Koriyama city�iJapan�j

Sister city since August 5, 1971

City Emblem

�¡Location�@Koriyama, located in the Koriyama Valley in the middle of Fukushima Prefecture, borders on Inawashiro Lake in the West, Abukuma Highland in the East, and the Adatara mountain in the North.
�¡Average yearly temperature�@Approximately12�Ž
�¡Average yearly rainfall�@Approximately1,000‡o
�¡Population�@approximately 337,000
�¡Area�@757.06km²
�¡City flower, bird, tree.

Hanakatsumi	Cuckoo	Wild cherry

�¡Tourist attractions�@Inawashiro Lake�@Bandai Mountain�@Bandai Atami Hot Springs
�¡Mayor�@Eiji�@Fujimori
�¡City hall address�@�§963-8024�@2-23-7 Asahi Koriyama-City, Fukushima
�¡Telephone number�@0249-24-2003
�¡Home Page�@http://www.city.koriyama.fukushima.jp/�iOpen the other window�j

�yLocation & Temperature�z
�@Koriyama, located in Koriyama Valley in the middle of Fukushima Prefecture, borders on Inawashiro Lake in the West, Abukuma Highland in the East, and the Adatara mountains in the North. Abukuma River flows north to south through the eastern part of the city.
�@It belongs to the Omote-nihon-climate, and the average yearly temperature is around 12�Ž. The average yearly rainfall is approximately 1,000‡o, and the average humidity is 74%. There isn't much humidity difference during the year. It is comfortable to live in its mild climate.

�yHistory�z
�@According to the change of the local administration system by the Taiho Code in 701, a "gun"(county) government office was opened as the civil government and to hold a court in the city. It is said the name of Koriyama came from the Chinese character "Gun" which can also be read as "Kori".
�@Also it is described the former name of Koriyama, "Asakagun", in the book titled "Shoku Nihongi" in 797.
�@This area had prospered as a lodging town on the Oushu Kaido road in the late Edo period. The city was developed from a number of new projects such as, the Asaka canal development, the Numagami power plant, and the railroad starting in the Meiji period. It is recognized as a city on September 1, 1924.
�@It was designated New Industrial City in 1964. Although it was severely hit by the attack from the air in April, 1945, the city made a remarkable economic recovery from the WW‡U.

�yTransportation�z
Tohoku Shinkansen�FApproximately 1 hour and 20 min from Tokyo to Koriyama.
Air route�FApproximately 1 hour and 10 min. from Osaka Airport(Itami) to Fukushima Airport 40min. by bus from Fukushima Airport to Koriyama city.

�yIndustry and Culture�z
�@Koriyama city used to be a lodging town on the Oshu Kaido road. It developed by clearing land for cultivation with the water of the Asaka canal, and using its hydroelectricity in the chemical factories. It was the producing center of silk-reeling industry and silk goods, and besides industries of synthetic fibers, metals, and electrical instruments were developed after the World War ‡U. The city was designated New Industrial City in 1964 and Technopolis of Koriyama District in 1986.
�@The ammount of shipment of manufactured goods was the second highest in the prefecture with a total of 756,300,000,000 yen. The Tohoku Shinkansen, the JR Tohoku Honsen Line, and the Tohoku Road run through the city, and the JR Ban'etsu Higashi Line, the JR Ban'etsu Nishi Line, the Suigun Line, and the Ban'etsu Road are also in the city. So, this city is the core of the economy in Fukushima prefecture and is superior to Fukushima city.

�yPartnership Progress�z
�@It is described the former name of Koriyama, "Asakagun", in the book with a title of "Shoku Nihongi" in 797.
There appears to have already been the relationship between Nara and Koriyama during the Tumulus period, according to the legend of Prince Katsuragi of Nara and Haruhime, daughter of a village chief of Koriyama.
�@Since Koriyama city combined with the other 12 Asaka towns and villages in May, 1965, the Three Biggest Tohoku Festivals became the Six Tohoku Festivals, adding the "Uneme Festival", which is a legend in Katahira-cho.
�@At this time, a goodwill mission of Nara was asked to go to Koriyama to attend the "Uneme Festival". The goodwill mission of Koriyama has been coming to Nara to attend the Harvest Moon Festival since 1970.
The signing ceremony of the sister city relationship was held in August, 1971, when this festival was celebrated in Nara.

�yCommunity Substance�z
�@Every year there is the exchange of goodwill mission of both Nara and Koriyama for the "Uneme Festival" to enhance mutual friendship.
It holds in each city the display of its special products to promote tourism. Besides there are active exchanges of the Youth Chamber, Boy Scouts, the Chorus of Boys and Girls, and Soccer Games.