Imabari

Imabari Japan: towel factory

Imabari, city, northern Ehime ken (prefecture), northwestern Shikoku, Japan. It occupies the tip of the Takanawa Peninsula, facing the Kurushima Strait on the Inland Sea.

Imabari, founded as a castle town, was the first port in Shikoku to be opened to foreign trade. In 1922 a rail line between Takamatsu (northeast) and Matsuyama (southwest) was opened through the city. The cotton textile industry was introduced to Imabari in the early 18th century, and the city became renowned for the production of towels. The port handles a brisk trade with cities on Honshu and Kyushu; there are ferry services to neighbouring islands. Imabari is the southern terminus of the multiple-span Kurushima Strait Bridge (opened 1999), which connects Shikoku with Onomichi in western Honshu. Pop. (2010) 166,532; (2015) 158,114.