From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Tsu 津
—  City  —
津市 · Tsu
Flag
Location of Tsu in Mie
Tsu
Coordinates: 34°43′N 136°30′E / 34.717°N 136.5°E / 34.717; 136.5
Country	Japan
Region	Kansai
Prefecture	Mie
Area
- Total	710.81 km2 (274.4 sq mi)
Population (2006)	292,628
City Symbols
- Tree	Azalea
- Flower	Azalea
Website	City of Tsu
Address 23-1 Nishi-Marunouchi, Tsu-shi, Mie-ken 514-8611

Tsu (津市, Tsu-shi^?) is the capital of Mie Prefecture, Japan. It is located on Ise Bay.

Tsu originally developed as a castle town. During the Edo era, it became a popular stopping point for travelers to Ise shrine, about 40 km to the southeast. The old city was founded on April 1, 1889. About half of it was destroyed by the American bombing raids of 1945, although it has been rebuilt since then and remains one of the region's principal cities.

Tsu is home to Mie University, the prefecture's only national university.

Tsu Castle from the air.

Tsu is on the Kisei Main Line, Kintetsu Nagoya Line, and Ise Railway. The closest airport is Chubu Centrair International Airport, on an artificial island in Ise Bay, south of Nagoya and is accessible by high speed boat.

On January 1, 2006, The city of Hisai, the towns of Anō, Geinō and Kawage, and the village of Misato, all from Age District, the towns of Hakusan, Ichishi and Karasu, and the village of Misugi, all from Ichishi District, were merged into Tsu. The city became the 8th prefectual capital city to form the new municipal organization joining Saitama, Shizuoka, Aomori, Toyama, Matsue, Yamaguchi, and Saga. As a result of the merger, the city became the 2nd largest in Mie by population behind Yokkaichi, and became the largest in Mie by area ahead of Matsusaka.

The city is also prone to tsunamis and has made a wall to try and slow them down and give people time to evacuate the area.^{[citation needed]}

Economy

Imuraya, a confectionery company,^[1] and ZTV, a cable television operator, are headquartered in Tsu.^[2]

Culture

Tsu is famous for its Tōjin Odori (唐人踊り), a festival of commemorating Joseon Tongsinsa.^[3] There are other two cities that celebrate Tōjin Odori: Suzuka city in Mie Prefecture and Ushimado-chō Okayama Prefecture.^[4]

References

External links

• Media related to Tsu, Mie at Wikimedia Commons
• Tsu official website in Japanese

Mie Prefecture Cities Tsu (capital) | Yokkaichi | Ise | Matsusaka | Kuwana | Suzuka | Nabari | Owase | Kameyama | Toba | Kumano | Inabe | Shima | Iga Kuwana District Kisosaki Inabe District Tōin Mie District Komono | Asahi | Kawagoe Taki District Taki | Meiwa | Ōdai Watarai District Tamaki | Watarai | Taiki | Minamiise Kitamuro District Kihoku Minamimuro District Mihama | Kihō