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(仙台市, -shi?) is the capital of , , and the largest in the Tōhoku (northeast) region. The has a of one million and is one of ’s seventeen designated cities. The was founded in 1600 by the Date Masamune (伊達政宗, Date Masamune?), and is well known by its nickname, the “ of Trees” (杜の都, Mori no ?). There are about 60 on Jouzenji Dori (定禅寺通) and Aoba Dori (青葉通). In winter, the trees are decorated with thousands of lights in an event called the Pageant of Starlight (光のぺージェント), which starts in December and ends when the New Year starts. Many people visit to see the Pageant of Starlight.
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History
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Although the area was inhabited as early as 20,000 years ago, the history of as a begins from 1600, when the Date Masamune relocated to .

Masamune was not happy with his previous , Iwadeyama. Iwadeyama was located to the north of his territories and was also difficult to access from Edo (modern-day Tokyo). was an ideal location, being in the centre of Masamune’s newly defined territories, upon a major road from Edo, and near the sea. gave Masamune permission to build a in Aobayama, after the Battle of Sekigahara. Aobayama was the location of a castle used by the previous ruler of the area.

At this time, was written as 千代 (which literally means “a thousand generations”), because a temple with a thousand statues (千体, ?) used to be located in Aobayama. Masamune changed the kanji to 仙臺, which later became 仙台 (which literally means “hermit on a platform”). The kanji was taken from a Chinese poem that praised a palace created by the Emperor Wen of Han China, comparing it to a mythical palace in the Kunlun Mountains. It is said that Masamune chose this kanji so that the castle would prosper as long as a mountain inhabited by an immortal hermit.

Masamune ordered the construction of Castle in December 1600 and the construction of the town of in 1601. The grid plan roads in present-day are based upon his plans.
Downtown from the nearby Atago shrine
Downtown from the nearby Atago shrine

was incorporated as a on April 1, 1889, as a result of the abolition of the han system. At the time of incorporation, the ’s area was 17.45 km² and its was 86,000. However, the grew through seven annexations that occurred from 1928 to 1988. The became a designated on April 1, 1989. The ’s exceeded one million in 1999.

was (and still is) considered to be one of ’s cities, mostly because of its great numbers of trees and plants. became known as The of Trees at least before World War II. This was because the han encouraged residents to plant trees in their yards. As a result, many houses, temples, and shrines in had household forests (屋敷林, yashikirin?), which were used as resources for wood and other everyday materials. Air raids during World War II destroyed much of the greenery, and more was lost during the post-war and growth. is still well known as The of Trees, but this is mainly because of massive efforts to restore greenery in the .

[edit] Geography
The Hirose-gawa , seen from the Bridge.
The Hirose-gawa , seen from the Bridge.

is located at lat. 38°16′05″ north, long. 140°52′11″ east. The ’s area is 788.09 km², and stretches from the to the Ōu Mountains, which are the east and west borders of . As a result, the ’s geography is quite diverse. Eastern is a plains area, the centre of the is hilly, and western areas are mountainous. The highest point in the is Mt. Funagata which stands 1,500 m above sea level.

The Hirose-gawa flows 45km through . The is well-known as a symbol of , especially because it appears in the lyrics of Aobajō Koiuta (青葉城恋唄; literally, The Love Song), a popular song sung by Muneyuki Sato. Castle was built close to the to use the as a natural moat. The frequently flooded until the 1950s, but dams and levees constructed in the 1960s and 1970s have made such floods rare. The is now known for its exceptionally clean water and natural beauty, and was selected by ’s Environment Agency as one of ’s 100 Great Waters.[citation needed]
panorama view from .
panorama view from .

Most mountains in are dormant volcanoes, much older than the more famous Zaō and Narugo volcanoes in nearby municipalities. However, many hot springs can be found in the , indicating hydrothermal activity. The Oki earthquake occurs offshore once every 25 to 40 years. The 2005 earthquake, which occurred on August 16, 2005 had an epicenter close to the Oki earthquake area. However, the Headquarters for Earthquake Research Promotion concluded that it was not the Oki earthquake, saying “…the recent event is not thought to be this earthquake. This is because the magnitude of the earthquake was small, and the source area, which was estimated from the aftershock distribution and seismic waves, did not cover the whole expected source region. Although, the recent event ruptured a part of the focal region of the expected earthquake.”[citation needed]

[edit]
Average temperature and precipitation in .
Average temperature and precipitation in .

is situated in a temperate zone and has a moderate . The ’s average temperature is 12.1°C (53.8°F) and its average annual precipitation is 1,241.8 mm. The highest recorded temperature in the is 36.8°C (98.2°F), and the lowest recorded temperature is -11.7°C (10.9°F). The average year has 16.8 days with a high temperature over 30°C and only 2.2 days with a low temperature below 0°C, which is smaller compared to other major Japanese cities. The is rarely hit by typhoons, and experiences only 6 days with more than 10 cm of snowfall in the average year. ’s rainy season usually begins in late June to early July, which is later than most cities in . And cold wind from the Okhotsk air mass, called “Yamase”, blows in this season.

