Utsunomiya (宇都宮市 Utsunomiya-shi) is the central city and the capital of Tochigi Prefecture. Located in the central part of the island of Honshu, on one of the tributaries of the Tone River. The area of ​​the city is 416.84 km², the population is 512,186 people (July 1, 2014), the population density is 1228.74 people / km².
It is located approximately 100 kilometers north of Tokyo and 35 kilometers east of Nikko. The Shinkansen high-speed railway runs along the city, which can deliver passengers to the capital within 1 hour. Narita International Airport is also a 3-hour drive from Utsunomiya.
There are enterprises of mechanical engineering, metalworking, non-ferrous metallurgy, electrical engineering, woodworking and pulp and paper industries. The factories of such enterprises as Canon, Japan Tobacco, Honda are located.

History
In May 1868, during the Boshin War, a battle broke out around the fortification of Utsunomiya (English) between the pro-imperial troops and the forces of the Tokugawa shogunate, as a result of which the latter were defeated and forced to retreat. The city itself was founded on April 1, 1896. On March 31, 2007, the suburbs of Kamikawachi and Kawachi became part of the city.