Sawara-ku, Fukuoka

Sawara-ku (早良区, Sawara Ward) is one of the seven wards of Fukuoka-shi (福岡市, Fukuoka City), Fukuoka-ken (福岡県, Fukuoka Prefecture), Kyūshū, Japan.

Sawara-ku is in darker green.

Data

• Population: 211,851 people (as of March 1, 2009)
• Area: 95.88 square kilometers (the largest)

Profile

Sawara (早良) is the western part of central Fukuoka-shi. Hakata (博多) is the eastern part. On April 1, 1889, Fukuoka-shi was founded. The northeastern part of the former Sawara-gun (早良郡, Sawara District) was merged into Fukuoka-shi. On April 1, 1972, Fukuoka-shi was designated as a government ordinance city. Fukuoka-shi was subdivided into the five wards: Hakata-ku, Chūō-ku, Higashi-ku, Minami-ku and the former Nishi-ku. The area now called Sawara-ku was the central part of the former Nishi-ku. By March 1, 1975, the towns and the villages of the former Sawara-gun had been merged into Fukuoka-shi. On May 10, 1982, the former Nishi-ku was subdivided into the three wards: Sawara-ku, Jōnan-ku and Nishi-ku. The area now called Sawara-ku was named after that it had been the central part of the former Sawara-gun.

Places

• Momochihama (百道浜): Fukuoka Tower, Fukuoka City Museum, Fukuoka City Library, Fukuoka Yahoo! Japan Dome
• Nishijin (西新): Nishijin Praliva
• Fujisaki (藤崎): Sawara Ward Office, Fukuoka Prefecture Sawara Police Station, Fujisaki Bus Terminal
• Hara (原): Hara Saty
• Noke (野芥)
• Higashiirube (東入部): Sawara Ward Irube Branch Office

Schools

• Momochihama: Seinan Gakuin Junior and Senior High School
• Nishijin: Seinan Gakuin University, Fukuoka Prefecture Shūyūkan High School
• Momochi (百道): Fukuoka International School
• Arita (有田): Fukuoka Prefecture Kōrinkan High School (the former Nishifukuoka High School)
• Tamura (田村): Fukuoka Dental College

Stations

• Fukuoka City Subway Kūkō Line: Nishijin, Fujisaki, Muromi (室見)
• Fukuoka City Subway Nanakuma Line: Noke, Kamo (賀茂), Jirōmaru (次郎丸)

Roads

Sawara-kaidō Avenue (早良街道, Sawara Road) is a historical road consisting of Prefectural Route 558 (Hara-dōri Avenue, 原通り) and the southern part of National Route 263. Sawara-gaidō Street (早良街道) is an official road consisting of Municipal Route Nishijin-Arae and the northern part of National Route 263.

• National Route 202 (Prefectural Route 559)
• National Route 202 Bypass
• National Route 263
• Prefectural Route 49
• Prefectural Route 56
• Prefectural Route 136
• Prefectural Route 558
• Municipal Route Chiyo-Imajuku
• Municipal Route Nishijin-Arae

Rivers

• Muromi-gawa (室見川)
• Kanakuzu-gawa (金屑川)
• Aburayama-gawa (油山川)