Taiko

Taiko (太鼓) is the most populous and capital city of Kaisan. Taiko is in the centre of the Taiko Metropolitan Area, and one of the largest metropolitan area in Asia. As of June 2010, the city had a population of 8.2 million. Inhabitants of Taiko are called Taikoites. The metropolis is located on the large natural bay known as Ushiku Bay, with the centre positioned on the Haso River. It is the seat of the Kaisanese government and the old Imperial Palace. Taiko is in the Tokai Province on the eastern side of mainland Kaisan. Taiko consists of 5 districts which are Shihama, Hamazu, Daigu, Haso and Minamiguchi.

Taiko-Itomi Airport, the main passenger airport, is the busiest in Kaisan and the Port of Taiko is Kaisan's second busiest seaport for containerised and general cargo.

Land reclamation projects in Ushiku Bay have also begun to be popular in Taiko. The most prominent is the Minato area, now a major shopping and port centre combined together.

Taiko's rapid growth amidst little urban planning and regulation has resulted in a haphazard cityscape and inadequate infrastructure systems. Limited roads, despite an extensive expressway network, together with substantial private car usage, have resulted in chronic and crippling traffic congestion. This in turn caused severe air pollution in the 1990s. The city has since turned to public transport in an attempt to solve this major problem. Ten rapid transit lines are now in operation, with more systems under construction or planned by the national government.

Etymology
Taiko was named after the Emperor Taiko Oshimata who led to forming what is today known as Kaisan after a battle against the Chinese Empire. The literal spelling for Taiko in Japanese is 太鼓 and means drum. 太鼓 however is pronounced Taigu in Chinese and therefor most of the Chinese population refer to the city as Taigu which often confuses people. But even with the differences, the city is officially known as Taiko as it was named after the emperor.

Over the years, people have tried to resolve the naming differences between Taiko and Taigu, however no solution has actually been passed. The most popular idea is by combining the two names and making a hybrid name like Taigo or Taiku.

Geography
The city of Taiko has its south side open to Ushiku Bay. It is otherwise completely surrounded by two smaller cities, all of them in the Taiko Metropolitan Area.

Climate
Taiko is on the the north temperate zone, and is part of the Intertropical Convergence Zone. April to October is the active period for tropical storms and typhoons, most of which occur between August and September. May to October is the rainy season with most rainfall coming in September. Despite its location, the city has a humid subtropical climate (Köppen Cwa), falling just short of a tropical climate. Nevertheless, the area has hot summers and warm winters, usually with high humidity which cause high air pollution.

Cityscape




The centre of Taiko which includes the 5 districts is formed within the Metropolitan Circular Expressway. The center is well known for its mix of historic and modern mid-rise and high-rises. Most of the skyscrapers in Taiko are built inside the centre and often replace existing mid-rise buildings or built adjacent to them.

Taiko's centre, compared with other Kaisanese cities, has comparatively unrestricted height limits and as a result of waves of post-war development contains five of the ten tallest buildings in Kaisan, the tallest of which is the Diamond Tower, situated in North Taiko. It has an observation deck near the top from where you can see above all of Melbourne's structures. CB Shihama, the city's second tallest, remains the tallest building in the centre; its observation deck for visitors has recently closed.

Districts
Taiko has 5 districts:


 * Shihama
 * Hamazu
 * Daigu
 * Haso
 * Minamiguchi

Parks
Most of Taiko is surrounded by a green belt which include parks and waterways. Capital Park is a huge park located in the heart of Taiko and has a few small lakes. The park offers people to catch a breath of air from the dense metropolis of Taiko.

Tourism
As the main gateway through which visitors arrive in Kaisan, Taiko is visited by the majority of international tourists to the country. Domestic tourism is also prominent.

Taiko's multi-faceted sights, attractions and city life appeal to diverse groups of tourists. Imperial palaces and shrines as well as several museums constitute its major historical and cultural tourist attractions. Shopping and dining experiences offer a wide range of choices and prices.

Culture
The culture of Taiko reflects its position as Kaisan's centre of wealth and modernization. The city has long been the portal of entry of Western concepts and material goods, which have been adopted and blended with Kaisanese values to various degrees by its residents. This is most evident in the lifestyles of the expanding middle class. Ownership of electronics and consumer products such as mobile phones is ubiquitous. This has been accompanied by a degree of secularism, as religion's role in everyday life has rather diminished. Although such trends have spread to other urban centres, and, to a degree, the countryside, Taiko remains at the forefront of social change.

Sports
Taiko is home to many of Kaisan's stadiums which hosts national events like football, baseball and rugby. The city was interested in bidding for the 2013 Summer Alliance Games but they backed out instead.

Media
Taiko serves as the media hub for Kaisan, housing headquarters of many media-related companies. Abundant television production takes place in the city and every nationwide TV network.

Transportation


Taiko, as the centre of the Taiko Metropolitan Area, is Kaisan's largest domestic and international hub for rail, ground, and air transportation. Public transportation within Taiko is dominated by an extensive network of clean and efficient trains, with rapid transits, buses, monorails, ferries and trams playing a secondary feeder role.

There are two airports that serve the city, Chiyoko International Airport and Itomi International Airport. They are both important hubs for international and domestic airlines. Kaisan's flag carrier is Kaisanese Airlines.

Rail is the primary mode of transportation in Taiko, which is an extensive urban railway network. The railways in Taiko are operated by two railway companies, KRL Mainland and Metro Taiko. The rapid transit system is also operated by Metro Taiko.

Expressways link the capital to other points in the Taiko Metropolitan Area and the other cities in Mainland Kaisan. The KaisanHSR also connects Taiko to a few other cities towards Nanning.

Notable people

 * Chin Kiyoshi - actress
 * Frank Chan - former President of the Republic of Kaisan
 * Tensu Makuto - philosopher
 * Fei Li - singer