is an area

Cities of Japan

||A is a local administrative unit in Japan. Cities are ranked on the same level as and , with the difference that they are not a component of...

 located in Fukuoka Prefecture

Fukuoka Prefecture

is a prefecture of Japan located on Kyūshū Island. The capital is the city of Fukuoka.- History :Fukuoka Prefecture includes the former provinces of Chikugo, Chikuzen, and Buzen....

, Japan

Japan

Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...

. Its name is made up of the kanji

Kanji

Kanji are the adopted logographic Chinese characters hanzi that are used in the modern Japanese writing system along with hiragana , katakana , Indo Arabic numerals, and the occasional use of the Latin alphabet...

 for 'big', 'field', and 'castle

Japanese castle

' were fortresses composed primarily of wood and stone. They evolved from the wooden stockades of earlier centuries, and came into their best-known form in the 16th century...

'. It is mostly a southern suburb

Suburb

The word suburb mostly refers to a residential area, either existing as part of a city or as a separate residential community within commuting distance of a city . Some suburbs have a degree of administrative autonomy, and most have lower population density than inner city neighborhoods...

 of the city of Fukuoka

Fukuoka, Fukuoka

is the capital city of Fukuoka Prefecture and is situated on the northern shore of the island of Kyushu in Japan.Voted number 14 in a 2010 poll of the World's Most Livable Cities, Fukuoka is praised for its green spaces in a metropolitan setting. It is the most populous city in Kyushu, followed by...

, and has a border to the northwest with the Hakata-ku

Hakata-ku, Fukuoka

is one of the seven wards of Fukuoka City, Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan. It is best known as the location of Fukuoka's main train station, Hakata Station.-Geography:...

 area of the city. It also shares borders with Dazaifu

Dazaifu, Fukuoka

is a city located in Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan. Nearby cities include Ōnojō and Chikushino. Although mostly urban, it does have arable land used for paddy fields and market gardening....

 and Kasuga

Kasuga, Fukuoka

is a city located in Fukuoka, Japan.As of 2008, the city has an estimated population of 107,604 and the density of 7,600 persons per km². The total area is 14.15 km². The city was founded on April 1, 1972. It is directly south of Fukuoka City, and west of Onojo. It also has a border with Nakagawa...

, Umi

Umi, Fukuoka

is a town located in Kasuya District, Fukuoka, Japan.As of 2003, the town has an estimated population of 38,545 and a density of 1,275.48 persons per km². The total area is 30.22 km²....

, Chikushino

Chikushino, Fukuoka

is a city located in Fukuoka, Japan.Bordering on Dazaifu, Chikushino is essentially a southern suburb of Fukuoka City. As of 2010, the city has an estimated population of 100,397. The total area is 87.78 km². The Tenjin Ōmuta Line runs through Chikushino at Murasaki Station and Asakuragaidō...

, Nakagawa

Nakagawa, Fukuoka

is a town located in Chikushi District, Fukuoka, Japan.As of 2003, the town has an estimated population of 46,540 and a density of 620.62 persons per km². The total area is 74.99 km².-External links:*...

 and Shime

Shime, Fukuoka

is a town located in Kasuya District, Fukuoka, Japan.As of 2003, the town has an estimated population of 38,945 and a density of 4,476.44 persons per km². The total area is 8.70 km².Although the town still has a railway station the line is no longer used....

. The border with Umi is marked by the summit of Otoganayama at 268 metres above sea level, a wide expanse of deciduous

Deciduous

Deciduous means "falling off at maturity" or "tending to fall off", and is typically used in reference to trees or shrubs that lose their leaves seasonally, and to the shedding of other plant structures such as petals after flowering or fruit when ripe...

 and bamboo

Bamboo

Bamboo is a group of perennial evergreens in the true grass family Poaceae, subfamily Bambusoideae, tribe Bambuseae. Giant bamboos are the largest members of the grass family....

 forest, uninhabited except by the occasional snake. The Mikasa river flows through Ōnojō on its way to Hakata bay, with some of its tributaries

Tributary

A tributary or affluent is a stream or river that flows into a main stem river or a lake. A tributary does not flow directly into a sea or ocean...

 such as Cow neck river originating in the mountains in the south. Duck

Duck

Duck is the common name for a large number of species in the Anatidae family of birds, which also includes swans and geese. The ducks are divided among several subfamilies in the Anatidae family; they do not represent a monophyletic group but a form taxon, since swans and geese are not considered...

s, turtle

Turtle

Turtles are reptiles of the order Testudines , characterised by a special bony or cartilaginous shell developed from their ribs that acts as a shield...

s, egret

Egret

An egret is any of several herons, most of which are white or buff, and several of which develop fine plumes during the breeding season. Many egrets are members of the genera Egretta or Ardea which contain other species named as herons rather than egrets...

s and Japanese Wagtail

Japanese Wagtail

The Japanese Wagtail, Motacilla grandis, is a species of bird in the pipit and wagtail family Motacillidae. It breeds in Japan and Korea. Vagrant birds have been recorded in Taiwan, eastern China and far-eastern Russia. In Japan, it is generally common from Kyushu northward, but uncommon in...

s can be seen in or around the river, depending on the season.

