Noshiro

A coastal city in northern Akita Prefecture facing the Sea of Japan, Noshiro built its prosperity on timber processing — particularly Akita cedar — and was once known as the timber capital of the East. The city has since reinvented itself around two unlikely identities: a nationally celebrated high-school basketball programme that has shaped the town since 1989, and an ambition to become a hub for space industry development.

• Population52,283
• Nearest water0.6 km
• Nearest mountain9.1 km
• UNESCO within 50 km2