Suzuka, Mie

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**Suzuka**
**鈴鹿市**
Suzuka's location in Mie, Japan.
Location
Country	Japan
Region	Kansai or Tōkai
Prefecture	Mie
Physical characteristics
Area	194.67 km² (75.16 sq mi)
Population (as of January 2008)
Total	197,437
Density	1,010 /km² (2,616 /sq mi)
Location	34°53′N, 136°35′E
Symbols
Tree	Japanese zelkova
Flower	Satsuki azalea
Flag
Suzuka Government Office
Mayor	Mitsuo Kawagishi
Address	〒513-8701 1-18-18 Kanbe, Suzuka-shi, Mie-ken
Phone number	059-382-1100
Official website: Suzuka City

Suzuka city office

Suzuka (鈴鹿市, Suzuka-shi^?) is a city located in Mie, Japan.

As of 2008, the city has an estimated population of 197,437 and the density of 1,010 people per km². The total area is 194.67 km².

Located about 83 km east from Nara, and 52 km southwest from Nagoya.

1 History
2 Local Dialects
3 Industry
4 Motor racing circuit
5 See also
6 External links

[edit] History

During the Edo period, the modern-day area around Suzuka was part of the Tōkaidō and had two post stations: Ishiyakushi-juku and Shōno-juku.

[edit] Local Dialects

Suzuka is in a unique position within Mie Prefecture, located by the Suzuka Quasi National Park (the boundary between Suzuka and Shiga), since the industrial boom it has been a major funnel or interchange point for the main commuter train lines for some years. The train lines from South Mie (Ise/Toba) meet the Kansai (Osaka/Nara/Wakayama) line and The Nagoya, local, tetsudo line all pass through the city. Due to the unique mix of commuter passage through Suzuka city, the local dialect (hōgen) is a highly unique mixture of three, very dissimilar variations of Japanese depending specifically on proximity to a particular train line which are all within 20 kilometers of each other. In recent years this mix of populous has posed a highly unique problem within the city as communication problems with city officials, police, citizens and industry visitors have been exposed to a severe communication breakdown. The cities governing officials have recently implemented a plan requiring all members of an authority position to be coherent in all dialects, which is rare milestone in Japan.

[edit] Industry

Suzuka also boasts a significant industrial market, having major factories for both Sharp and Honda within its bounds. These companies outsource the majority of its labor to Brazilian or South American Nationals in order to secure a contract based workforce. Although the Japanese Federal Government is encouraging mandatory English education across the nation within Suzuka city there are many courses offered, not only by cram schools (juku) but also by publicly funded institutions, supporting Portuguese and Spanish in order to compensate for the ever growing South American Community. In a controversial move, the city's governing body, from April 2004, requires all garbage information and local signage to be displayed in both Japanese and Portuguese but not English.

The city was founded on December 1, 1942.

[edit] Motor racing circuit

Suzuka Circuit map

Suzuka Circuit was the home of the Japanese Grand Prix from 1987 to 2006. It was the only figure-of-eight circuit in the championship, and is very popular with the drivers. Located next to the circuit is the Honda Safety Riding/Driving School, where thousands of car and motorcycle drivers have been trained, including many police officers and instructors throughout the world.