About Towada City

Towada City is in Aomori Prefecture, the northernmost prefecture on Honshu, the main island of Japan. It is located on the eastern side of Aomori Prefecture, within the region known as “Kamikita,” which encompasses Towada City, Misawa City, Noheji Town, Oirase Town, Rokunohe Town, Shichinohe Town, Tohoku Town, Yokohama Town, and Rokkasho Village.

Total Area: 725.67 km2 (280.18 sq mi)
Population (as of November 2014): 64,063
Official Tree: Momiji (Japanese Maple)
Official Flower: Sakura (Cherry Blossom)
Mayor: OYAMADA, Hisashi

(left: Towada City logo)





 
A Brief History of Towada City

Originally central Towada was referred to as Sanbongi (三本木meaning “three trees”) because its location on a high plateau meant that the land was so arid and barren that only “three trees” could grow there. In 1855, Tsuto Nitobe initiated a project to create the Inaoigawa Canal (also known as the Inaoi River稲生川) which would provide water to the Sanbongi area. The first phase of the project was completed in 1859, but later expansions extended the canal to run from the Oirase River (奥入瀬川) all the way to the Pacific Ocean.

In 1956, in an effort to make its name known to tourists and to capitalize on the growing popularity of Lake Towada as a tourist destination, Sanbongi was renamed Towada City (十和田市 meaning “ten harmonious rice fields”). In 2005, the merger of Towadako-Machi (十和田湖町the town Lake Towada was actually in) and Towada City allowed Towada City to lay claim to Lake Towada as well as effectively doubling its size in terms of landmass (going from 353.5km2 to 725.67km2). As a result, Towada City is currently the third largest city in Aomori by landmass, and the fourth largest by population (approximately 64,000 people).

Sources:

• Nitobe Memorial Museum, “Inaoigawa Canal” (Eng) http://www.towada.or.jp/nitobe/nito13E.htm (link no longer available)
• The Official Portal of Towada (Jap/Eng/Ch/Ko) http://www.city.towada.lg.jp/
• The Official Portal of Towada City, “Kyu ‘Towada-shi’ no Ayumi (Jap) 旧「十和田市」のあゆみhttp://www.city.towada.lg.jp/docs/2012012000020/
• The Official Portal of Towada City, “Towada-shi no Ayumi” (Jap) 十和田市のあゆみhttp://www.city.towada.lg.jp/docs/2014053000083/

(View/download this information as a PDF document here: About Towada City.pdf)