is a

city A city is a human settlement of notable size.Goodall, B. (1987) ''The Penguin Dictionary of Human Geography''. London: Penguin.Kuper, A. and Kuper, J., eds (1996) ''The Social Science Encyclopedia''. 2nd edition. London: Routledge. It can be def ...

located in

Sorachi Subprefecture is a subprefecture of Hokkaido Prefecture, Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of J ...

Hokkaido is Japan's second largest island and comprises the largest and northernmost prefecture, making up its own region. The Tsugaru Strait separates Hokkaidō from Honshu; the two islands are connected by the undersea railway Seikan Tunnel. The lar ...

, Japan. As of September 2016, the city has an estimated

population Population typically refers to the number of people in a single area, whether it be a city or town, region, country, continent, or the world. Governments typically quantify the size of the resident population within their jurisdiction using a ...

of 9,056, and the

density Density (volumetric mass density or specific mass) is the substance's mass per unit of volume. The symbol most often used for density is ''ρ'' (the lower case Greek letter rho), although the Latin letter ''D'' can also be used. Mathematical ...

of 30 persons per km².

Geography

The total area is 302.64 km². It is bordered on three sides by mountains, and on its east side is the man-made Lake Katsurazawa.

History

Mikasa is one of the birthplaces of the mining and railroad industries in Hokkaido, and the Hokkai Bon song was invented there. Though in the past it flourished due to its natural abundance of coal, the mines have largely closed down and this has caused the population of the city to fall rapidly. Quite a few fossil specimens have also been collected there, particularly ammonites and the prehistoric marine reptile '' Yezosaurus mikasaensis'', both of which can be viewed at the city's natural history museum. *1906 - Mikasayama village was founded. *1942 - Mikasayama village became Mikasa town. *1957 - Mikasa town became Mikasa city.

Education

High school

* Hokkaido Mikasa High School.

Transportation

Hokkaidō Expressway is Japan's second largest island and comprises the largest and northernmost prefecture, making up its own region. The Tsugaru Strait separates Hokkaidō from Honshu; the two islands are connected by the undersea railway Seikan Tunnel. The lar ...

runs through west of the city and Mikasa IC is on it. No railway is in the city.

Agriculture

Notable local products include

watermelon Watermelon (''Citrullus lanatus'') is a flowering plant species of the Cucurbitaceae family and the name of its edible fruit. A scrambling and trailing vine-like plant, it is a highly cultivated fruit worldwide, with more than 1,000 varie ...

musk melon ''Cucumis melo'', also known as melon, is a species of ''Cucumis'' that has been developed into many cultivated varieties. The fruit is a pepo. The flesh is either sweet or bland, with or without a musky aroma, and the rind can be smooth (such a ...

, cucumber, northern plum, and wine.

Culture

Mascot

Mikasa's mascot is . He is a 84,000,000-year-old yellow dinosaur.

Personalities

Tadashi Kawamata Tadashi Kawamata ( ja, 川俣正 / born July 24, 1953) is a Japanese artist, born in Mikasa City on Hokkaido, who lives and works in Paris. Biography Born in Mikasa City on Hokkaido, Kawamata graduated from Hokkaido Iwamizawa Higashi High S ...

(b. 1953), artist

References

External links

Official Website
{{Authority control Cities in Hokkaido