Aioi, Hyogo
Encyclopedia
is a city
located between Himeji
and Okayama
, in Hyōgo Prefecture
, Japan
. As of 2008, the city had an estimated population
of 32,584 and the density
of 369.14 persons per km². The total area is 90.43 km².
, these villages were part of the Akō han
(fiefdom of feudal lords) of Harima Province.
The main industry in Aioi is shipbuilding, which, despite many years of decline, still maintains a strong presence through Ishikawajima-Harima Heavy Industries
(IHI).
Aioi is known for the annual dragon boat
races held during the Aioi Peron Festival （相生ペーロン祭）, which takes place on the last weekend of May each year. In 1655, the dragon boat
races were brought from China
to Nagasaki. Later in 1922, some Nagasaki IHI
workers were transferred to Aioi. They brought the dragon boat
races with them.
The 2 train stations in Aioi are: Aioi Train Station （相生駅） and Nishi Aioi Station (West Aioi Station) （西相生駅）.
Two train lines run though Aioi Station: Sanyō line (山陽本線, Sanyō-honsen) and the Akō line (赤穂線 Akō-sen). The Sanyō line is the main train line running west and east along the Seto Inland Sea (瀬戸内海, Seto Naikai).
The Akō line begins in Aioi and runs west through Nishi Aioi Station and Akō City
and continues into Okayama Prefecture
to Okayama City.
The city, surprisingly to some, has a shinkansen
station. It is commonly asserted that this was due to the influence of Toshio KŌMOTO （河本敏夫）, a Diet
member from the area when the Sanyo Shinkansen
line was approved in the 1960s. Today, Aioi Station serves as a gateway to Harima Science Garden City, which hosts SPring-8
, the largest synchrotron
in the world, among other scientifically-oriented institutes and companies.
, 4 Junior High Schools
, and 7 Elementary Schools
.
High School
（高校学校 kōtōgakkō）
Junior High School
（中学校 chūgakkō）
Elementary School
（小学校 shōgakkō）
radish that grew though the pavement was found slashed. According to a city spokesperson, the radish was seen as an inspiration due to "its tenacity and strong will to live." The tenacious daikon, nicknamed "Daichan," has since been celebrated in a children's book. In 2006, a special firework representing the daikon was set off at the annual firework display preceding the dragon boat races.
27 May 2007: Date of the annual Aioi 'Peron' festival which includes boat racing for the whole of that day. Fireworks the previous night in Aioi.
Cities of Japan
||A is a local administrative unit in Japan. Cities are ranked on the same level as and , with the difference that they are not a component of...
located between Himeji
Himeji, Hyogo
is a city located in Hyōgo Prefecture in the Kansai region of Japan. As of April 1, 2011, the city has an estimated population of 535,945, with 206,409 households. The total area is 534.43 km².- History :...
and Okayama
Okayama, Okayama
is the capital city of Okayama Prefecture in the Chūgoku region of Japan.The city was founded on June 1, 1889. As of August 2010, the city has an estimated population of 705,224 and a population density of 893 persons per km². The total area is 789.88 km²....
, in Hyōgo Prefecture
Hyogo Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan located in the Kansai region on Honshū island. The capital is Kobe.The prefecture's name was previously alternately spelled as Hiogo.- History :...
, Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
. As of 2008, the city had an estimated population
Population
A population is all the organisms that both belong to the same group or species and live in the same geographical area. The area that is used to define a sexual population is such that inter-breeding is possible between any pair within the area and more probable than cross-breeding with individuals...
of 32,584 and the density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
of 369.14 persons per km². The total area is 90.43 km².
History
Aioi City was founded on October 1, 1942 and was enlarged to its present size on August 1, 1955. The city's name comes from the name of one of the villages that were merged to create the city. (Curiously, the name of the village was pronounced "Au", but used the same kanji characters as the present-day city.) During the Edo periodEdo period
The , or , is a division of Japanese history which was ruled by the shoguns of the Tokugawa family, running from 1603 to 1868. The political entity of this period was the Tokugawa shogunate....
