Utsunomiya : City of the Future

Utsunomiya, with a population of about 520,000, is the administrative seat of Japan's Tochigi Prefecture in the alluvial plain between the Ta River and the Kinu River. About 100 km north and 50 minutes by Tohoku Shinkansen from Tokyo Station, Utsunomiya is increasingly becoming home for commuters who work in the capital. The commercial and industrial centre has its roots in mining; the local Oya stone was quarried for building material for centuries. By Helen Cleary

One of the city's main attractions is Futaarayama Shrine, which was founded about 1,600 years ago and around which the city developed. The now disused Oya Stone Mine has been converted into the Oya History Museum and offers a unique underground sightseeing experience. Nearby Oyaji Temple, over 1200 years old, built into a towering rocky section of Mount Otome, is dedicated to Kannon, the Buddhist Goddess of Compassion. Japan's oldest stone Buddha relief has attracted people for millennia.

Utsunomiya-joshi Park is home to Utsunomiya Castle, originally built around the year 1063 and partly reconstructed as it stood between 1600 and 1867.

Other attractions include the Tochigi Prefectural Museum, the Fine Arts Museum and Utsunomiya Art Museum.

Major sporting events such as the Japan Cup Cycle Road Race and the FIBA 3x3 World Tour Basketball Masters are held here.

The university city is also famous for its gyoza (fried dumplings). There are over two hundred gyoza restaurants to discover.

Under the slogan "Utsunomiya: City of the Future," measures are being taken to make the city more environmentally sustainable. These include the construction of a new, next-generation light-rail system with HANNING & KAHL technology.