places such as

Kansai The or the , lies in the southern-central region of Japan's main island Honshu, Honshū. The region includes the Prefectures of Japan, prefectures of Nara Prefecture, Nara, Wakayama Prefecture, Wakayama, Kyoto Prefecture, Kyoto, Osaka Prefectur ...

, and Shikoku.

Sports

Annual sporting events include: * Beppu-Oita Mainichi Marathon, which traces a path between Ōita and its neighbouring city of

Beppu is a city in Ōita Prefecture on the island of Kyushu, Japan. As of March 31, 2017, the city had a population of 122,643IAAF World Athletics, formerly known as the International Amateur Athletic Federation (from 1912 to 2001) and International Association of Athletics Federations (from 2001 to 2019, both abbreviated as the IAAF) is the international governing body fo ...

Silver Label road race.Beppu-Oita Mainichi Marathon
ARRS (2009-12-24). Retrieved on 2010-02-08. * The Kyūshū Ekiden, beginning in

Nagasaki is the capital and the largest city of Nagasaki Prefecture on the island of Kyushu in Japan. It became the sole port used for trade with the Portuguese and Dutch during the 16th through 19th centuries. The Hidden Christian Sites in the ...

and ending in

, the world's longest relay race Sporting events held in Oita include: *1966 National Sports Festival of Japan *2001

Kirin Cup The is an association football tournament organised in Japan by the Kirin Brewery Company. The host, Japan, is a participant in every edition. The tournament was founded in 1978 then known as Japan Cup (International competition which nationa ...

2002 FIFA World Cup The 2002 FIFA World Cup, also branded as Korea Japan 2002, was the 17th FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial Association football, football world championship for List of men's national association football teams, men's national teams organized by ...

*2003, 2006, 2007

Kirin Challenge Cup The is an association football tournament organised in Japan by the Kirin Brewery Company. The host, Japan, is a participant in every edition. The tournament was founded in 1978 then known as Japan Cup (International competition which national ...

*2005 J. League All-Star Soccer *

2019 Rugby World Cup The 2019 Rugby World Cup was the ninth edition of the Rugby World Cup, the quadrennial world championship for men's rugby union teams. It was hosted in Japan from 20 September to 2 November in 12 venues all across the country. The opening match ...

Sports teams and facilities

Education

Oita City operates all public elementary and junior high schools, while the prefecture operates the high schools.

National universities

* Oita University

Prefectural universities

Oita University of Nursing and Health Sciences is a public university in Ōita, Ōita, Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while ...

Private universities

* Nippon Bunri University *

Beppu University is a private university in Ōita Prefecture, Japan. It has campuses at the cities of Beppu is a city in Ōita Prefecture on the island of Kyushu, Japan. As of March 31, 2017, the city had a population of 122,643

– Oita Campus *

Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific University , commonly referred to as APU, is a university in Japan. Ritsumeikan APU was established in April 2000 in Beppu, Ōita, Japan. APU was created through the collaboration of three parties from the public and private sectors: Ōita Prefecture, Be ...

High schools

* Ōita Uenogaoka High School * Ōita Oginodai High School * Ōita Kōgyō High School * Ōita Shōgyō High School * Ōita Tsurusaki High School * Ōita Nishi High School * Ōita Higashi High School * Ōita Hofu High School (middle and high school) * Ōita Maizuru High School * Ōita Minami High School * Geijutsu Midorigaoka High School * Jōhō Kagaku High School * Tsurusaki Kōgyō High School

Notable people from Ōita

Mao Abe Mao Zedong pronounced ; also romanised traditionally as Mao Tse-tung. (26 December 1893 – 9 September 1976), also known as Chairman Mao, was a Chinese communist revolutionary who was the founder of the People's Republic of China (PRC ...

, singer-songwriter *

Takamasa Anai is a Japanese judoka. He began judo at the age of 5. He is Coached by former world champion and olympic silver medalist Shinichi Shinohara. He won the All-Japan Championships and took the bronze medal at the World Championships in 2009. His ...

, judo wrestler * Yuya Ando, baseball player *

Chiyotaikai Ryūji Chiyotaikai Ryūji (born April 29, 1976 as Ryūji Hiroshima in Chitose, Hokkaidō), is a Japanese former sumo wrestler. He made his professional debut in 1992 and reached the top ''makuuchi'' division in 1997. He held the second highest rank of ' ...

, sumo wrestler * Eri Fukatsu, actress *

Arata Isozaki Arata Isozaki (磯崎新, ''Isozaki Arata''; born 23 July 1931) is a Japanese architect, urban designer, and theorist from Ōita. He was awarded the RIBA Gold Medal in 1986 and the Pritzker Architecture Prize in 2019. Biography Isozaki was ...

