Nishihara 西原町 | |
|---|---|
Town | |
 Nishihara town from Untama-Mui Mt. | |
 Flag  Seal | |
 Location of Nishihara inOkinawa Prefecture | |
  Nishihara Location in Japan | |
| Coordinates:26°13′00″N127°46′00″E / 26.21667°N 127.76667°E /26.21667; 127.76667 | |
| Country | Japan |
| Region | Kyushu |
| Prefecture | Okinawa Prefecture |
| District | Nakagami |
| Area | |
• Total | 15.84 km2 (6.12 sq mi) |
| Population (October 2016) | |
• Total | 34,463 |
| • Density | 2,176/km2 (5,635/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC+09:00 (JST) |
| City hall address | 112 Aza Kadekaru, Nishihara-cho, Nakagami-gun 903-0220 |
| Website | www |
| Symbols | |
| Flower | Bougainvillea |
| Tree | Banyan |
Nishihara (西原町,Nishihara-chō;Okinawan:ニシバル,romanized: Nishibaru[1][2]) is atown located inNakagami District,Okinawa Prefecture,Japan.[3] In theOkinawan language,nishi means "north" (in Japanese, however, it means "west"), as Nishihara was north of the historicalRyukyuan capital ofShuri.
As of October 2016, the town had an estimatedpopulation of 34,463 and adensity of 2,200 persons per km2.[4] The total area is 15.84 square kilometres (6.12 mi2).[5]
Situated 10 kilometres (6.2 mi) northeast of the city hall ofNaha, Nishihara is surrounded by the cities, towns, and villages ofNaha,Urasoe,Ginowan,Haebaru,Yonabaru, andNakagusuku.[3][5]
Because both theUniversity of the Ryukyus and the Okinawa Christian Junior College are located in Nishihara, and the Okinawa International University is located nearby, Nishihara's municipal slogan is "Education Town".[3]
The north, west, and south of Nishihara are hilly; these areas give way to the low-lying coast in the east of the town.
The highest point in Nishihara is Untamamo (158 metres (518 ft)). The low-lying peak, also known as Untamamui in theOkinawan language, sits to the south of the town on the border of Nishihara and the neighboring town of Urasoe. Due to its pyramidal shape, the peak is sometimes known as the "Nishihara Fuji" for its resemblance toMount Fuji. Untamamo hasutaki, or places sacred to theOkinawan religion, on both the north and south sides of the peak. Untamamo was the site of fierce fighting during theBattle of Okinawa inWorld War II; thespontaneous combustion of unexploded ordnance caused numerous mountain fires in the post-war period.[5][6]
The town includes twenty-two wards.[7]
Nishihara was part of theNishibaru magiri, one of themagiri, or administrative units created prior to the establishment of theRyukyu Kingdom. Themagiri was administered from the former village of Kōchi; in a later period the administrative center was located in the former village of Unaga.[5]
Nishihara flourished as a center of sugar manufacturing at the beginning of the 20th century. The Japanese government promoted the construction of sugar refineries in the village. In 1944 theImperial Japanese Army built a military airstrip in the Onaha district of Nishihara; the area was bombed by the United States on October 10 of the same year, causing extensive damage to Onaha. It was near the village of Nishihara that theU.S. 1st Marine Division reached its initial invasion objective on April 4, 1945 during theBattle of Okinawa. The entirety of Nishihara was destroyed as a front line in the battle, and its residents fled to the north and south of Okinawa Island. However, 47% of the population of Nishihara was ultimately killed during World War II.[5][8]
The Gaja district of Nishihara was the center of initial post-war reconstruction.Rice was planted immediately after the war, but this was soon replaced by thesugarcane cultivation of the prewar period. Nishihara saw the development of business enterprises and residential land development in the mid-1960s; by 1979 the population of Nishihara had increased to the point that the village was elevated to town status. The urbanization of the town continues due to the presence of university facilities and residential developments.[5][8]
Nishihara Town hosts forty-six cultural properties and monuments, most of which appear on municipal listings but are not officially designated or registered at the national, prefectural or municipal level.[9]
Municipal schools:[10]
There is also a nationally-controlled elementary school, Elementary School Attached to the College of Education,University of the Ryukyus (琉球大学教育学部附属小学校).[10]
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