Kitakata, Fukushima

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Kitakata (喜多方市; -shi) is a city located in Fukushima, in northern Honshu, Japan.

As of 2005, the city has an estimated population of 56,589. The total area is 554.67km²

The city was founded on March 31, 1954.

The city is well-known for its distinctive ramen. The area within its former city boundaries has the highest per-capita number of ramen establishments in Japan. Ramen has such prominence in the region that locally, the word soba usually refers to ramen, and not to actual soba which is referred to as nihon soba ("Japanese soba"). Kitakata's ramen consists of rather thick, flat, curly noodles served in a pork-and-niboshi broth.

The municipality has recently introduced the use of lacquerware in school meals served in the city, as a precaution against possible endocrine disruptors which may be present in common chemicals.