Kashima, Ibaraki

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This article is about the city in Ibaraki Prefecture, Japan. There is another city with the same English language name in Saga Prefecture, see Kashima, Saga. For other places with the same name, see Kashima.

**Kashima**
**鹿嶋市**
Kashima's location in Ibaraki, Japan.
Location
Country	Japan
Region	Kantō
Prefecture	Ibaraki
Physical characteristics
Area	92.96 km² (35.89 sq mi)
Population (as of January 2008)
Total	65,193
Density	701 /km² (1,816 /sq mi)
Location	35°58′N, 140°39′E
Symbols
Tree	Pine
Flower	Rugosa Rose
Bird	Green Pheasant
Flag
Kashima Government Office
Mayor	Toshirō Uchida
Address	〒314-8655 1187-1 Hirai, Kashima-shi, Ibaraki-ken
Phone number	0299-82-2911
Official website: Kashima City

Kashima (鹿嶋市, Kashima-shi^?) is a port city located on the Pacific Ocean in Ibaraki, Japan. It is sometimes considered to be part of the Greater Tokyo Area.

As of 2008, the city has an estimated population of 65,193 and the density of 701 persons per km². The total area is 92.96 km². The city was founded on September 1, 1995.

Kashima is the home of the J. League's most successful team to date, Kashima Antlers. Their home field, Kashima Stadium, was used as a site during the World Cup in 2002. The city is also the site of the Kashima Shrine, a Shinto temple which is considered the birthplace of many influential styles of swordplay (Kenjutsu) in Japan. It's one of the most oldest shrine in eastern Japan, founded in 660 BC in legend, and the real period is estimated as the 4th century from historical studies.

Kashima is the central city of Kashima Industrial Zone, and it has a large industrial park with about 1500 factories, specialized for petrochemical and steel plants. Japan Government created this zone from 1963, and the development was mostly completed in 1973.

[edit] Transportation

Kashima is at the eastern end of the JR Kashima Line which connects it (through the Narita Line and Sobu Line) to Chiba Prefecture and Tokyo. The Higashi-Kantō Expressway follows a similar route from Kashima to Tokyo. Most of passengers use the expressway for Tokyo, and railways works mainly for local passengers or some of goods.

The closest major airport is Narita International Airport, linked by expressway. There is a large international freight port, Kashima Port in the industrial zone.