Ōshū, Iwate

Ōshū, Iwate

Ōshū (奥州市, Ōshū-shi) is a city located in Iwate Prefecture, in the Tōhoku region of northern Japan. As of December 2015, the city had an estimated population of 119,002 and a population density of 120 persons per km². The total area was 993.30 square kilometres (383.52 sq mi). Ōshū is famous for its Maesawa Beef, numerous festivals, historic temples and shrines and Fujiwara no Sato, a theme park and movie lot based on the exploits of the Northern Fujiwaras in the 12th century. Many famous people have claimed Ōshū as their home including Ichiro Ozawa, the long-time leader of the Democratic Party of Japan.