, these villages were part of the Akō han
Han (Japan)
The or domain was the name of the estate belonging to a warrior in Japan after the 17th century. The fiefs of the daimyos of the samurai class of Japan during the Edo period were called han.-Edo period:...
(fiefdom of feudal lords) of Harima Province.
The main industry in Aioi is shipbuilding, which, despite many years of decline, still maintains a strong presence through Ishikawajima-Harima Heavy Industries
Ishikawajima-Harima Heavy Industries
, formerly known as , is a Japanese company which produces ships, aero-engines, turbochargers for automobiles, industrial machines, power station boilers and other facilities, suspension bridges and other transport-related machinery....
(IHI).
Aioi is known for the annual dragon boat
Dragon boat
A dragon boat is a human-powered watercraft traditionally made, in the Pearl River delta region of southern China - Guangdong Province, of teak wood to various designs and sizes. In other parts of China different woods are used to build these traditional watercraft...
races held during the Aioi Peron Festival （相生ペーロン祭）, which takes place on the last weekend of May each year. In 1655, the dragon boat
Dragon boat
A dragon boat is a human-powered watercraft traditionally made, in the Pearl River delta region of southern China - Guangdong Province, of teak wood to various designs and sizes. In other parts of China different woods are used to build these traditional watercraft...
races were brought from China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
to Nagasaki. Later in 1922, some Nagasaki IHI
Ishikawajima-Harima Heavy Industries
, formerly known as , is a Japanese company which produces ships, aero-engines, turbochargers for automobiles, industrial machines, power station boilers and other facilities, suspension bridges and other transport-related machinery....
workers were transferred to Aioi. They brought the dragon boat
Dragon boat
A dragon boat is a human-powered watercraft traditionally made, in the Pearl River delta region of southern China - Guangdong Province, of teak wood to various designs and sizes. In other parts of China different woods are used to build these traditional watercraft...
races with them.
Trains
Aioi is well connected with transportation. Aioi has 2 train stations and several major expressways and roads.The 2 train stations in Aioi are: Aioi Train Station （相生駅） and Nishi Aioi Station (West Aioi Station) （西相生駅）.
Two train lines run though Aioi Station: Sanyō line (山陽本線, Sanyō-honsen) and the Akō line (赤穂線 Akō-sen). The Sanyō line is the main train line running west and east along the Seto Inland Sea (瀬戸内海, Seto Naikai).
The Akō line begins in Aioi and runs west through Nishi Aioi Station and Akō City
Ako, Hyogo
is a city located in the south west of Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan.As of April 30, 2011, the city has an estimated population of 50,902, with a household number of 19,841 and a density of 401.18 persons per km². The total area is 126.88 km². The city was officially founded on September 1, 1951...
and continues into Okayama Prefecture
Okayama Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan located in the Chūgoku region on Honshū island. The capital is the city of Okayama.- History :During the Meiji Restoration, the area of Okayama Prefecture was known as Bitchū Province, Bizen Province and Mimasaka Province.- Geography :...
to Okayama City.
The city, surprisingly to some, has a shinkansen
Shinkansen
The , also known as THE BULLET TRAIN, is a network of high-speed railway lines in Japan operated by four Japan Railways Group companies. Starting with the Tōkaidō Shinkansen in 1964, the network has expanded to currently consist of of lines with maximum speeds of , of Mini-shinkansen with a...
station. It is commonly asserted that this was due to the influence of Toshio KŌMOTO （河本敏夫）, a Diet
Diet of Japan
The is Japan's bicameral legislature. It is composed of a lower house, called the House of Representatives, and an upper house, called the House of Councillors. Both houses of the Diet are directly elected under a parallel voting system. In addition to passing laws, the Diet is formally...
member from the area when the Sanyo Shinkansen
Sanyō Shinkansen
The is a line of the Japanese Shinkansen high-speed rail network, connecting Shin-Ōsaka in Osaka with Hakata Station in Fukuoka, the two largest cities in western Japan...
line was approved in the 1960s. Today, Aioi Station serves as a gateway to Harima Science Garden City, which hosts SPring-8
SPring-8
SPring-8 is a synchrotron radiation facility located in Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan and run by the Japan Synchrotron Radiation Research Institute. The machine consists of a storage ring containing an 8 GeV electron beam...
