is a city located in western Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 42,326 in 17420 households Makinohara City official statistics and a population density of 379 persons per km2. The total area of the city was .
Geography Makinohara is located in south-central Shizuoka Prefecture. It is bordered by Suruga Bay on the Pacific Ocean to the east, and rises gradually to the Makinohara Plateau, famous for its tea production, in the west. The main residential areas are along the coast, and the population of the Makinohara Plateau accounts for about 10% of the city's total population. The area has a temperate maritime climate, characterized by hot, humid summers and mild winters, with the warm Kuroshio Current off shore providing a moderating effect.
Surrounding municipalities Shizuoka Prefecture Kikugawa Omaezaki Shimada Yoshida, Haibara District
Demographics Per Japanese census data,Makinohara population statistics the population of Makinohara has been relatively steady over the past 50 years.
Climate The city has a climate characterized by hot and humid summers, and relatively mild winters (Köppen climate classification Cfa). The average annual temperature in Makinohara is . The average annual rainfall is with July as the wettest month. The temperatures are highest on average in August, at around , and lowest in January, at around .
History The area of present-day Makinohara was part of former Tōtōmi Province. During the Edo period, the town of Sagara was the castle town of Sagara Domain. With the establishment of the modern municipalities system in the early Meiji period on April 1, 1889, Sagara was incorporated as a town within Haibara District.
The city of Makinohara was established on October 11, 2005, from the merger of the towns of Haibara and Sagara (both from Haibara District).
Government Makinohara has a mayor-council form of government with a directly elected mayor and a unicameral city legislature of 16 members. The city contributes one member to the Shizuoka Prefectural Assembly. In terms of national politics, the city is part of the Shizuoka 2nd district of the lower house of the Diet of Japan.
Economy The local economy of Makinohara is dominated by the production of green tea, and to a lesser extent by commercial fishing, and manufacturing of automobile components for Suzuki Motors (Sagara Plant). Almost the entire city is within a 20 kilometer radius of the Chubu Electric Power Hamaoka Nuclear Power Plant and receives subsidies from the government due to the increased risk.
Fuji Dream Airlines has its headquarters in Makinohara."会社概要." Fuji Dream Airlines. Retrieved on February 21, 2010.
Education Makinohara has seven public elementary schools operated by the city government and one shared between Makinohara and Kikugawa, and three shared between Makinohara and Omaezaki. The city likewise operates two public junior high schools and shares operated with one junior high school with Kikugawa and one with Omaezaki. The city has two public high schools operated by the Shizuoka Prefectural Board of Education.
Transportation Railway Although both the Tokaido Shinkansen and the Tokaido Main Line pass through Makinohara, the city has no passenger railway services. The nearest train station is Kikugawa Station in neighboring Kikugawa or Kanaya Station in neighboring Shimada.
Highway Tōmei Expressway - Makinohara Interchange
Airport Shizuoka Airport, which opened in 2009, straddles the border between Makinohara and Shimada.
Local attractions Sagara Oil field, Japan's only oil field on the Pacific coast. Hand-pumping began in 1873, and the following year, Nippon Oil opened the first mechanical pumping operation in the country at Sagara. Operations ceased in 1955, and in 1980 the field was made into the "Yuden no Sato" Park, operated by the Shizuoka Prefectural government. Sagara Castle ruins Heiden-ji
Sister cities Hitoyoshi, Kumamoto, Japan Kelso, Washington, United States Matsukawa, Nagano (Shimoina), Japan Sannohe, Aomori, Japan
Notable people from Makinohara Takuma Edamura, professional soccer player Hideji Katō, professional baseball player Umetaro Suzuki, scientist, pioneer in vitamin research Kazuo Ueda, economist, the 32nd Governor of the Bank of Japan
References
External links