Mishima (三島市, Mishima-shi) is a city located in eastern Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan. As of 31 July 2019, the city had an estimated population of 109,803 in 49,323 households,[1] and a population density of 1,800 persons per square kilometre (4,700 per square mile). The total area of the city is 62.02 square kilometres (23.95 sq mi).

Mishima
三島市
Mishima Taisha, Mishima Odori Shopping Street, Bamboo light, Genbei River, City center
Mishima Taisha, Mishima Odori Shopping Street, Bamboo light, Genbei River, City center
Flag of Mishima
Official logo of Mishima
Map
Location of Mishima in Shizuoka Prefecture
Location of Mishima in Shizuoka Prefecture
Mishima is located in Japan
Mishima
Mishima
 
Coordinates: 35°07′6.6″N 138°55′6.8″E / 35.118500°N 138.918556°E / 35.118500; 138.918556
Country Japan
RegionChūbu
Prefecture Shizuoka
First official recorded5th century AD
City SettledApril 29, 1941
Government
 • MayorTakeshi Toyooka
(since December 2010)
Area
 • Total
62.02 km2 (23.95 sq mi)
Population
 (October 1, 2020)
 • Total
107,851
 • Density1,739/km2 (4,500/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+09:00 (JST)
Postal code
411-8666
Phone number055-975-3111
Address4–47 Kitatamachi, Mishima-shi,
Shizuoka-ken
ClimateCfa
WebsiteOfficial website
Symbols
BirdEuropean kingfisher
FlowerMishima sakura
TreeGinkgo biloba
Mishima City Hall
Mount Ashitaka and Mount Fuji seen from downtown of Mishima
Mishima Taisha Shrine

Geography

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Mishima is located in far eastern Shizuoka Prefecture, at the northern end of Izu Peninsula and in the foothills of Mount Fuji.

Surrounding municipalities

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Demographics

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Per Japanese census data,[2] the population of Mishima has remained stable over the past 25 years.

Historical population
YearPop.±%
1940 38,827—    
1950 54,516+40.4%
1960 62,966+15.5%
1970 78,141+24.1%
1980 94,612+21.1%
1990 105,418+11.4%
2000 110,519+4.8%
2010 111,823+1.2%

Climate

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Mishima has a humid subtropical climate (Köppen climate classification Cfa) with hot summers and cool winters. Precipitation is significant throughout the year, but is heaviest from June to September. The average annual temperature in Mishima is 16.3 °C (61.3 °F). The average annual rainfall is 1,868.2 mm (73.55 in) with September as the wettest month. The temperatures are highest on average in August, at around 27.3 °C (81.1 °F), and lowest in January, at around 5.9 °C (42.6 °F).[3]

Climate data for Mishima (1991−2020 normals, extremes 1930−present)
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °C (°F) 24.7
(76.5)
24.8
(76.6)
26.7
(80.1)
28.7
(83.7)
31.4
(88.5)
36.5
(97.7)
36.6
(97.9)
37.4
(99.3)
36.7
(98.1)
32.9
(91.2)
27.8
(82.0)
25.2
(77.4)
37.4
(99.3)
Mean daily maximum °C (°F) 11.5
(52.7)
12.4
(54.3)
15.3
(59.5)
19.9
(67.8)
23.9
(75.0)
26.5
(79.7)
30.2
(86.4)
31.8
(89.2)
28.6
(83.5)
23.5
(74.3)
18.6
(65.5)
13.9
(57.0)
21.3
(70.4)
Daily mean °C (°F) 5.9
(42.6)
6.8
(44.2)
10.0
(50.0)
14.6
(58.3)
19.0
(66.2)
22.3
(72.1)
26.0
(78.8)
27.3
(81.1)
24.0
(75.2)
18.5
(65.3)
13.2
(55.8)
8.2
(46.8)
16.3
(61.4)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F) 0.8
(33.4)
1.5
(34.7)
4.8
(40.6)
9.5
(49.1)
14.3
(57.7)
18.7
(65.7)
22.8
(73.0)
23.7
(74.7)
20.1
(68.2)
14.2
(57.6)
8.4
(47.1)
3.1
(37.6)
11.8
(53.3)
Record low °C (°F) −9.2
(15.4)
−9.8
(14.4)
−7.8
(18.0)
−2.4
(27.7)
1.1
(34.0)
7.9
(46.2)
11.6
(52.9)
15.4
(59.7)
8.4
(47.1)
0.9
(33.6)
−2.5
(27.5)
−7.8
(18.0)
−9.8
(14.4)
Average precipitation mm (inches) 73.2
(2.88)
91.6
(3.61)
154.9
(6.10)
152.8
(6.02)
158.7
(6.25)
212.7
(8.37)
223.4
(8.80)
168.5
(6.63)
241.8
(9.52)
215.7
(8.49)
110.7
(4.36)
65.1
(2.56)
1,868.2
(73.55)
Average snowfall cm (inches) 0
(0)
2
(0.8)
0
(0)
0
(0)
0
(0)
0
(0)
0
(0)
0
(0)
0
(0)
0
(0)
0
(0)
0
(0)
2
(0.8)
Average precipitation days (≥ 1.0 mm) 5.8 6.3 10.4 10.0 9.8 11.7 10.5 8.3 10.8 10.1 7.7 6.1 107.5
Average snowy days (≥ 1 cm) 0 0.5 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.5
Average relative humidity (%) 65 63 65 67 70 75 76 74 75 74 73 68 70
Mean monthly sunshine hours 186.3 168.1 172.2 182.2 184.8 128.9 149.7 191.0 151.2 149.4 160.1 179.4 2,003.2
Source: Japan Meteorological Agency[4][3]

