is a

village A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet but smaller than a town (although the word is often used to describe both hamlets and smaller towns), with a population typically ranging from a few hundred to ...

located in Maniwa District,

Okayama Prefecture is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located in the Chūgoku region of Honshu. Okayama Prefecture has a population of 1,906,464 (1 February 2018) and has a geographic area of 7,114 Square kilometre, km2 (2,746 sq mi). Okayama Prefectur ...

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 Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

. , the village had 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 847 in 378 households and a

population density Population density (in agriculture: standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geographical term.Matt RosenberPopul ...

of 13 persons per km². The total area of the village is . It is a member of

The Most Beautiful Villages in Japan is a Japanese nonprofit organization of listing some of the most beautiful villages and towns in Japan. The association is active on enhancement and protection of Japanese rural heritage, cultural fairs & branding and promotion of regional, nati ...

Association.

Geography

Shinjō is located in the north central part of Okayama Prefecture, separated from

Tottori Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan located in the Chūgoku region of Honshu. Tottori Prefecture is the least populous prefecture of Japan at 570,569 (2016) and has a geographic area of . Tottori Prefecture borders Shimane Prefecture to the west, Hirosh ...

to the north by the Chugoku Mountains. Mountains and forests occupy most of the village area].

Neighboring municipalities

Okayama Prefecture * Niimi, Okayama, Niimi *

Maniwa 270px, Maniwa City Hall 270px, Aerial view of Kuse area of Maniwa is a city located in Okayama Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 42,477 in 17568 households and a population density of 51 persons per km². The total are ...

Tottori Prefecture * Hino *

Kōfu is the capital city of Yamanashi Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 187,985 in 90,924 households, and a population density of 880 persons per km2. The total area of the city is . Overview Toponymy Kōfu's name means "c ...

Climate

Shinjō has a

Humid subtropical climate A humid subtropical climate is a zone of climate characterized by hot and humid summers, and cool to mild winters. These climates normally lie on the southeast side of all continents (except Antarctica), generally between latitudes 25° and 40° ...

(Köppen ''Cfa'') characterized by warm summers and cold winters with heavy snowfall. The average annual temperature in Shinjō is 11.4 °C. The average annual rainfall is 1883 mm with September as the wettest month. The temperatures are highest on average in January, at around 23.3 °C, and lowest in January, at around -0.5 °C.

Demography

Per Japanese census data,population statistics
/ref> the population of Shinjō has been as follows. The population has been steadily declining since the 1950s

History

Shinjō is part of ancient

Mimasaka Province or was a province of Japan in the part of Honshū that is today northeastern Okayama Prefecture. Mimasaka bordered Bitchū, Bizen, Harima, Hōki, and Inaba Provinces. Mimasaka was landlocked, and was often ruled by the ''daimyō'' in Bizen. ...

. After the

Meiji restoration The , referred to at the time as the , and also known as the Meiji Renovation, Revolution, Regeneration, Reform, or Renewal, was a political event that restored practical imperial rule to Japan in 1868 under Emperor Meiji. Although there were ...

, the area was organized into Shinjō village with the creation of the modern municipalities system on June 1,1889.

Government

Shinjō has a mayor-council form of government with a directly elected mayor and a

unicameral Unicameralism (from ''uni''- "one" + Latin ''camera'' "chamber") is a type of legislature, which consists of one house or assembly, that legislates and votes as one. Unicameral legislatures exist when there is no widely perceived need for multic ...

village council eight members. Shinjō, collectively with the city of Maniwa, contributes one member to the Okayama Prefectural Assembly. In terms of national politics, the village is part of the Okayama 3rd district of the

lower house A lower house is one of two Debate chamber, chambers of a Bicameralism, bicameral legislature, the other chamber being the upper house. Despite its official position "below" the upper house, in many legislatures worldwide, the lower house has co ...

of the

Diet of Japan The is the national legislature of Japan. It is composed of a lower house, called the House of Representatives (, ''Shūgiin''), and an upper house, the House of Councillors (, '' Sangiin''). Both houses are directly elected under a paralle ...

Economy

The main economic activity in the area is forestry and agriculture. Shinjō grows a variety of rice called ''hime no mochi''. This rice is used to make the

mochi is a Japanese rice cake made of , a short-grain japonica glutinous rice, and sometimes other ingredients such as water, sugar, and cornstarch. The rice is pounded into paste and molded into the desired shape. In Japan, it is traditionally ma ...

rice cakes for which this town is also known. The hime no mochi factory is a major employer in Shinjō.

Education

Shinjō has one public elementary school and one public junior high school operated by the village government. The village does not have a high school.

Transportation

Railway

The village does not have any passenger railway service. The nearest train station is

Neu Station is a passenger railway station located in the town of Hino, Tottori Prefecture, Japan. It is operated by the West Japan Railway Company (JR West). Lines Neu Station is served by the Hakubi Line, and is located 111.3 kilometers from the termin ...

on then

JR West , also referred to as , is one of the Japan Railways Group (JR Group) companies and operates in western Honshu. It has its headquarters in Kita-ku, Osaka. It is listed in the Tokyo Stock Exchange, is a constituent of the TOPIX Large70 index, and ...

Hakubi Line The is a railway line operated by West Japan Railway Company (JR West) in the mountainous area of the Chūgoku region of Japan. It begins at the south end of Okayama Prefecture at Kurashiki Station in Kurashiki, passing through Niimi Station on ...

Hino, Tottori is a town located in Hino District, Tottori Prefecture, Japan., the town had an estimated population of 2,840 in 1298 households and a population density of 21 persons per km². The total area of the town is Geography Hino is located in the C ...

Chūgoku-Katsuyama Station is a passenger railway station located in the city of Maniwa, Okayama, Maniwa, Okayama Prefecture, Japan, operated by West Japan Railway Company (JR West). Lines Chūgoku-Katsuyama Station is served by the Kishin Line, and is located 123.8 kil ...

on the

Kishin Line is a railway line operated by West Japan Railway Company (JR West) between Himeji, Hyōgo and Niimi, Okayama, Japan. The name of the line comes from the first kanji of Himeji () and Niimi () which the line connects. Stations *S: Trains stop *s: ...

Maniwa, Okayama 270px, Maniwa City Hall 270px, Aerial view of Kuse area of Maniwa is a city located in Okayama Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 42,477 in 17568 households and a population density of 51 persons per km². The total are ...

Highways

Local attractions

This village is known for the

cherry trees A cherry is the fruit of many plants of the genus ''Prunus'', and is a fleshy drupe (stone fruit). Commercial cherries are obtained from cultivars of several species, such as the sweet ''Prunus avium'' and the sour ''Prunus cerasus''. The na ...

along its main street, which is called . These trees were planted to celebrate the Japanese victory over Russia in the

Russo-Japanese War The Russo-Japanese War ( ja, 日露戦争, Nichiro sensō, Japanese-Russian War; russian: Ру́сско-япóнская войнá, Rússko-yapónskaya voyná) was fought between the Empire of Japan and the Russian Empire during 1904 and 1 ...

in 1905. There are many old buildings along Victory Cherry Blossom Street. Many of these buildings used to be in that were built to accommodate the '' sankin kōtai'' mandatory processions of ''daimyō'' from their domains to the capital and back.

References

External links

*
Shinjō official website
Villages in Okayama Prefecture {{Okayama-geo-stub