Nishinomiya

Nishinomiya 西宮市
Core city
Shukugawa Park in spring
Flag Chapter
Location of Nishinomiya in Hyōgo
Nishinomiya Location in Japan
Coordinates: 34°44′15.35″N 135°20′29.63″E
Country	Japan
Region	Kansai
Prefecture	Hyōgo
First official recorded	199 AD
City Settled	April 1, 1925
Government
• Mayor	Ishii Toshiro
Area
• Total	99.96 km2 (38.59 sq mi)
Population  (May 1, 2016)
• Total	488,335
• Density	4,885/km2 (12,650/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+09:00 (JST)
City hall address	10-3 Rokutanji-chō, Nishinomiya-shi, Hyōgo-ken 662-8567
Website	www.nishi.or.jp/smph/shisei/seisaku/tabunkakyosei/english/gaiyo-en.html
Symbols
Flower	Sakura
Tree	Camphor Laurel

Nishinomiya (西宮市, Nishinomiya-shi) is a city located in Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan, between the cities of Amagasaki and Ashiya. On April 1, 2005, the city of Nishinomiya celebrated its 80th anniversary.

Nishinomiya is best known as the home of Kōshien Stadium, where the Hanshin Tigers baseball team plays home games and where Japan's annual high school baseball championship is held. It is also the location of Kwansei Gakuin University, a private university founded by American missionaries in the nineteenth century. Nishinomiya is an important commercial and shipping city in the Kansai region with the third largest population in Hyōgo Prefecture.

As of October 1, 2011, the city has an estimated population of 483,598 and a population density of 4,800 persons per km². The total area is 99.96 km².

Topography

Nishinomiya City is located in the south-east of 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 a part of the Rokko Mountains and Kobe City 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
  • Kita-ku, Kobe
  • Amagasaki
  • Itami
  • Takarazuka
  • Ashiya

History

• April 1, 1924: Opening of Kōshien Stadium
• April 1925: Nishinomiya Town became a municipal organization.
• April 1933: Nishinomiya merged with Imazu Town, Shiba Village and Taisha Village.
• February 1941: Nishinomiya merged with Koto Village.
• May 1942: Nishinomiya merged with Kawaragi Village.
• April 1951: Nishinomiya merged with Naruo Village, Yamaguchi Village and Shiose Village.
• January 17, 1995: Great Hanshin earthquake disaster. Nishinomiya City received widespread damage.

Kōshien Stadium

Economy

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 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.

Residential districts

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.

Universities and colleges

• Konan University Nishinomiya Campus "Konan Cube"
• Kwansei Gakuin University
• Otemae University
• Kobe College (Women's university)
• Seiwa College and Junior College
• Hyogo College Of Medicine
• Mukogawa Women's University and Junior College
• Shukugawa Gakuin Junior College
• Koshien Junior College

High schools

• Hōtoku Gakuen High School, with a prominent baseball team

Culture

Hirota Shrine

• Hirota Shrine - Hirota Shrine was called Nishi no miya ("the West Shrine") by aristocrats in Kyoto. That is the origin of the city name.
• Hyogo Performing Arts Center
• Kannō-ji
• Koshikiiwa Shrine
• Nishinomiya Shrine
• Mondo-yakujin (Tōkō-ji)
• 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.

Points of interest

• Kitayama Botanical Garden
• Mount Kabuto

Sister and friendship cities

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

Notable people

• Mana Ashida – teen actress
• Aimyon – singer-songwriter
• Nagaru Tanigawa – author of the light novel series Haruhi Suzumiya
• Yuichiro Nagashima – kickboxer
• Ryūsui Seiryōin – novelist
• Hiro Matsushita – Businessman, former driver in Champ Car series. Chairman of Swift Engineering & Swift Xi
• Hōsei Yamasaki – comedian
• Eizo Sakamoto – heavy metal musician
• Kaoru – lead guitarist of Dir En Grey
• Yuya Matsushita – singer and actor
• Mina – American-born Japanese singer based in South Korea, member of Twice
• Akira Tozawa – professional wrestler
• Rika Kihira – figure skater
• Daisuke Inoue - inventor of the karaoke machine

Gallery

• 
  Nishinomiya cityscape

External links

• Nishinomiya travel guide from Wikivoyage
• Geographic data related to Nishinomiya at OpenStreetMap
• Nishinomiya City official website (in Japanese)
• Hyogo Performing Arts Center