Kurume

Kurume is a city in Japan. It is located within the Fukuoka Prefecture and inside the Kyushu Region. Kurume lies in the center of the Tsukushi Plains which was made by the Chikugo River. Just to the West is the Saga Prefecture and to the Southeast is the Kumamoto Prefecture. The Mino Mountain Ridge is located close by. The city has a population of 306,140 over 229 square kilometers.

The rubber industry is very important to this area. There are rubber companies representing Japan such as Bridgestone, Asashi Corporation and Moonstar Chemical Corporation. They have gone world wide on their production of tires and rubber footwear. The rubber industry holds nearly half of the whole industrial shipment of the city.

Kurume Research Park has open-style experiment and research facilities that allow the use of advanced research equipment at low cost. Both international and domestic research activities are welcome here.

History

Because of the geographical location to China and Korea this area has played an important role as the gateway of exchange between Japan and Asia from ancient times.

In the 1800s Den Inoue helped create the textile industry in this area. He taught girls around Kurume how to make cloth and at age 40, over 400 girls had learned from her and they made it a business.

This are was not a target for allied forces during World War II, so much of the culture was able to stay intact. Because of that, this area grew more rapidly than some during that period.

In 1959, the first international flight took place in this area. In 1990, regular ocean liner routes were established.

Points of Interest

• Chikugo River is the largest river in Kyushu and flows into the Ariake Sea. The source of the river is close to Mount Aso. Sometimes this river is called Chikushi Jiro. From the beginning of March to the beginning of April, the river bank along the river is covered with rape flower blossoms attracting many visitors. There are fireworks that take place on the river on August 5th the first day of the Grand Summer Festival of Suitengu Shrine. This is the Largest festival in Western Japan.
• Ishibashi Museum was opened by Mr. Shojiro Ishibashi in 1956. This was meant to be the core facility of the Ishibashi Culture Center. This was dedicated to Kurume for providing public welfare and cultural improvement. In 1977 the building was refurbished and remodeled. This museum is one of the Japanese museums housing the most number of ancient articles. The museum focuses on works by native Kyushu artist from Kurume particularly such as Shigeru Aoki, Hanjiro Sakamoto and Harue Kogo.

External Links

• Kurume Official Website (English)
• Kurume Official Website (Japanese)