Kizugawa City (木津川市)
Kizugawa City is located in the southern part of Kyoto Prefecture. Kuni-kyo, a capital in the Nara period, is located here. This city was established on March 12, 2007, by merging three towns in Soraku-gun, Yamashiro-cho (Kyoto Prefecture), Kizu-cho and Kamo-cho.
Of the cities of Kyoto Prefecture, this city is located in the most southern place.
The city in brief
Land space: 85.12 km2
Population: 66,580
Number of males: 32,242
Number of females: 34,338
Number of households: 23,059
Population density: 782.1898 persons/km2
(As of April 1, 2007)
Geography
It is located in the most southern part of Kyoto Prefecture, and the Kizu River (Kyoto Prefecture), after which the city is named, flows through the city. In the past, the area flourished as a port for transporting wood ("Ki-no-tsu (port for wood)").
Adjacent municipalities
Kyoto Prefecture
Soraku-gun: Seika-cho, Wazuka-cho, Kasagi-cho
Tsuzuki-gun: Ide-cho
Kyotanabe City (an extremely tiny border exists in the northwest area of the city)
Nara Prefecture
Nara City
History
740: Kuni-kyo was placed there.
March 12, 2007: This city was established by merging three towns in Soraku-gun of Kyoto Prefecture, Yamashiro-cho, Kizu-cho and Kamo-cho.
Administration
Mayor: Noriko KAWAI (since April 22, 2007), who was the mayor of the former Kizu-cho
The administrator as the mayor (until the first mayor was elected): Hideo FUJIWARA, who was the mayor of the former Yamashiro-cho. The government office of the former Kizu-cho is used as that of the new city. A new government office is scheduled to be constructed around the spring of 2008 in the same premises and will be used as the government office starting in July of 2008. The new government building, with seven stories above ground and a quake-absorbing structure, will be environment-friendly and barrier-free.
Economies
Industry
This city is included in Kansai Science City, and many research laboratories of the national government and private companies are located there.
National research institutes
Japan Atomic Energy Agency Kansai Photon Science Institute (the Kids' Science Museum of Photons)
Companies possessing research and development sites in the city
ROHTO Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd.: Rohto Research Village Kyoto
OMRON Corporation: Keihanna Innovation Center
Sekisui House, Ltd.: Comprehensive Housing R&D Institute
Fukujuen: CHA Institute Center
Regional aspects
Major public facilities
The Kizu summary court
The integrated Kizu-regional government office (Regional Legal affairs Bureau, Public Prosecutor's Office, Hello Work (an employment security office))
The Kizu police station of the Kyoto Prefectural police department
The Yamashiro Kizu Post Office (in charge of Kizugawa City and Seika-cho); the ZIP code: 619-02, 619-11
Major commercial facilities
Sun Town Takanohara
Heiwado AL. Plaza Kizu
Garden Mall Kizugawa (to be opened in March of 2008)
Education
Transportation
Railroads
The core station: Kizu station (Kyoto Prefecture)
West Japan Railway Company
Kansai Main Line: (the area of Kameyama Station (Mie Prefecture) - Iga Ueno Station) - Kamo Station (Kyoto Prefecture)
The Yamatoji Line (of the Kansai Main Line): Kamo Station - Kizu Station - (the area of Nara Station - Tennoji Station - JR Nanba Station)
Nara Line: (the area of Kyoto Station - Uji Station (JR West) - Tanakura Station - Kamikoma Station - Kizu Station
Katamachi Line: Kizu Station - Nishikizu Station - (the area of Kyobashi Station (Osaka Prefecture) - Kitashinchi Station - Takarazuka Station)
Kintetsu Corporation
Kintetsu Kyoto Line: (the area of Kyoto Station - Kintetsu Tanbabashi Station) - Kizukawadai Station - Yamadagawa Station (located across a boundary with Seika-cho) - (the area of Takanohara Station - Yamato Saidaiji Station - Kintetsu Nara Station - Kashiwarajingu-mae Station)
* The station that is used most frequently by the citizen of Kizugawa City is Takanohara Station on the Kintetsu Kyoto Line in Nara City, Nara Prefecture.
Buses
Nara Kotsu Bus Lines
The Kamo community bus
Kizu-cho Junkai Bus (the circulating buses operated by Kizu-cho) (Kinotsu Bus)
Roads
Expressways
No expressway exists in the city.
Ordinary toll roads
Keinawa Expressway : the Kizu interchange (Kyoto Prefecture) (managed by West Nippon Expressway Company Limited)
* According to the usual notation of road signs in which no administrative category is displayed, for examples, 'Kyoto' and 'Nara,' the notation of 'Kizugawa' should be used, but a rare notation of 'Kizugawa City' is in fact used for preventing the road sign from being mistaken for indicating Kizu-gawa River (similar notations are also used for Yoshinogawa City, Tokushima Prefecture, and for Miyoshi City, Tokushima Prefecture).
Scenic sites, historic sites, tourist spots, specialty, festivals and events
Scenic sites, historic sites
Izumi Shikibu Haka (the tomb of Izumi Shikibu)
TAIRA no Shigehira Haka (the tomb of TAIRA no Shigehira)
Kaniman-ji Temple
Kaijusen-ji Temple
Joruri-ji Temple
Gansen-ji Temple
Jonen-ji Temple
The former Yamashiro provincial monastery site (former Kuni-kyo site)
Goryo-jinja Shrine (Kamo-cho)
Zezu-iseki Ruins
Hakusan-jinja Shrine
Too-no-sekibutsu (stone Buddhist image in Too)
Festivals
Kizu Sanja Matsuri Festival
Rokusai Nenbutsu Dance
Okage-odori Dance
Shishi-mai Dance (lion dance)/Dengaku Dance (a traditional dance originated in imploring a good harvest)/Sumo wrestling