Ōkawa, Fukuoka

(Redirected from Okawa, Fukuoka)

Ōkawa (大川市, Ōkawa-shi) is a city located in Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan.[1][2] As of 1 February 2024, the city had an estimated population of 31,605 in 13984 households, and a population density of 940 persons per km².[3] The total area of the city is 33.62 km2 (12.98 sq mi).

Ōkawa
Ōkawa City Hall
Ōkawa City Hall
Flag of Ōkawa
Official seal of Ōkawa
Map
Location of Ōkawa in Fukuoka Prefecture
Location of Ōkawa
Ōkawa is located in Japan
Ōkawa
Ōkawa
Location in Japan
Coordinates: 33°12′24″N 130°23′02″E / 33.20667°N 130.38389°E / 33.20667; 130.38389
CountryJapan
RegionKyushu
PrefectureFukuoka
Government
 • MayorKoji Ueki (since July 2005)
Area
 • Total33.62 km2 (12.98 sq mi)
Population
 (January 31, 2024)
 • Total31,605
 • Density940/km2 (2,400/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+09:00 (JST)
City hall address256-1 Sakami, Ōkawa-shi, Fukuoka-ken 831-8601
WebsiteOfficial website
Symbols
FlowerCanna lily
TreePrincess tree
Chikugo River Lift Bridge

Geography

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Ōkawa is located in southern Fukuoka Prefecture next to the border with Saga Prefecture. The Chikugo River flows from northeast to southwest through the city, which is relatively flat. At the centre of Ōkawa, the Hanamune River flows into the Chikugo River as a tributary.

Neighboring municipalities

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Fukuoka Prefecture

Saga Prefecture

Climate

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Ōkawa has a humid subtropical climate (Köppen Cfa) characterized by warm summers and cool winters with light to no snowfall. The average annual temperature in Ōkawa is 16.3 °C. The average annual rainfall is 1946 mm with September as the wettest month. The temperatures are highest on average in August, at around 27.1 °C, and lowest in January, at around 6.0 °C.[4]

Demographics

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Per Japanese census data, the population of Ōkawa is as shown below

Historical population
YearPop.±%
1940 38,249—    
1950 46,345+21.2%
1960 50,351+8.6%
1970 51,637+2.6%
1980 49,537−4.1%
1990 45,704−7.7%
2000 41,338−9.6%
2010 37,465−9.4%
2020 32,988−11.9%

History

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The area of Ōkawa was part of ancient Chikugo Province. During the Edo Period the area was divided between of Kurume Domain and Yanagawa Domain. After the Meiji restoration, the town of Ōkawa was established on May 1, 1889 with the creation of the modern municipalities system. It was the location of a dike constructed by Dutch engineer Johannis de Rijke in 1890. It annexed the neighboring villages of Kawaguchi, Onojima, Taguchi, Mimata, and Kimuro on April 1, 1955 and was raised to city status.

Government

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Ōkawa has a mayor-council form of government with a directly elected mayor and a unicameral city council of 15 members. Ōkawa, together with the town of Ōki, contributes one member to the Fukuoka Prefectural Assembly. In terms of national politics, the city is part of the Fukuoka 6th district of the lower house of the Diet of Japan.

Economy

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Ōkawa is noted for its high concentration of furniture-related woodworking manufacturers, which began in the late Muromachi period.

Education

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Ōkawa has eight public elementary schools and two public junior high schools operated by the city government and one public high school operated by the Fukuoka Prefectural Board of Education. There is also one private high school. The International University of Health and Welfare has a campus in Ōkawa.

Transportation

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Railways

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Ōkawa has not had any passenger railway service since the discontinuation of the JNR Saga Line in 1987. The nearest train stations are Nishitetsu Yanagawa Station on the Nishitetsu Tenjin Ōmuta Line in Yanagawa City in the center and southern part of the city, Hatchōmuta Station in Ōki Town and Kamachi Station in Yanagawa in the eastern part of the city, and Daizenji Station in Kurume in the northern part of the city .

Highways

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Sister cities

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Notable residents of Ōkawa

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References

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  1. ^ "大川市 | 4地域と60市町村紹介|福岡県ってどんなところ?|福岡県 移住・定住ポータルサイト 福がお~かくらし". 福岡県 移住・定住ポータルサイト 福がお~かくらし (in Japanese). Retrieved 2022-10-22.
  2. ^ "家具のまち大川市で高校生が踊る『ロボ家具』ダンスとは!?ハイスクWish大川樟風高校 ~ふるさとWish大川市~(九州朝日放送)". Yahoo!ニュース (in Japanese). Retrieved 2022-10-22.
  3. ^ "Ōkawa City official statistics" (in Japanese). Japan.
  4. ^ Ōkawa climate: Average Temperature, weather by month
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