Nishinomiya

Geography

Nishinomiya is located in southeast Hyōgo Prefecture between the cities of Kobe and Osaka. It is bordered by Osaka Bay to the south, the cities of Amagasaki, Itami and Takarazuka along the Mukogawa and Nigawa rivers to the east and by the Rokkō Mountains and Kobe to the north. The city can be divided into two areas: a mountainous area in the north and a coastal plain in the south. Situated in the middle is Mount Kabuto (309 meters), a landmark of the city.

Neighboring municipalities

Hyōgo Prefecture

• Amagasaki
• Ashiya
• Itami
• Kita-ku, Kobe
• Takarazuka

Climate

Nishinomiya has a humid subtropical climate (Köppen Cfa) characterized by warm summers and cool winters with light snowfall. The average annual temperature in Nishinomiya is 14.6 °C. The average annual rainfall is 1578 mm with September as the wettest month. The temperatures are highest on average in August, at around 26.4 °C, and lowest in January, at around 3.3 °C.

Demographics

Per Japanese census data, the population of Nishinomiya grew rapidly in the 1950s and 1960s, and has been increasing at a slower rate since.

| 1920 | 60311 | 1930 | 98777 | 1940 | 169770 | 1950 | 168319 | 1960 | 262608 | 1970 | 377043 | 1980 | 410329 | 1990 | 426909 | 2000 | 438105 | 2010 | 422790

History

The area of Nishinomiya was part of the ancient Settsu Province and has been inhabited since ancient times, with traces of Yayoi period settlements and many kofun burial mounds found within the city limits. From the Asuka period, the Hirota Shrine was built, and the market town which developed around its west gate was the ancestor of "Nishinomiya". From the Muromachi period, Nishinomiya was famed for its production of sake. During the Edo Period, the area was tenryō territory under the direct administration of the Tokugawa shogunate. The town of Nishinomiya was established on April 1, 1889 with the creation of the modern municipalities system. Nishinomiya was a center of the culture from the 1910s to 1940s in which has been dubbed "Hanshinkan Modernism". This included the opening of the Kōshien Stadium in April 1, 1924. Nishinomiya was elevated to city status on April 1, 1925. The city expanded with the annexation of the town of Imazu and villages of Shiba and Taishi in April 1933, the village of Koto in February 1941, the village of Kawaragi in May 1942, and the villages of Naruo, Yamaguchi and Shiose in April 1951. The January 17, 1995 Great Hanshin earthquake caused widespread damage in Nishinomiya.

Government

Nishinomiya has a mayor-council form of government with a directly elected mayor and a unicameral city council of 41 members. Nishinomiya contributes seven members to the Hyōgo Prefectural Assembly. In terms of national politics, the city is divided between the Hyōgo 2nd district and Hyōgo 7th districts of the lower house of the Diet of Japan.

Economy

In terms of industry, food and beverages (especially sake, which is a traditional industry) are a major portion of the local economy. The city is also located on a corner of the Hanshin industrial zone.

• Furuno, a global electronics company, whose main products include marine electronics and medical equipment, has its headquarters in the city.

Agriculture

Since most of the farmland is in the urban district, Nishinomiya agriculture is in a difficult situation; it worsens every year. Efforts are being made to improve farming, attempting to make it profitable by growing marketable products such as soft vegetables for the big markets of Osaka and Kobe. Other efforts include effective land use by growing crops in greenhouses using hydroponic techniques and development of techniques for safe products.

Residential districts

Nishinomiya is situated between the major cities of Kobe and Osaka. Luxury neighborhoods are common in the city, especially in areas near Ashiya. Some of the shopping malls in Nishinomiya are the Lalaport Koshien and the Hankyu Nishinomiya Gardens.

