is a
city located in the east part of
Saga Prefecture on the island of
Kyūshū,
Japan.
Overview
Tosu is one of the major transportation hubs of
Kyūshū. It's main
train station is
Tosu Station which connects the
Nagasaki Main Line and the
Kagoshima Main Line. There is also a
junction connecting the
Kyūshū Expressway,
Nagasaki Expressway and
Oita Expressway. Economically it is part of the
Fukuoka metropolitan area, and according to a 2000 census about 5% of the total population of Tosu commute to work or school in Fukuoka.
Geography
Located in the Saga Plains, the Chikushi River runs along the southern border of Tosu. The lowlands are used for paddy farming and are where the city center is located. The northwestern part of the city contains the eastern part of the Sefuri Mountaians.
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Mountains: Mount Kusenbu (848 m), Mount Ishidani (754 m), Shiroyama (501 m)
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Rivers: Akimitsu River, Ara River,
Chikugo River, Daigi River, HÅman River, Yamashita River
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Dams: Kawachi Dam
Adjoining municipalities
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Saga Prefecture
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Kiyama
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Miyaki
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Fukuoka Prefecture
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Chikushino
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Kurume
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Nakagawa
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OgÅri
History
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1874 -
Saga Rebellion. A battle between the government troops and the rebel army occurred on Mount Asahi.
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1889-04-01 - The modern
municipal system is established. At this time Tosu consists of five separate villages: Asahi, Fumoto, Kizato, Tashiro and Todoroki.
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1907-03-19 - Todoroki gains town staus and is renamed Tosu.
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1936-03-11 - Tashiro gains town status.
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1954-04-01 - Asahi, Fumoto, Kizato, Tashiro and Tosu all merge to form Tosu City.
Education
;Junior Colleges
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Kyushu Ryukoku Junior College
;Prefectural Senior High schools
★ Tosu Senior High School
★ Tosu Technical High School
★ Tosu Commercial High School
;Junior High schools
★ Kanan Junior High School
★ Tosu Junior High School
★ Tosu Nishi Junior High School
★ Tashiro Junior High School
★ Kizato Junior High School
;Elementary schools
★ Tosu Elementary School
★ Tosu Kita Elementary School
★ Tashiro Elementary School
★ Kizato Elementary School
★ Fumoto Elementary School
★ Asahi Elementary School
★ Wakaba Elementary School
Transportation
Rail
The main station is
Tosu Station.
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JR Kyushu
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Kagoshima Main Line
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Yayoigaoka Station -
Tashiro Station -
Tosu Station -
Hizen-Asahi Station
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Nagasaki Main Line
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Tosu Station -
Hizen-Fumoto Station
Road
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Expressways
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Kyushu Expressway: Tosu Junction
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Nagasaki Expressway: Tosu Junction
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Oita Expressway: Tosu Junction
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National highways
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Route 3
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Route 34
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Route 500
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Prefectural roads:
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★ Tosu-Asakura Route 14
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★ Kurume-Kiyama-Chikushino Route 17
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★ Saga-Kawakubo-Tosu Route 31
Scenic and historic places
★ Chikushi family Katsuo Castle ruins
★ Mount Asahi castle ruins
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Tosu Stadium
Sightseeing spots
★ Azumaya
★ Kawachi Dam area
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★ Torigoe and Yamabiko mountain retreats
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★ Shimin no mori
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★ Kawachi swimming pool
★ Mount Asahi Park
★ Mount Kusenbu
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★ KyÅ«shÅ« Nature Walk
★ Nakatomi Commemorative Medicine Museum
★ OchÅzu waterfall
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★ Numakawa swimming pool
★ Saga Horse Racing Track
★ Tashiro Park
★ Tosu Premium Outlets
Festivals and events
★ Tosu Yayoi Matsuri (last Sunday of March)
★ Hana no hi (May 4th)
★ Tori no hi (Sunday between May 10th and May 16th)
★ Matsuri Tosu (last Sunday of July)
★ Tosu Yamakasa (first Saturday and Sunday of summer vacation)
★ DoyÅ Yoichi (Saturday night market, end of July)
Sports
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Sagan Tosu - in
J. League football
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Hisamitsu Springs - in
V. League volleyball
Famous people from Tosu
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Koichi Ogata - pro baseball player
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Masayoshi Son - businessman, founder of
SoftBank
External links
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Tosu City
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''The Teacher's Piano Sang'' - story of teacher at Tosu Elementary School