Ōtsu, Shiga

Ōtsu 大津
—  Core city  —
大津市 · Ōtsu City
Enryaku-ji, Ishiyama-dera Otsu Festival and the tram, Mangetsu-ji Ukimido City view and Lake Biwa
Flag
Location of Ōtsu in Shiga
Ōtsu
Coordinates: 35°1′N 135°51′E / 35.017°N 135.85°E / 35.017; 135.85Coordinates: 35°1′N 135°51′E / 35.017°N 135.85°E / 35.017; 135.85
Country	Japan
Region	Kansai
Prefecture	Shiga
Government
– Mayor	Makoto Mekata
Area
– Total	464.10 km2 (179.2 sq mi)
Population (August 1, 2011)
– Total	336,430
– Density	724.9/km2 (1,877.5/sq mi)
Time zone	Japan Standard Time (UTC+9)
City symbols
- Tree	Prunus serrulata
- Flower	Viola eizanensis
- Bird	Black-headed Gull
Phone number	077-523-1234
Address	3-1, Goryō-chō, Ōtsu-shi, Shiga-ken 520-8575
Website	Ōtsu City

Ōtsu (大津市, Ōtsu-shi^?) is the capital city of Shiga, Japan. The city was founded on October 1, 1898. As of October 1, 2010, the city has an estimated population of 338,629 with an average age of 40.7 years (15.42% of whom are under 15 and 16.81% are over 65) and a population density of 905.28 persons per km². The total area is 374.06 km².

History

In the years 667 to 672, the Ōmi Ōtsu Palace was founded by Emperor Tenji. The Jinshin War devastated Otsu, but a new capital Heian-kyō (now Kyoto) was established the immediate neighborhood in 794, and Otsu was revived as important traffic point and a satellite town of the capital. In the 12th century, the Battle of Awazu occurred in southern Ōtsu, during which Kiso Yoshinaka was killed.

On 11 May 1891, the Ōtsu incident, a failed assassination attempt on Tsarevich Nicholas Alexandrovich of Russia (later Tsar Nicholas II), occurred.

Built during the 1890s and later expanded during the Taishō period, the Lake Biwa Canal played an important role in connecting Ōtsu and the nearby city of Kyoto, facilitating water and passenger transportation and also providing electrical energy to power Japan's first streetcar railroad services. The city was founded on October 1, 1898.

On March 20, 2006 the town of Shiga, in Shiga District ceased to exist after merging into Ōtsu.

Lake Biwa

Lake Biwa, the largest lake in Japan, is in the center of the prefecture and is also a site of significant relevance to the Japanese tourism industry. Scenic spots of Otsu have been known as The Eight Views of Omi and attracted literary men such as Matsuo Bashō. Sightseeing tours usually take up to several hours and tourists are given an opportunity to swim and take long strolls around the region. Lake Biwa is also a famous beach spot in the summer. The city has an annual road race named after the lake: the Lake Biwa Marathon.

Sister cities

• Lansing, Michigan, USA (since 1969). Both Lansing and Ōtsu are capitals of their respective states/prefectures, which have been sister states since 1968.
• Würzburg, Bavaria, Germany
• Interlaken, Bern, Switzerland
• Mudanjiang, Heilongjiang, China
• Kumi, Gyeongsangbuk-do, South Korea

Gallery

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  Grave of Matsuo Bashō at Gichū-ji

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  Ishiyama-dera, a temple at which Murasaki Shikibu stayed

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  The bell of Mii-dera, the sound of which is one of the Eight Views of Ōmi

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  Hiyoshi Taisha

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  Entrance of Biwako Sosui

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  Biwako Hall

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  From Ōtsu, the paddlewheel boat Michigan offers cruises on Lake Biwa.

External links

• Official website in English