Nishinomiya, Hyōgo Prefecture, Kansai Region, Japan

🇯🇵 Nishinomiya is a city located in Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan, between the cities of Amagasaki and Ashiya. In 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.

Geography Nishinomiya is located in south-east 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 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 • Kita-ku, Kobe • Amagasaki • Itami • Takarazuka • Ashiya.

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.

History The area of Nishinomiya was part of ancient Settsu Province and has been inhabited since ancient times, with the traces of Yayoi period settlements, 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 centre of the culture from the 1910s to 1940s in which has been dubbed "Hanshinkan Modernism". This included the opening of the Kōshien 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, 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 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.

Education: University • Konan University Nishinomiya Campus "Konan Cube" • Kwansei Gakuin University, a private university founded by American missionaries in the nineteenth century. • 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.

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 handicapped.

Transport: Rail JR West - Kobe Line • Kōshienguchi - Nishinomiya - Sakura Shukugawa; JR West - Fukuchiyama Line • Namaze - Nishinomiyanajio - Takedao; Hankyu - Hankyu Kobe Main Line • Nishinomiya-Kitaguchi - Shukugawa; Hankyu - Hankyu Imazu Line • Kōtōen - Mondo-Yakujin - Nishinomiya-Kitaguchi - Hanshin-Kokudō - Imazu; Hankyu - Hankyu Kōyō Line • Shukugawa - Kurakuenguchi - Kōyōen; Hanshin Electric Railway - Hanshin Main Line • Naruo - Mukogawajoshidai-Mae - Kōshien - Kusugawa - Imazu - Nishinomiya - Kōroen; Hanshin Electric Railway - Hanshin Mukogawa Line • Mukogawa - Higashi-Naruo - Suzaki - Mukogawadanchimae.

Transport: Road • Meishin Expressway • Chūgoku Expressway • National Route 2 • National Route 43 • National Route 171 • National Route 176.

Local attractions • 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) • Kitayama Botanical Garden • Mount Kabuto