Kashima, Ibaraki
Kashima (鹿嶋市; -shi) is a port city located on the Pacific Ocean in Ibaraki, Japan. It is sometimes considered to be part of the Greater Tokyo Area.
As of 2003, the city has an estimated population of 63,379 and the density of 681.79 persons per km². The total area is 92.96 km².
The city was founded on September 1, 1995.
Kashima is the home of a major professional soccer team, Kashima Antlers. Kashima Stadium was used for the soccer World Cup in 2002. The city is also the site of the Kashima Shrine, a Shinto temple which is considered the birthplace of many influential styles of swordplay (Kenjutsu) in Japan. It's one of the most oldest shrine in eastern Japan, founded in 660 BC in legend, and the real period is estimated as the 4th century from historical studies.
Kashima is the central city of Kashima Industrial Zone, and it has a large industrial park with about 1500 factories, speciallized for petrochemical and steel plants. Japan Government created this zone from 1963, and the development was mostly completed in 1973.
Transportation
Kashima is at the eastern end of the JR Kashima Line which connects it (through the Narita Line and Sobu Line) to Chiba Prefecture and Tokyo. The Higashi-Kantō Expressway follows a similar route from Kashima to Tokyo. Most of passengers use the expressway for Tokyo, and railways works mainly for local passengers or some of goods.
The closest major airport is Narita International Airport, linked by expressway. There is a large international freight port, Kashima Port in the industrial zone.
External links
- Kashima official website in Japanese
- Kashima Ohka Park
- Kashima Stadium (Prefectual Kashima Soccer Stadium)
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