is the capital and most populous city of Tochigi Prefecture, Japan.As of October 2010, the city has an estimated population of 510,416 and a population density of 1,224.49 people per km². The total area is 416.84 km². had a population of 888,005 in the 2000 Census. The nearby city of Oyama is included in Greater Tokyo, but Greater Utsunomiya is not, despite the two areas amalgamating somewhat. It is the 10th most populated city in the Kanto region.Utsunomiya is approximately 100 km north of Tokyo. It is accessible by car via the Tohoku Expressway and by train via Utsunomiya Station on the Tohoku Shinkansen line. Narita International Airport is about three hours away by car or bus. The historic town of Nikkō is approximately 25 km northwest of Utsunomiya.HistoryThe Battle of Utsunomiya Castle took place May 10–14, 1868, during the Boshin War. (A park now exists on the castle grounds.)The city itself was founded on April 1, 1896. In 1954–55, Utsunomiya city incorporated with Suzumenomiya town and Hiraishi, Yokokawa, Mizuhono, Kunimoto, Shiroyama, Tomiya, Toyosato, and Sugatagawa villages and the part of Shinoi village from Kawachi District and Kiyohara village from Haga District.