members to the Okayama Prefectural Assembly. In terms of national politics, the city is part of the Okayama 1st district of the lower house of the Diet of Japan. Economy Bizen has long been associated with the pottery industry, and Bizen ware workshops and pottery shops are concentrated in the Imbe district. The square brick chimneys that can be seen in large numbers in the city are from Bizen ware kilns. However, the core industry of the city is refractory bricks, which are made in the Mitsuishi area, as well as activated carbon. Commercial fishing is also important in coastal areas, especially the Hirase area which is noted for using aquaculture for oyster production. Education Bizen has ten public elementary schools, five public junior high schools and one public high school operated by the city government, and one public high school operated by the Okayama prefectural Board of Education. The prefecture also operates one special education school for the disabled. Transportation Railway JR West (JR West) - San'yō Main Line - JR West (JR West) - Akō Line - - - - - Highways San'yō Expressway Sister city relations - Clare and Gilbert Valleys Council, South Australia, Australia since January 1990 Local attractions former Shizutani School, a Special National Historic Site Bizen pottery kiln ruins, National Historic Site Tsuruyama Maruyama Kofun, National Historic Site Hakuchō Masamune's birthplace, which is now a museum. Kōken-ji Notable people from Bizen Masamune Atsuo, researcher of Japanese literature and a poet Genkei Masamune, botanist Hakuchō Masamune, critic, novelist, and dramatist Risa Shigetomo, long-distance runner Kaneshige Toyo, potter References External links Bizen City official website Bizen City official website Cities in Okayama Prefecture Bizen, Okayama Populated coastal places in Japan