Tosu, Saga

Infobox City Japan
Name=Tosu
JapaneseName=鳥栖市
Map

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Region=Kyūshū
Prefecture=Saga
District=
Area_km2=71.73
PopDate=October 1, 2006
Population=65,507
Density_km2=913.24
Coords=
LatitudeDegrees= 33
LatitudeMinutes= 23
LatitudeSeconds=
LongtitudeDegrees= 130
LongtitudeMinutes= 30
LongtitudeSeconds=
Tree = Round Leaf Holly
Flower =Japanese Iris
Bird = Japanese White-eye
Symbol

SymbolDescription=Flag
Mayor =
CityHallPostalCode = 841-8511
CityHallAddress= 1118 Shukumachi, Tosu-shi, Saga-ken
CityHallPhone=0942-85-3500
CityHallLink = [http://www.city.tosu.lg.jp City of Tosu] nihongo|Tosu|鳥栖市|Tosu-shi is a city located in the east part of Saga Prefecture on the island of Kyūshū, Japan.

Overview

Tosu is one of the major transportation hubs of Kyūshū. Its main train station is Tosu Station which connects the Nagasaki Main Line and the Kagoshima Main Line. There is also a junction connecting the Kyūshū Expressway, Nagasaki Expressway and Oita Expressway. Economically it is part of the Fukuoka metropolitan area, and according to a 2000 census about 5% of the total population of Tosu commute to work or school in Fukuoka.

Geography

Located in the Saga Plains, the Chikushi River runs along the southern border of Tosu. The lowlands are used for paddy farming and are where the city center is located. The northwestern part of the city contains the eastern part of the Sefuri Mountaians.
*Mountains: Mount Kusenbu (848 m), Mount Ishidani (754 m), Shiroyama (501 m)
*Rivers: Akimitsu River, Ara River, Chikugo River, Daigi River, Hōman River, Yamashita River
*Dams: Kawachi Dam

Adjoining municipalities

*Saga Prefecture
**Kiyama
**Miyaki
*Fukuoka Prefecture
**Chikushino
**Kurume
**Nakagawa
**Ogōri

History

*1874 - Saga Rebellion. A battle between the government troops and the rebel army occurred on Mount Asahi.
*1889-04-01 - The modern municipal system is established. At this time Tosu consists of five separate villages: Asahi, Fumoto, Kizato, Tashiro and Todoroki.
*1907-03-19 - Todoroki gains town status and is renamed Tosu.
*1936-03-11 - Tashiro gains town status.
*1954-04-01 - Asahi, Fumoto, Kizato, Tashiro and Tosu all merge to form Tosu City.

Education

;Junior Colleges
* [http://www.k-ryukoku.ac.jp/ Kyushu Ryukoku Junior College]

;Prefectural Senior High schools
*Tosu Senior High School
*Tosu Technical High School
*Tosu Commercial High School

;Junior High schools
*Kanan Junior High School
*Tosu Junior High School
*Tosu Nishi Junior High School
*Tashiro Junior High School
*Kizato Junior High School

;Elementary schools
*Tosu Elementary School
*Tosu Kita Elementary School
*Tashiro Elementary School
*Kizato Elementary School
*Fumoto Elementary School
*Asahi Elementary School
*Wakaba Elementary School

Transportation

Rail

The main station is Tosu Station.
*JR Kyushu
**Kagoshima Main Line
***Yayoigaoka Station - Tashiro Station - Tosu Station - Hizen-Asahi Station
**Nagasaki Main Line
***Tosu Station - Hizen-Fumoto Station

Road

*Expressways
**Kyushu Expressway: Tosu Junction
**Nagasaki Expressway: Tosu Junction
**Oita Expressway: Tosu Junction

*National highways
**Route 3
**Route 34
**Route 500

*Prefectural roads:
**Tosu-Asakura Route 14
**Kurume-Kiyama-Chikushino Route 17
**Saga-Kawakubo-Tosu Route 31

cenic and historic places

*Chikushi family Katsuo Castle ruins
*Mount Asahi castle ruins
*Tosu Stadium

ightseeing spots

*Azumaya
*Kawachi Dam area
**Torigoe and Yamabiko mountain retreats
**Shimin no mori
**Kawachi swimming pool
*Mount Asahi Park
*Mount Kusenbu
**Kyūshū Nature Walk
*Nakatomi Commemorative Medicine Museum
*Ochōzu waterfall
**Numakawa swimming pool
*Saga Horse Racing Track
*Tashiro Park
*Tosu Premium Outlets

Festivals and events

*Tosu Yayoi Matsuri (last Sunday of March)
*Hana no hi (May 4th)
*Tori no hi (Sunday between May 10th and May 16th)
*Matsuri Tosu (last Sunday of July)
*Tosu Yamakasa (first Saturday and Sunday of summer vacation)
*Doyō Yoichi (Saturday night market, end of July)

ports

*Sagan Tosu - in J. League football
*Hisamitsu Springs - in V. League volleyball

Famous people from Tosu

*Koichi Ogata - pro baseball player
*Masayoshi Son - businessman, founder of SoftBank
*Yosihiro Sato-pro baseball player

External links

* [http://www.city.tosu.lg.jp/ Tosu City]
* [http://wgordon.web.wesleyan.edu/kamikaze/books/japanese/children/yazaki/index.htm "The Teacher's Piano Sang"] - story of teacher at Tosu Elementary School