The city of Ikeda is located in the northwestern part of Osaka Prefecture, about 16 kilometers from central Osaka. At the intersection of two highways, Ikeda flourished from ancient times as a transportation hub, growing to become the center of the Hokusetsu district. Ikeda today is a residential city that continues to boast convenient transportation. It is also rich in nature, bordered on the north by the groves of Mt. Satsuki and on the west by the waters of the Ina River.
The Hosokawa district in the northern part of the city remains agricultural, raising garden plants, while the central and southern districts have a wealth of commercial businesses. Various industrial facilities for automobile manufacturing and related industries are located in the southern district.
Ikeda enjoys a relatively warm climate, and the annual range of temperatures is not extreme. Precipitation is relatively high during the rainy season (June and July), but there is almost no snowfall during the winter. The city has an area of 22.14 square kilometers, and a population of 103,481 (as of October 31, 2021).
Ikeda is known for being a city of Firsts. The entrepreneur Ichizo Kobayashi, founder of Hankyu Railways hit upon the idea of attracting passengers by developing real estate along the railway’s route. In 1910, houses went on sale in the first residential subdivision in Japan: Muromachi in Ikeda. Kobayashi’s business model became the prototype for private railway companies throughout Japan.
In 1958, Momofuku Ando, founder of Nissin Food Products, working in a shed in the yard of his house in Ikeda, succeeded in inventing Chicken Ramen, the world’s first instant ramen. In order to share his vision of the importance of invention and discovery, Ando opened the Cupnoodles Museum Osaka Ikeda in 1999. The Museum is now one of the premier tourist attractions in Ikeda, with approximately 900,000 visitors in 2019.
Ikeda City and Suzhou became sister cities on June 6, 1981.
Ikeda City Tourist Association official website: https://www.ikedashi-kanko.jp/en/spotlist.html