[edit] Demographics

As of 2005, the has an estimated of 1,028,214 and a of 1,304.69 persons per km². The ’s total area is 788.09 km². Most people in the live in urban areas close to train and subway stations. The 2000 National Census revealed that 88.5% of the ’s (892,252 people) live in a 129.69 km² area, which is 16.6% of the ’s total area. The in this area is 6,879.9 persons per km², which is more than 5 times higher than the ’s at that time, 1,286.6 persons per km². Approximately 10,000 people in are non-Japanese citizens.

has 444,514 households as of 2005. The average household has approximately 2.31 members. The average household is becoming smaller every year, because single-member households are increasing. has more people in their early 50s and in their 20s and early 30s than in other age groups. This is a result of the first and second baby booms in , and university students. The average age in is 38.4, which makes the one of the youngest major cities in .

[edit] Governance
Hall.
Hall.

’s political system is similar to other cities in , because the Local Autonomy Law makes all municipalities uniform in terms of organization and power. However, is a designated , so it has the same jurisdiction as prefectures in some areas.

’s local is essentially a mayor-council with a strong mayor system. The mayor is elected from a citywide election. Assembly members are elected from 5 elective districts, which correspond to the ’s 5 wards. The number of assembly members allocated to each ward is based upon . As of May 2005, the has 60 assembly members; 17 from Aoba Ward, 11 from Miyagino, 8 from Wakabayashi, 13 from Taihaku, and 11 from Izumi. The Assembly elects an Assembly Chairperson and Vice Chairperson. has two vice mayors, who are not elected by the populace.

has five wards (”ku”), which were created when it became a designated in 1989. The consciously avoided names that included directions (e.g., north 北, center 中央) when it chose names for the new wards.

* Aoba-ku(青葉区)
* Izumi-ku(泉区)
* Miyagino-ku(宮城野区)
* Taihaku-ku(太白区)
* Wakabayashi-ku(若林区)

[edit] Economy

is the centre of the Tōhoku region’s economy, and is the base of the region’s logistics and transportation. The ’s economy heavily relies upon retail and services – the two industries provide approximately two thirds of the employment and close to half of the establishments.

is frequently called a branch-office economy, because very few major companies are headquartered in the . Various authorities are cooperating to alleviate this problem, primarily by encouraging high-tech ventures from Tohoku University, which is well-known for its science and engineering departments. Several high-profile projects, such as the -Finland Wellbeing Center, have emerged from these attempts, but tangible results in the ’s economy and employment are yet to be seen.

Tohoku Electric Power Co., Inc., a major regional supplier of electric power, has its headquarters in .

[edit] Education
Second High School
Second High School

is sometimes called an “Academic ” (学都; gakuto) [1] because the has many universities relative to its . Tohoku University is the centre of the ’s higher education. Tohoku University is known in to be the leader in the field of material science. The university was one of the nine Japanese imperial universities and was ranked as the best Asian multi-disciplinary university in a 1999 Asiaweek survey.[citation needed] Also it was the first university in to accept female students as well as foreign students.

Major Streets

Aoba-dori Avenue

From the pedestrians’ deck in front of Station, you can see Mt. Aobayama through the Zelkova tree lined Avenue. The area is crowded with banks and other office buidings which are all within walking distance. To the west lies Ichibancho Shopping Mall. This connects to the main street heading towards the site of Castle.
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Hirose-dori Avenue

Hirose-dori Avenue is located between Aoba-dori and Jozenji- dori Avenue and the main street is lined with Ginkgo trees. Its junction with Ichibancho is the most convenient place to meet friends. Day and night, this area is always crowded.
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Jozenji-dori Avenue

Jozenji-dori is a valley of buildings with a long strip of greenery running through the middle. It most reflects the image of “Mori-no-” -the of Trees-. Under the thick , you will see sunlight filtering down onto the walk ways. On a hot day, many people stop by to seek shelter under the green shade.
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