, the largest synchrotron
Synchrotron
A synchrotron is a particular type of cyclic particle accelerator in which the magnetic field and the electric field are carefully synchronised with the travelling particle beam. The proton synchrotron was originally conceived by Sir Marcus Oliphant...
in the world, among other scientifically-oriented institutes and companies.
Roads
- Expressway
- Sanyo Expressway （山陽自動車道） (the connection is just outside Aioi in Tatsuno City)
- Harima Expressway （播磨自動車道） (there is no connection in Aioi, however)
- National Route
- Route 2 （国道2号）
- Route 250 （国道250号）
- Prefectural road
- Road 44 （兵庫県道44号相生宍粟線） (connects to the Harima Science Garden City)
- Road 568 （兵庫県道568号相生壷根公園線）
Schools
Aioi has 2 High SchoolsSecondary education in Japan
Secondary education in Japan is split into middle schools which cover the seventh through ninth grades, and high schools which mostly cover grades ten through twelve...
, 4 Junior High Schools
Secondary education in Japan
Secondary education in Japan is split into middle schools which cover the seventh through ninth grades, and high schools which mostly cover grades ten through twelve...
, and 7 Elementary Schools
Elementary school in Japan
Shōgakkō are elementary schools in Japan.More than 99% of Japanese elementary school-age children are enrolled in school. All children enter first grade at age six, and starting school is considered a very important event in a child's life....
.
High School
Secondary education in Japan
Secondary education in Japan is split into middle schools which cover the seventh through ninth grades, and high schools which mostly cover grades ten through twelve...
（高校学校 kōtōgakkō）
- Aioi High School （相生高校学校）
- Aioi Industrial High School （相生産業高校学校）
Junior High School
Secondary education in Japan
Secondary education in Japan is split into middle schools which cover the seventh through ninth grades, and high schools which mostly cover grades ten through twelve...
（中学校 chūgakkō）
- Aioi Junior High School （相生中学校）
- Naba Junior High School （那波中学校）
- Futaba Junior High School （双葉中学校）
- Yanogawa Junior High School （矢野川中学校）
Elementary School
Elementary school in Japan
Shōgakkō are elementary schools in Japan.More than 99% of Japanese elementary school-age children are enrolled in school. All children enter first grade at age six, and starting school is considered a very important event in a child's life....
（小学校 shōgakkō）
- Aioi Elementary School （相生小学校）
- Aobadai Elementary School （青葉台小学校）
- Chūō Elementary School （中央小学校）
- Naba Elementary School （那波小学校）
- Futaba Elementary School （双葉小学校）
- Yano Elementary School （矢野小学校）
- Wakasano Elementary School （若狭野小学校）
Headlines
In November 2005, the city was mentioned in world news reports after a large daikonDaikon
Daikon , Raphanus sativus var. longipinnatus, also called White Radish, Japanese radish, Oriental radish, Chinese radish, lo bok and Mooli , is a mild flavoured, very large, white East Asian radish...
radish that grew though the pavement was found slashed. According to a city spokesperson, the radish was seen as an inspiration due to "its tenacity and strong will to live." The tenacious daikon, nicknamed "Daichan," has since been celebrated in a children's book. In 2006, a special firework representing the daikon was set off at the annual firework display preceding the dragon boat races.
27 May 2007: Date of the annual Aioi 'Peron' festival which includes boat racing for the whole of that day. Fireworks the previous night in Aioi.