Current Time in Kōriyama, Japan

Kōriyama is a city in Fukushima Prefecture in the Tōhoku region of northern Honshū, Japan. It lies in the Nakadōri, the central basin that runs between two mountain ranges, with the Abukuma River flowing through it and the volcanic peak of Mount Adatara visible to the north-west. The position, roughly halfway between Tokyo and Sendai, has made it the commercial crossroads of the prefecture.

About three hundred and twenty thousand people live in Kōriyama, which makes it the largest or second largest city in Fukushima depending on the year. It is the economic centre of the prefecture, with chemical, machinery and electronics manufacturing, a large wholesale and distribution sector, and a concentration of banks and company branches that has earned it the nickname of the economic capital of the region.

The town began as a post station on the Ōshū highway during the Edo period, but its modern history dates from the 1880s. The Asaka Canal, an extraordinary feat of Meiji-era engineering, was cut through the hills to bring water from Lake Inawashiro across to the dry Asaka plain, allowing former samurai families and settlers to farm land that had been almost useless. The project, designed with Dutch assistance, turned a small settlement into a prosperous agricultural and industrial town, and it is now recognised as a heritage irrigation structure. The city was bombed in 1945, rebuilt afterwards, and shaken again by the great earthquake of 2011, though it lies inland and was spared the tsunami.

Kaiseizan Park, laid out on land reclaimed by the canal project, is the best-known green space and one of the finest cherry blossom sites in Tōhoku, with hundreds of old trees. The Kaiseikan, a handsome Meiji-period western-style building, records the pioneer settlement story. Other attractions include the Fureai Science Centre in the Big-i tower, which holds one of the highest planetariums in the world, the Kōriyama City Museum of Art, and the hot spring resort of Bandai Atami on the edge of the city, in use since the medieval period.

The city takes particular pride in music. It calls itself the city of music, supports a well-regarded concert hall, and has produced generations of prize-winning school choirs and wind bands, a tradition that gives its cultural calendar an unusual focus. Local specialities include Kōriyama's crisp pears, sake from nearby breweries and a strong ramen culture.

Transport is a major asset. Kōriyama Station is served by the Tōhoku Shinkansen, putting Tokyo within about eighty minutes, and it is the junction where lines branch west towards Aizu and Niigata and east towards the Pacific coast. Expressways cross the city and long-distance buses are frequent.

Higher education includes the engineering campus of Nihon University, Kōriyama Women's University and several technical colleges, giving the city a substantial student population.

Kōriyama is important as the practical hub of Fukushima Prefecture. Its story of canal building and reinvention, together with cherry blossom parks, hot springs and easy access to the mountains, makes it a useful and pleasant base for exploring northern Japan.