Seto, Aichi

Seto 瀬戸市
City
Jōkō-ji temple in Seto
Flag Seal
Location of Seto in Aichi Prefecture
Seto
Coordinates:
Country	Japan
Region	Chūbu (Tōkai)
Prefecture	Aichi Prefecture
Government
• -Mayor	Kinya Masuoka
Area
• Total	111.40 km2 (43.01 sq mi)
Population (May 2015)
• Total	129,976
• Density	1,170/km2 (3,000/sq mi)
Time zone	Japan Standard Time (UTC+9)
- Tree	Ilex rotunda
- Flower	Camellia
Phone number	0561-82-7111
Address	64-1 Oiwake-chō, Seto-shi, Aichi-ken 489-8701
Website	Official website

City hall.

Seto (瀬戸市, Seto-shi) is a city located in Aichi Prefecture, Japan.

As of May 2015, the city had an estimated population of 129,976 and a population density of 1,170 persons per km². The total area was 111.61 square kilometres (43.09 sq mi). It is located about 35 minutes from Nagoya by way of the Meitetsu Seto Line.

Geography

Seto is located in the hilly northern region of Aichi Prefecture, bordering Gifu Prefecture. In English, the name of Seto translate to "the place where the river runs quickly." However, while there is a river in Seto, it is not significantly large, nor quick-moving. Seto City is famous for its pottery and ceramics, so much so that the generic word for ceramics in Japanese is setomono (瀬戸物, setomono). The main street along the river is lined with dozens of pottery shops. Every 3rd Saturday and Sunday in September, there is a very large pottery festival called Setomono Matsuri (瀬戸物祭り) This festival attracts about 20,000 visitors from around Japan and abroad every year.

Surrounding municipalities

Aichi Prefecture

• Moriyama-ku, Nagoya
• Kasugai
• Owariasahi
• Toyota
• Nagakute

Gifu Prefecture

• Toki
• Tajimi

History

During the Edo period, the area of modern Seto was controlled by the Owari Tokugawa of Nagoya. The area had been famous for its ceramics production since at least the Kamakura period. During the Meiji period, Seto village was organized in 1888, becoming a town in 1892. After annexing the neighboring village of Akatsu in 1925, Seto was raised to city status on October 1, 1929. Much of the city was destroyed in 1945 during World War II.

In the postwar period, the city grew as a bedroom community for Nagoya and as a tourist designation. On March 25, 2005, Expo 2005 opened with its main site being in Nagakute and additional activity in Seto. The expo continued until September 25, 2005.

Transportation

Railways

• Aichi Loop Railway – Aichi Loop Line
  • Yamaguchi - Setoguchi – Setoshi - Nakamizuno
• Meitetsu – Seto Line
  • Mizuno -Shin-Seto -Seto-Shiyakusho-mae -Owari Seto

Highways

• Tōkai-Kanjō Expressway
• Japan National Route 155
• Japan National Route 248
• Japan National Route 363

Education

• Nanzan University – Seto campus
• Nagoya Gakuin University – Seto campus
• Nagoya Seirei Junior College

Primary and secondary education:

• Seto has 20 elementary schools, nine middle schools and six high schools. It also has two special education schools

International schools:

• Aichi Korean 7th Elementary School (愛知朝鮮第七初級学校) - North Korean school

Sister city relations

• - Icheon, Korea, since 1996
• – Limoges, France
• – Nabeul, Tunisia
• – Jingdezhen, Jiangxi Province, China (friendship city), China

Local attractions

Aichi Prefectural Ceramic Museum

Setogura Museum

• Aichi Prefectural Ceramic Museum
• Jōkō-ji Buddhist temple and mausoleum of Lord Tokugawa Yoshinao of the Owari Domain.

Noted people from Seto

• Sayaka Aoki – comedian
• Junji Suzuki – politician
• Asaka Seto – actress
• Manpei Takagi – actor
• Toru Hasegawa – professional soccer player
• Hayata Ito – professional baseball player

External links

• Official website (Japanese)
• Seto City official website (English)