Ebina (海老名市, Ebina-shi) is a city located in Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan.[1]As of 1 October 2024, the city had an estimated population of 141,276 and a population density of 5300 persons per km2.[2] The total area of the city is 26.69 square kilometres (10.31 sq mi).[3]

Ebina
海老名市
Ebina City Hall
Ebina City Hall
Flag of Ebina
Official seal of Ebina
Location of Ebina in Kanagawa Prefecture
Location of Ebina in Kanagawa Prefecture
Ebina is located in Japan
Ebina
Ebina
 
Coordinates: 35°26′47″N 139°23′27″E / 35.44639°N 139.39083°E / 35.44639; 139.39083
CountryJapan
RegionKantō
PrefectureKanagawa Prefecture
Government
 • MayorMasaharu Uchino
Area
 • Total26.59 km2 (10.27 sq mi)
Population
 (October 1, 2024)
 • Total141,276
 • Density5,300/km2 (14,000/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+9 (Japan Standard Time)
Phone number046-231-2111
Address175-1 Katase, Ebina-shi, Kanagawa-ken 243-0492
ClimateCfa
WebsiteOfficial website
Symbols
BirdGreenfinch
FlowerAzalea
TreeBox tree

Geography

edit

Ebina is located approximately 50 kilometers from central Tokyo and 20 kilometers from Yokohama. The city is roughly rectangular, 8.7 kilometers north-to-south by 6.15 kilometers east-to-west, with an elevation of 11 to 84 meters above sea level. It is in the middle of the Sagami Plain, part of western Kantō Plain. The city sits on the eastern bank of the Sagami River, and the Hikiji River flows through part of the city. The Tōmei Expressway cuts across the southern end of the city.[1]

Surrounding municipalities

edit

Kanagawa Prefecture

Climate

edit

Ebina has a humid subtropical climate (Köppen Cfa) characterized by warm summers and cool winters with light to no snowfall. The average annual temperature in Ebina is 15.2 °C. The average annual rainfall is 1632 mm with September as the wettest month. The temperatures are highest on average in August, at around 25.6 °C, and lowest in January, at around 5.2 °C.[4]

Climate data for Ebina (1991−2020 normals, extremes 1978−present)
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °C (°F) 20.3
(68.5)
25.3
(77.5)
25.2
(77.4)
31.0
(87.8)
33.4
(92.1)
37.6
(99.7)
37.9
(100.2)
38.1
(100.6)
37.6
(99.7)
33.4
(92.1)
26.6
(79.9)
24.4
(75.9)
38.1
(100.6)
Mean daily maximum °C (°F) 10.6
(51.1)
11.4
(52.5)
14.4
(57.9)
19.4
(66.9)
23.8
(74.8)
26.3
(79.3)
30.1
(86.2)
31.6
(88.9)
27.9
(82.2)
22.6
(72.7)
17.6
(63.7)
13.0
(55.4)
20.7
(69.3)
Daily mean °C (°F) 4.7
(40.5)
5.7
(42.3)
9.1
(48.4)
14.1
(57.4)
18.6
(65.5)
21.9
(71.4)
25.7
(78.3)
26.9
(80.4)
23.3
(73.9)
17.9
(64.2)
12.3
(54.1)
7.1
(44.8)
15.6
(60.1)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F) −0.6
(30.9)
0.3
(32.5)
3.9
(39.0)
8.8
(47.8)
13.9
(57.0)
18.3
(64.9)
22.2
(72.0)
23.2
(73.8)
19.7
(67.5)
14.0
(57.2)
7.7
(45.9)
1.9
(35.4)
11.1
(52.0)
Record low °C (°F) −7.7
(18.1)
−8.9
(16.0)
−5.6
(21.9)
−2.7
(27.1)
4.2
(39.6)
9.9
(49.8)
14.2
(57.6)
16.7
(62.1)
10.6
(51.1)
2.0
(35.6)
−1.5
(29.3)
−7.3
(18.9)
−8.9
(16.0)
Average precipitation mm (inches) 67.3
(2.65)
67.0
(2.64)
143.9
(5.67)
152.9
(6.02)
156.9
(6.18)
178.2
(7.02)
191.2
(7.53)
159.7
(6.29)
254.2
(10.01)
240.9
(9.48)
103.2
(4.06)
67.2
(2.65)
1,760.9
(69.33)
Average precipitation days (≥ 1.0 mm) 5.3 6.0 10.1 9.8 10.1 12.1 11.2 9.0 12.3 10.6 7.7 5.4 109.6
Mean monthly sunshine hours 190.8 168.2 166.5 175.0 178.4 123.2 156.7 189.8 132.4 133.2 150.5 179.7 1,946.9
Source: Japan Meteorological Agency[5][6]

Demographics

edit

Per Japanese census data,[7] the population of Ebina has grown steadily over the past century.

