thumb|right|270px|Gogadzuka Kofun

thumb|right|270px|Aerial view of Itami city center

thumb|right|270px|Konoike inari shihi

thumb|right|270px|Arioka Castle ruins

is a city located in Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 197,215 in 83,580 households and a population density of . The total area of the city is .

Geography

Itami is located in south-eastern Hyōgo Prefecture, with the Ina River to the east and the Muko River to the west. The city area is a flat, undulating gentle terrain throughout.

Demographics

Per Japanese census data, the population of Itami has been increasing steadily since the 1950s.

History

The area of modern Itami is part of ancient Settsu Province and the hilly area is called the Itami plateau, between the Ina River and the Muko River have been continuously inhabited since the Japanese Paleolithic period. Stone tools, Jomon pottery and Yayoi pottery and settlement traces have been found in several areas within the city limits, and rice cultivation was done in the area from ancient times. The area also has many kofun burial mounds, including the () and , which were built during the Kofun period. The names 'Inano', 'Inabe' and 'Ina Prefecture', all of appear to be variants of 'Itami' appear in the Nihon Shoki and in waka poems from the Nara and Heian periods. In the northern part of the city, the Itami temple ruins date from between the Nara period to the Kamakura period.

The center of Itami became a wealthy castle town by the middle of Sengoku period with the construction of Arioka Castle, held by Araki Murashige ruled under Oda Nobunaga. After the uprising and defeat of Araki, the castle was torn down. During the Edo Period, the town was taken over by the Konoe family of court nobility, and the sake brewing industry prospered under its protection.

Following the Meiji restoration, the holdings of the Konoe family were incorporated into Hyōgo Prefecture. The town of Itami was established 1 April 1889 with the creation of the modern municipalities system. Itami was raised to city status on 10 November 1940. Great portions of the city were damaged in the Great Hanshin–Awaji earthquake of 1995, but were quickly rebuilt.

Government

Itami has a mayor-council form of government with a directly elected mayor and a unicameral city council of 28 members. Itami contributes three members to the Hyōgo Prefectural Assembly. In terms of national politics, the city is in the Hyōgo 6th districts of the lower house of the Diet of Japan.

Economy

Together with the adjacent Yamamoto district of Takarazuka, the horticultural industry in Itami is one of the three major plant production areas in Japan. The cherry trees planted along the Potomac River in the United States were grown using Itami cherry trees as rootstocks. The city has a mixed economy of commerce, industry and is also a commuter town for Osaka.

Industry

The history of brewing in Itami is very old, having been done since the Muromachi period. In the Itami area, a method of brewing clear and colorless Japanese rice wine, now known as , was discovered.

Transportation

Airports

Most of Osaka International Airport is located in Itami (hence its common name "Itami Airport"); it is Osaka's primary domestic airport, after all international flights and some domestic flights shifted to Kansai International Airport in 1994. Despite the airport's association with Itami, the terminal complex is located in the neighboring city of Toyonaka and the Itami city center is connected to the airport only by a long tunnel that passes beneath the runway and tarmac.

Railways

20px JR West - Fukuchiyama Line

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25px Hankyu - Itami Line

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20px Osaka Monorail - Nissei Line

Bus

  • Itami City Bus

Highways

  • 25px|link=|alt= Meishin Expressway
  • 25px|link=|alt= Chūgoku Expressway
  • 24px|link=|alt=11 Hanshin Expressway

Sister cities

  • Hasselt, Belgium
  • Foshan, China

Local attractions

thumb|upright|Itami City Library ()

thumb|upright|[[Itami City Museum of Insects]]

  • Aramaki rose park ()
  • Arioka Castle Ruins ()
  • (), a from the Kofun period which claims to be one of the three museums in the world housing major collections of haiku poetry and painting; it houses the Kakimori Collection, a poetry collection of .
  • Koya temple ()
  • Koyoike Park ()
  • Miyamena Cultural Towns Itami-shi Itami-cho Town Pavilion, Town Old Okada Family with Brewery (Important Cultural Property of the Country) ()

Culture and regular events

thumb|upright|Itami Machinakanaka Bar on-street performance

thumb|Insect basket suspended in the street tree

  • Itami Machinakanaka Bar is an eating and drinking event in the city center of Itami. It held twice a year, in spring and autumn, and musicians can often be found performing in the streets during the event.
  • Nakumushi to Go-cho is a Japanese poetry event in autumn. In the Itami city center, the "insect hearing" event is held every September. At this event, various events related to "insect hearing" occur—such as music concerts, study sessions, reading books, and workshops—over the course of a few weeks.

Notable people from Itami

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  • Uejima Onitsura (1661–1738), Japanese haiku poet of the Edo period
  • Yoko Minamino (1967–), Japanese actress and singer
  • Masami Okui (1968–), Japanese singer-songwriter
  • Akira Ueda (1970–), Japanese video game designer and founder of Audio, Inc.
  • Aiko Uemura (1979–), Japanese mogul skier
  • Hiroyuki Nakajima (1982–), Japanese professional baseball player
  • Katsuki Yamazaki (1982–), Japanese professional baseball player
  • Masahiro Tanaka (1988–), Japanese professional baseball player
  • Hayato Sakamoto (1988–), Japanese professional baseball player
  • Kasumi Arimura (1993–), Japanese actress
  • Matsuri Arai (2001–), Japanese diver

References

  • Itami City Museum of Art
  • Itami City Museum of Insects