, architect *

Yūko Kotegawa is a Japanese actress from the city of Ōita. Biography Yūko graduated from high school in the city of Ōita. She placed first in the 1976 Miss Salad Girl contest (the runner-up was Yūko Natori). She landed a part in a Kanebo cosmetics com ...

, actress *

Atsuhiro Miura is a former Japanese football player. He played for Japan national team. He is not related to fellow footballer and who is also from Japan Kazuyoshi Miura. Club career Miura was born in Oita on 24 July 1974. After dropped out from Aoyama Gak ...

, football player * Daisuke Miyazaki, handball player *

Tomiichi Murayama is a Japanese politician who served as Prime Minister of Japan from 1994 to 1996. He led the Japanese Socialist Party, and was responsible for changing its name to the Social Democratic Party of Japan in 1996. Upon becoming Prime Minister, he w ...

, 81st

Prime Minister of Japan The prime minister of Japan ( Japanese: 内閣総理大臣, Hepburn: ''Naikaku Sōri-Daijin'') is the head of government of Japan. The prime minister chairs the Cabinet of Japan and has the ability to select and dismiss its Ministers of S ...

Shigeichi Nagano __NOTOC__ was a Japanese photographer. He won the Ina Nobuo Award in 1986 and had a major retrospective at the Tokyo Metropolitan Museum of Photography in 2000. Life and work Nagano was born in Ōita City in Ōita Prefecture, and studied economi ...

, photographer *

Yūsuke Santamaria , better known by his stage name , is a Japanese actor and singer. Biography Santamaria appeared in Kiyoshi Kurosawa is a Japanese film director, screenwriter, film critic and a professor at Tokyo University of the Arts. Although he has work ...

, tarento * Rino Sashihara, HKT48, former

AKB48 AKB48 (pronounced ''A.K.B. Forty-Eight'') is a Japanese idol girl group named after the Akihabara (''Akiba'' for short) area in Tokyo, where the group's theater is located. AKB48's producer, Yasushi Akimoto, wanted to form a girl group with i ...

* Seiichi Uchikawa, baseball player *

Naomi Zaizen is a Japanese actress. Filmography Films * (1989) * (1989) * '' Heaven and Earth'' (1990) * '' Best Guy'' (1990) * * (1991) * (1993) * (1994) * (1995) * (1997) * (1998) * ''Avalon'' (2001) * ''Ouran High School Host Club'' (2012) * ...

, actress * Misa Eto, former Nogizaka46 * Sosuke Genda, baseball player *

Kenichi Shinoda , also known as , is a Japanese Yakuza, the sixth and current ''kumicho'' (supreme kingpin, or chairman) of the Yamaguchi-gumi, Japan's largest yakuza organization. Career Shinoda was born in Ōita, Kyushu.Shinobu Tsukasa , also known as , is a Japanese Yakuza, the sixth and current ''kumicho'' (supreme kingpin, or chairman) of the Yamaguchi-gumi, Japan's largest yakuza organization. Career Shinoda was born in Ōita, Kyushu.Yakuza godfather, current ''kumicho'' of Yamaguchi-gumi,

's largest Yakuza organization

Sister cities

* Aveiro, Portugal (1978) *

Wuhan Wuhan (, ; ; ) is the capital of Hubei Province in the People's Republic of China. It is the largest city in Hubei and the most populous city in Central China, with a population of over eleven million, the ninth-most populous Chinese city a ...

Hubei Hubei (; ; alternately Hupeh) is a landlocked province of the People's Republic of China, and is part of the Central China region. The name of the province means "north of the lake", referring to its position north of Dongting Lake. The p ...

, China (1979) *

Austin, Texas Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of Texas, as well as the seat and largest city of Travis County, with portions extending into Hays and Williamson counties. Incorporated on December 27, 1839, it is the 11th-most-populous city ...

, United States (1990) *

Guangzhou Guangzhou (, ; ; or ; ), also known as Canton () and Chinese postal romanization, alternatively romanized as Kwongchow or Kwangchow, is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Guangdong Provinces of China, province in South China, sou ...

Guangdong Guangdong (, ), alternatively romanized as Canton or Kwangtung, is a coastal province in South China on the north shore of the South China Sea. The capital of the province is Guangzhou. With a population of 126.01 million (as of 2020 ...

, China (1997) * San Cristóbal, Táchira, Venezuela * Vitória, Espírito Santo, Brazil *

Lausanne , neighboring_municipalities= Bottens, Bretigny-sur-Morrens, Chavannes-près-Renens, Cheseaux-sur-Lausanne, Crissier, Cugy, Écublens, Épalinges, Évian-les-Bains (FR-74), Froideville, Jouxtens-Mézery, Le Mont-sur-Lausanne, Lugrin (FR ...

, Switzerland

References

External links

Ōita City official website

{{DEFAULTSORT:Oita, Oita Cities in Ōita Prefecture Port settlements in Japan Populated coastal places in Japan