Historical population
YearPop.±%
1920 8,891—    
1930 10,051+13.0%
1940 10,552+5.0%
1950 15,549+47.4%
1960 17,938+15.4%
1970 44,492+148.0%
1980 77,498+74.2%
1990 105,822+36.5%
2000 117,519+11.1%
2010 127,707+8.7%
2020 136,516+6.9%

History

edit

The area of modern Ebina has been settled since prehistoric times, and has a number of remains from the Kofun period. Ebina became the provincial capital of Sagami Province in the Nara period, and was the location of the kokubunji, or provincial temple.[1] It was home to the Yokoyama clan, one of the seven warrior clans of the Musashi region during the early Kamakura period. During the Edo period, the lands around Ebina were tenryō territory theoretically administered directly by the Tokugawa Shogunate in Edo; however, in reality, the area was a patchwork of small fiefs held by various hatamoto, as well as exclaves under the control of Sakura Domain and Karasuyama Domain.

After the Meiji Restoration, the area became part of Kōza District, Kanagawa Prefecture and was administratively divided into Ebina Village and Arima Village on April 1, 1889 with the establishment of the modern municipalities system. The area was connected by rail in 1926 via the Sagami Railway and in 1927 by the Odakyu Electric Railway, leading to an increase in population and a change in status of Ebina from village to town in 1940. In 1955, Arima Village merged into Ebina Town. Ebina was elevated to city status on November 1, 1971. Urban development projects in the 1980s and 1990s have modernized the city center.[1]

Government

edit

Ebina has a mayor-council form of government with a directly elected mayor and a unicameral city council of 22 members. Ebina contributes one member to the Kanagawa Prefectural Assembly. In terms of national politics, the city is part of Kanagawa 13th district of the lower house of the Diet of Japan.

Economy

edit
 
Taito Ebina Development Center

Ebina is home to over 150 factories. The town is a center of the production of electrical appliances, metal products, and machinery. Taito operates the Ebina Development Center in Ebina. The city was once known for its broad rice paddies, but agriculture now centers on the cultivation of strawberries, tomatoes, and ornamental plants. Ebina serves as a bedroom community to the greater Tokyo and Yokohama area.[1][8]

Education

edit

Ebina has 13 public elementary schools and six public middle schools operated by the city government. The city has three public high schools operated by the Kanagawa Prefectural Board of Education, and the prefecture also operates two special education schools for the handicapped.

Transportation

edit

Railway

edit

  JR EastSagami Line

  Odakyu Electric RailwayOdakyū Odawara Line

  Sagami RailwaySagami Railway Main Line

Highway

edit

Local attractions

edit
  • Sagami Kokubun-ji, provincial temple of Sagami Province and national historic site
  • Ebina Premium Film Festival (held annually in autumn)

Notable people from Ebina

edit

References

edit
  1. ^ a b c d e "Ebina". Encyclopedia of Japan. Tokyo: Shogakukan. 2012. OCLC 56431036. Archived from the original on 2007-08-25. Retrieved 2012-07-27.
  2. ^ "Ebina city official statistics" (in Japanese). Japan.
  3. ^ "Profile of Hadano City" (in Japanese). Japan: Hadano City. Retrieved 7 May 2017.
  4. ^ Ebina climate data
  5. ^ 観測史上1~10位の値(年間を通じての値). JMA. Retrieved March 19, 2022.
  6. ^ 気象庁 / 平年値(年・月ごとの値). JMA. Retrieved March 19, 2022.
  7. ^ Ebina population statistics
  8. ^ "Company Overview Archived 2011-07-16 at the Wayback Machine." Taito Corporation. Retrieved on January 30, 2011. "Ebina Development Center 3-11-1, Shimoimaizumi, Ebina-shi, Kanagawa 243-0498, JAPAN"
edit