History

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Mishima is an ancient town, which developed around the important Shinto shrine of Mishima Shrine (三嶋大社, Mishima Taisha). Under the Ritsuryō administration system established in the Nara period, Mishima was made capital of Izu Province. It was also the location of the Kokubun-ji for Izu Province. In the Edo period, Mishima prospered from its location on the Tōkaidō highway connecting Edo with Kyoto, and Mishima-shuku was one of the 53 post stations on that road. The area was tenryō territory ruled by a daikan appointed directly by the Tokugawa shogunate. After the Meiji Restoration, Mishima became part of the short-lived Nirayama Prefecture in 1868. This merged with the equally short-lived Ashigara Prefecture in 1871, and became part of Shizuoka Prefecture from 18 April 1876. With the establishment of the modern municipalities system of 1889, the area was reorganized as Mishima Town within Kimisawa District. In 1892, Prince Komatsu Akihito established a villa in Mishima. Its gardens, the Rakujūen, are a noted visitor attraction in Mishima to this day. In 1896, Kimisawa District became part of Tagata District, Shizuoka. Mishima received its first train connection in 1898 when the predecessor of the Izuhakone Railway established what is now Shimo-Togari Station. The Sunzu Line began operations from 1906. However, Mishima's fortunes revived strongly only after the Tanna Tunnel was completed in 1934, connecting the town to the Tōkaidō Main Line railway between Tokyo and Shizuoka. Mishima developed rapidly afterwards, merging with neighboring Kitakami Village in 1935 and Watada Village in 1941. Mishima Town was elevated in status to a city on 29 April 1941. It became a stop on the Tōkaidō Shinkansen from 1969, leading to an expansion in population, as the line made it possible to commute to Tokyo.

Government

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Mishima has a mayor-council form of government with a directly elected mayor and a unicameral city legislature of 22 members. The city contributes two members to the Shizuoka Prefectural Assembly.

Economy

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Mishima is a major industrial center within Shizuoka Prefecture. In addition to a railroad repair facility operated by JR Central, the city hosts factories from:

Education

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Mishima has 14 public elementary schools, and seven public middle schools operated by the city government and three public high schools operated by the Shizuoka Prefectural Board of Education. There are one private junior high school and two private high schools. In addition, Juntendo University and the Graduate University for Advanced Studies each have a facility at Mishima. The College of International Relations for Nihon University is located in Mishima. A former private junior college, Fujimigaoka Women's Junior College, was operating between 1966 and 2009.

Sister cities

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Transport

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Railway

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Highways

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Government facilities

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Mishima is home to the National Institute of Genetics.

Local attractions

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Notable people from Mishima

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References

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  1. ^ Mishima City official statistics (in Japanese)
  2. ^ Mishima population statistics
  3. ^ a b 気象庁 / 平年値(年・月ごとの値). JMA. Retrieved 12 April 2022.
  4. ^ 観測史上1~10位の値(年間を通じての値). JMA. Retrieved 12 April 2022.
  5. ^ a b "International Exchange". List of Affiliation Partners within Prefectures. Council of Local Authorities for International Relations (CLAIR). Archived from the original on 13 January 2016. Retrieved 21 November 2015.
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