Nishinomiya, Hyōgo

Infobox City Japan
Name= Nishinomiya
JapaneseName= 西宮市
Map

Region= Kansai
Prefecture= Hyōgo
District=
Area_km2= 99.96
PopDate= April 1, 2008
Population= 476,329
Density_km2=
Coords=
LatitudeDegrees= 34
LatitudeMinutes= 44
LatitudeSeconds=
LongtitudeDegrees= 135
LongtitudeMinutes= 20
LongtitudeSeconds=
Tree= Camphor Laurel
Flower= Sakura
Bird=
Symbol
!border
SymbolDescription= Flag
Mayor= Satoru Yamada
CityHallPostalCode= 662-8567
CityHallAddress= 10-3 Rokutanji-chō, Nishinomiya-shi, Hyōgo-ken
CityHallPhone= 0798-35-3151
CityHallLink= [http://www.nishi.or.jp/ City of Nishinomiya]

nihongo|Nishinomiya|西宮市|Nishinomiya-shi is a city located in Hyōgo, Japan, between the cities of Ōsaka and Kōbe. On April 1 2005, the city of Nishinomiya celebrated its 80th anniversary. It 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.

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 Kabutoyama (309 m), a landmark of the city.

History

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

Industry

Based on shipping volume, Nishinomiya ranks eighth in Hyōgo Prefecture as of 2001, with food processing industries making up 78.1% of the total. Of this percentage, sake production accounts for 24.3%.

To promote small and middle-size businesses and to improve the living environment in area where houses stand next to factories, the city conducted a collective relocation program of industrial facilities to Naruo-hama and Nishinomiya-hama reclaimed lands.

In general, local industries face difficulties due to the damage caused by the Great Hanshin earthquake and the present economic recession. The number of business establishments, employees, and the shipping volume of local industry is decreasing.

Agriculture

Since most of the farmland is located within the urban district, Nishinomiya agriculture is in a difficult situation and it worsens every year. Currently, efforts are being made to improve farming in order 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.

Universities and Colleges

;Private Universities and Colleges
*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

Culture

*Hirota Shrine
*Hyogo Performing Arts Center
*Kanno-ji
*Koshikiiwa Shrine
*Nishinomiya Shrine
*Mondo-yakujin (Toko-ji)

Points of interest

* Kitayama Botanical Garden
* Mount Kabutoyama

ister city and Friendship Cities

*Sister City
**flagicon|United StatesSpokane since September,1961 (U.S., Washington)
**flagicon|United StatesBurlington (U.S., Vermont)

*Friendship Cities
**flagicon|BrazilLondrina since May,1977 (Brazil, Paraná)
**flagicon|ChinaShaoxing since July,1985 (China, Zhejiang)
**flagicon|France District of Lot-et-Garonne and Agen since April,1992 (France, Aquitaine)
**flagicon|Japan Amami since October,1981(Japan, Kagoshima) (Former Naze)
**flagicon|Japan Yusuhara since March,1991 (Japan, Kochi)

pecial products

*Sake - Japanese Rice Wine
*Najio Japanese Paper
*Bamboo Crafts
*Japanese Candles

External links

*ja icon [http://www.nishi.or.jp/ Nishinomiya official website]
* [http://www1.gcenter-hyogo.jp/sysfile/center_e/e_top.html Hyogo Performing Arts Center]