Isahaya, Commercial city in Nagasaki Prefecture, Japan
Isahaya sits on a narrow strip of land where the Shimabara and Nagasaki peninsulas meet, surrounded by Omura Bay, the Ariake Sea, and Tachibana Bay. The city spreads over flat, reclaimed terrain that was once underwater, with modern residential neighborhoods, commercial streets, and rice fields extending toward the sea.
The area developed as a commercial center in the 13th century before becoming a castle town during the Edo period under the Isahaya family. Starting in the late 20th century, a large-scale reclamation project in the bay reshaped the coastline and created new farmland from the tidal flats of the Ariake Sea.
The city maintains strong connections to traditional Japanese agriculture, particularly through its extensive rice cultivation in lands reclaimed from the Ariake Sea.
The city serves as a transport hub with direct rail links to Nagasaki, about 16 kilometers to the southwest, including access to the Nishi Kyushu Shinkansen line. Buses and local trains connect the city center with smaller towns on both peninsulas, while the main train station sits close to hotels and shops.
The sea embankment in Isahaya Bay, begun in the late 1980s, encloses one of the largest embanked areas in Japan and creates wide, flat farmland where tidal flats once lay. Flood gates regulate tidal flow and separate the interior from the saltwater sea.
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