Nishinomiya

Nishinomiya (西宮市, Nishinomiya-shi) is a city located in Hyōgo 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. The total area of the city is 99.98 square kilometres (38.60 sq mi). Nishinomiya is an important commercial and shipping city in the Kansai region with the third largest population in Hyōgo Prefecture. Nishinomiya is best known as the home of Koshien Stadium, where the Hanshin Tigers baseball team plays home games and where Japan's annual high school baseball championship is held.

Nishinomiya is located in southeast 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 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.

Hyōgo Prefecture

Nishinomiya has a humid subtropical climate (Köppen Cfa) 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.

Per Japanese census data, the population of Nishinomiya grew rapidly in the 1950s and 1960s, and has been increasing at a slower rate since.

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

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.

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.