Education

Universities and colleges

• Hyogo College Of Medicine
• Kobe College (Women's university)
• Konan University Nishinomiya Campus "Konan Cube"
• Koshien Junior College
• Kwansei Gakuin University, a private university founded by American missionaries in the nineteenth century.
• Mukogawa Women's University and Junior College
• Otemae University
• Seiwa College and Junior College
• Shukugawa Gakuin Junior College

Primary and secondary schools

Nishinomiya has 40 public elementary schools and 19 public middle schools operated by the city government, and nine public high schools operated by the Hyōgo Prefectural Board of Education. These nine include Hōtoku Gakuen High School, with a prominent baseball team, and Nishinomiya Kita High, the setting for much of The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya. There are also two private elementary schools, seven private middle schools and seven private high schools. In addition, the city also operates one, and the prefecture operates two, special education schools for the physically challenged.

Transportation

Railways

Highways

• [[File:JP Expressway E1.svg|25px|link=|alt=]] Meishin Expressway
• [[File:JP Expressway E2A.svg|25px|link=|alt=]] Chūgoku Expressway
• Hanshin Expressway Route 7 Kita-kobe Line

International relations

;Sister cities

• USA Spokane, Washington, United States, since September 1961 ;Friendship cities
• Brazil Londrina, Paraná, Brazil, since May 1977
• PRC Shaoxing, Zhejiang, China, since July 1985
• France District of Lot-et-Garonne and Agen, Nouvelle-Aquitaine, France, since April, 1992
• USA Burlington, Vermont, United States
• Japan Amami, Kagoshima Prefecture, Japan, since October 1981 (formerly Naze)
• Japan Yusuhara,Kōchi Prefecture, Japan, since March 1991

Local attractions

• Arima Onsen（neighboring city, but formerly Arima County) – accessible via one bus ride from Nishinomiya Kitaguchi station and Shukugawa station and Hanshin Nishinomiya station and JR Nishinomiya station
• Hirota Shrine – aristocrats in Kyoto called the shrine Nishi no miya; that is the origin of the city name.
• Hyogo Performing Arts Center
• Kannō-ji
• Kitayama Botanical Garden
• Koshikiiwa Shrine
• Mondo-yakujin (Tōkō-ji)
• Mount Kabuto
• Nishinomiya Shrine

In popular culture

• Much of Grave of the Fireflies is set in Nishinomiya.
• Nishinomiya is the setting for the popular light novel, manga and anime series The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya.

Notable people from Nishinomiya

• Mana Ashida – teen actress
• Aimyon – singer-songwriter
• Kaoru Betto – baseball player
• Daisuke Inoue – inventor of the karaoke machine
• Kaoru – lead guitarist of Dir En Grey
• Rika Kihira – figure skater
• Hiro Matsushita – Businessman, former Champ Car World Series driver, chairman of Swift Engineering & Swift Xi Inc.
• Yuya Matsushita – singer and actor
• Mina – singer based in South Korea, member of the popular K-pop girl group TWICE
• Shizuka Miyaji – female cricketer
• Yuichiro Nagashima – kickboxer
• Ryusei Onishi – member of the boy band Naniwa Danshi
• Eizo Sakamoto – heavy metal musician
• Ryūsui Seiryōin – novelist
• Daisuke Shima – actor and singer
• Nagaru Tanigawa – author of the light novel series Haruhi Suzumiya
• Akira Tozawa – professional wrestler
• Hōsei Yamasaki – comedian

Gallery

File:Nishinomiya_City_Scenery.jpg|Nishinomiya cityscape

References

References

1. "Nishinomiya city official statistics".
2. [https://en.climate-data.org/asia/japan/hyogo-prefecture/nishinomiya-5362/ Nishinomiya climate data]
3. [https://www.citypopulation.de/php/japan-hyogo.php Nishinomiya population statistics]
4. "[http://www.furuno.co.jp/en/corporate/about/outline.html Company Outline]." [[Furuno]]. Retrieved on 2015-03-26.
5. "兵庫県立西宮北高等学校".
6. Hirota Shino Shirine. "HIROTA SHINTO SHRINE".
7. Ryuusenkaku. "Cherry Blossoms Spots in Nishinomiya / Ashiya".
8. Online Ghibli. "Grave of the Fireflies: Review/Synopsis".
9. asahi.com. (2010-07-08). "Anime's high school fends off fan invasions.".