Nishinomiya City HallAerial view of Nishinomiya city center 1985Hirota Shrine
Nishinomiya (西宮市,Nishinomiya-shi) is acity located inHyōgo Prefecture,Japan. As of 1 November 2022[update], the city had an estimated population of 484,368 in 218,948 households and a population density of 4,800 persons per km².[1] The total area of the city is 99.98 square kilometres (38.60 sq mi). Nishinomiya is an important commercial and shipping city in theKansai region with the third largest population in Hyōgo Prefecture. Nishinomiya is best known as the home ofKoshien Stadium, where theHanshin Tigersbaseball team plays home games and where Japan's annualhigh school baseball championship is held.
Nishinomiya is located in southeast Hyōgo Prefecture between the cities ofKobe andOsaka. It is bordered byOsaka Bay to the south, the cities ofAmagasaki,Itami andTakarazuka along the Mukogawa and Nigawa rivers to the east and by theRokkō 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 isMount Kabuto (309 meters), a landmark of the city.
Nishinomiya has aHumid subtropical climate (KöppenCfa) 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.[2]
The area of Nishinomiya was part of ancientSettsu Province and has been inhabited since ancient times, with the traces ofYayoi period settlements, manykofunburial mounds found within the city limits. From theAsuka period, theHirota Shrine was built, and the market town which developed around its west gate was the ancestor of "Nishinomiya". From theMuromachi period, Nishinomiya was famed for its production ofsake. During theEdo Period, the area wastenryō territory under the direct administration of theTokugawa 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 theKōshien Stadium opened on 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, 1995Great Hanshin earthquake caused widespread damage in Nishinomiya.
Nishinomiya has amayor-council form of government with a directly elected mayor and aunicameral 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 thelower house of theDiet of Japan.
In terms of industry, food and beverages (especiallysake, 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.
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[citation needed] to make it profitable by growing such marketable products 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.
Nishinomiya is situated between the major cities of Kobe and Osaka. Luxury neighborhoods are common in this city, especially in areas near Ashiya. Some of the shopping malls in Nishinomiya are the Lalaport Koshien and the Hankyu Nishinomiya Gardens.
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 includeHōtoku Gakuen High School, with a prominent baseball team, and Nishinomiya Kita High,[5] the setting for much ofThe 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.
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