As of 2008, the city has an estimated population of 93,822 and a population density

Population density

Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...

 of 3,490 persons per km². The total area is 26.88 km². The city was founded on April 1, 1972. The city flower is the Chinese bellflower

Chinese bellflower

Platycodon grandiflorus is a species of perennial flowering plant of the family Campanulaceae and the only member of the genus Platycodon . This species is known as platycodon or Chinese bellflower...

, known in Japanese as kikyō.

JR Kyushu

Kyushu Railway Company

The , also referred to as , is one of the constituent companies of Japan Railways Group . It operates intercity rail services in Kyushu, Japan and the JR Kyushu Jet Ferry Beetle hydrofoil service across the Tsushima Strait between Fukuoka and Busan, South Korea.When Japan Railways was divided in...

 has a railway station named Ōnojō, five stops south of Hakata Station

Hakata Station

Hakata Station , located in Hakata-ku, is the main railway terminal of the city of Fukuoka, Japan. It is the largest and busiest station on Kyūshū, and is a gateway to other cities in Kyūshū for travellers from Honshū. The Sanyō Shinkansen from Osaka ends at this station...

 on the Kagoshima Main Line

Kagoshima Main Line

The is a major railway line operated by the Kyushu Railway Company between Mojikō in Kitakyūshū, and Kagoshima Station in Kagoshima City, at the southern end of Kyushu...

. The Nishitetsu

Nishi-Nippon Railroad

The , also called or NNR, is one of Japan's "Big 16" private railroad companies. With headquarters in Fukuoka, it operates local and highway buses, supermarkets, real-estate and travel agencies, as well as railways in Fukuoka Prefecture. In addition, from 1950 to 1972, the company owned the Lions...

 Tenjin Ōmuta Line

Tenjin Omuta Line

The is a heavy rail line in Fukuoka Prefecture in Kyūshū, Japan, being the main line of a Japanese private railway company Nishi-Nippon Railroad . The line is from Nishitetsu Fukuoka Station in Chūō-ku, Fukuoka, stretching south to Ōmuta Station in Ōmuta...

 also serves the area, as do Nishitetsu buses.

There is a Daimonji festival in September, near the Madokapia culture centre, library

Library

In a traditional sense, a library is a large collection of books, and can refer to the place in which the collection is housed. Today, the term can refer to any collection, including digital sources, resources, and services...

 and city office. Like other parts of Fukuoka, homeless people can be found sleeping in some of the parks. It has areas devoted to the mizu shobai

Mizu shobai

Mizu shōbai , or the water trade, is the traditional euphemism for the night-time entertainment business in Japan, provided by hostess or snack bars, bars, and cabarets...

. It also has many Shinto shrines and Buddhist temples.

At the beginning of the 21st century the area has seen continued real estate development

Real estate development

Real estate development, or Property Development, is a multifaceted business, encompassing activities that range from the renovation and re-lease of existing buildings to the purchase of raw land and the sale of improved land or parcels to others...

 partly due to good infrastructure, unlike more rural parts of the prefecture. Major retailers Seiyu Group

Seiyu Group

or is a Japanese group of supermarkets, shopping centers, and department stores owned by Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. Its head office is in Akabane, Kita, Tokyo.-History:...

http://www.seiyu.co.jp/shops/detail/00000347/ and Aeon

AEON Group

is a group of retail and financial services companies based in Chiba, Japan, which is centered on Æon Co., Ltd. It has sister companies in Mainland China, Hong Kong, and Malaysia, and also trades under the JUSCO name. It claims to be Japan's largest retail group in terms of sales...

 have stores here, as do several conbini chains. However in summer 2009 very heavy rain led to a mudslide, killing 2 people on the Kyushu Expressway

Kyushu Expressway

' is one of the Expressways of Japan from Kitakyūshū to west of Kagoshima linking with the Higashi Kyushu Expressway and the Ibusuki Skyline. It runs through the prefectures of Fukuoka, the eastern half of the Saga, Kumamoto, Miyazaki and the Kagoshima prefectures. The freeway runs entirely on...

.

Musician Aska is from Ōnojō, as is baseball player Yuichi Honda

Yuichi Honda

is a Japanese baseball player. He has been with the Fukuoka Softbank Hawks since 2006, and plays as second baseman, wearing number 46. In 2008, he batted .291.　From 2006-09 he was .670 on base plus slugging.-External links:* *...

.

The city has a comprehensive recycling

Recycling

Recycling is processing used materials into new products to prevent waste of potentially useful materials, reduce the consumption of fresh raw materials, reduce energy usage, reduce air pollution and water pollution by reducing the need for "conventional" waste disposal, and lower greenhouse...

 policy, but deforestation

Deforestation

Deforestation is the removal of a forest or stand of trees where the land is thereafter converted to a nonforest use. Examples of deforestation include conversion of forestland to farms, ranches, or urban use....

is continuing in 2011.

External links

• Onojo official website in English