Tsukuba City is about 50 km (31 miles) northeast of Tokyo and 40 km (25 miles) northwest of the New Tokyo International Airport in Narita. It covers an area of 28,000 ha (112 square miles) with a population of about 200,000.
To the north lies Mount Tsukuba, 877 meters above sea level. Mount Tsukuba has been revered since ancient times for its striking beauty, earning the name shiho or "purple peaks" for the rich purple hue it casts from certain angles during the seasons. It is considered to be on par with Mount Fuji, another mountain that is loved by the Japanese people.
Seen from one angle, Tsukuba city, with its streets of traditional stores and houses, has the look of a rural refuge of abundant greenery.
Seen from another angle, it is Tsukuba Science City, a superb modern urban landscape seldom seen in all Japanese cities.
Tsukuba Science City was planned in order to relieve Tokyo's overpopulation problem and to establish itself as the nation's largest research and education center.
In 1963, the new city's construction plan was approved and by 1980 more than 40 research and higher education facilities had been built. Roads, water and sewerage systems, parks and other facilities had also been constructed by then.
In Tsukuba there are 88 parks and green areas with a total area of 100 ha. Each of them has been designed individually according to its location and function. These areas serve as places for the residents to rest, do recreational activities, and participate in sports.
Many of these parks, as well as other public, commercial, and educational facilities and residential buildings are connected by a path of 48 km (31 miles) for pedestrians and cyclists. As one of the typical features of the city planning in Tsukuba Science City, this path has brought visitors as well as the local residents convenience, comfort and enjoyment.
Twenty-two years after the new urban construction project was approved, the International Exposition of Science and Technology (Expo '85) was held in 1985 in order to commemorate the completion of the Tsukuba Science City. Based on the theme of "Humanity, Residence, Environment, and Science and Technology", the exposition established Tsukuba a reputation, both at home and abroad, as Japan's pre-eminent center for science and technology.
Nowadays, the city is home to the country's national testing and research facilities encompassing such research fields as science, industry, agriculture and forestry, environment and space development. It also houses institutions of higher learning including the University of Tsukuba campuses. About 19,000 researchers (40% of the total for the whole country), 5,000 of whom hold doctorate degrees, are conducting cutting-edge research here. Adding to this impressive list another 120-plus private businesses focusing on research and development, Tsukuba City has become one of the few advanced world-class science cities both in name and in substance.
Topics: Tsukuba
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