Sasebo (佐世保市; -shi) is a city located in Nagasaki Prefecture, Japan.
Illuminated by the Albuquerque Bridge, Japanese volunteers place candle lit lanterns into the Sasebo River during the Obon festival.
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Tops like this one are popular souvenirs of Sasebo.
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As of 2003, the city has an estimated population of 240,300 and the density of 967.70 persons per km². The total area is 248.32 km². The locality is famed for its oysters, and its scenic beauty, featured in the film The Last Samurai.
Sasebo is a base of the United States Navy, as well as Japan's Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force. The order to attack Pearl Harbor was broadcast from the Hario radio facility in Sasebo. Adjacent to the naval base is the Sasebo Heavy Industries Co., Ltd. (SSK) shipyard. Also in Sasebo is the theme park Huis ten Bosch.
The city was also the site of the murder of 12-year-old Satomi Mitarai on June 1, 2004. Mitarai was killed by a classmate with a box cutter at Okubo Elementary School. The incident was rapidly publicized by the creation of the Internet meme character Nevada-tan, a caricature based on Mitarai's killer (whose real name has been withheld in accordance with Japanese law).
Sasebo Station is the westernmost station in the JR system.
The city was founded on April 1, 1902.
External links
The content of this page is retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sasebo%2C_Nagasaki under GFDL
