151128 Hattori Ryokuchi Park Osaka pref Japan03s3

is a

city A city is a human settlement of a substantial size. The term "city" has different meanings around the world and in some places the settlement can be very small. Even where the term is limited to larger settlements, there is no universally agree ...

Osaka Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan located in the Kansai region of Honshu. Osaka Prefecture has a population of 8,778,035 () and has a geographic area of . Osaka Prefecture borders Hyōgo Prefecture to the northwest, Kyoto Prefecture to the north, Nara ...

, Japan. , the city had an estimated

population Population is a set of humans or other organisms in a given region or area. Governments conduct a census to quantify the resident population size within a given jurisdiction. The term is also applied to non-human animals, microorganisms, and pl ...

of 399,263 in 179651 households and a

population density Population density (in agriculture: Standing stock (disambiguation), 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 geog ...

of 5700 persons per km². The total area of the city is . It is a suburban city of

Osaka is a Cities designated by government ordinance of Japan, designated city in the Kansai region of Honshu in Japan. It is the capital of and most populous city in Osaka Prefecture, and the List of cities in Japan, third-most populous city in J ...

City and a part of the Kyoto-Osaka-Kobe metropolitan area.

Geography

Toyonaka is located in northern Osaka Prefecture. Topographically, the northern part is high (facing the Senri Hills), and the southern part is low (facing the Osaka Plain). A gently sloping terrace of 20 to 50 meters above sea level distributed on the western edge of the city is called the Toyonaka Plateau, which forms the center of the urban area. With the exception of the buffered green zone around Osaka International Airport, the area of Toyonaka is almost urbanized.

Neighboring municipalities

Hyōgo Prefecture is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located in the Kansai region of Honshu. Hyōgo Prefecture has a population of 5,469,762 () and a geographic area of . Hyōgo Prefecture borders Kyoto Prefecture to the east, Osaka Prefecture to th ...

Amagasaki 270px, Amagasaki Castle 270px, Aerial view of Amagasaki city center 270px, Amagasaki Station is an industrial city located in Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 455,555 in 223,812 households, and a population de ...

Itami is a cities of Japan, city located in Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 197,215 in 83,580 households and a population density of . The total area of the city is . Geography Itami is located in south-east ...

Osaka Prefecture * Ikeda * Minoh *

Suita is a city located in Osaka Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 381,238 in 182,636 households, and a population density of 11,000 persons per km2. The total area of the city is . It is a suburban city of Osaka City and a p ...

* Yodogawa-ku

Demographics

Climate

Toyonaka has a

Humid subtropical climate A humid subtropical climate is a subtropical -temperate climate type, characterized by long and hot summers, and cool to mild winters. These climates normally lie on the southeast side of all continents (except Antarctica), generally between ...

(Köppen ''Cfa'') characterized by warm summers and cool winters with light to no snowfall. The average annual temperature in Toyonaka is . The average annual rainfall is with July as the wettest month. The temperatures are highest on average in August, at around , and lowest in January, at around .

History

The area of Toyonaka was part of ancient

Settsu Province was a province of Japan, which today comprises the southeastern part of Hyōgo Prefecture and the northern part of Osaka Prefecture. It was also referred to as or . Osaka and Osaka Castle were the main center of the province. Most of Settsu's ...

. The village of Toyonaka was established with the creation of the modern municipalities system on April 1, 1889. It was raised to town status on April 1, 1927, and to city status on October 15, 1936. On April 1, 2001, Toyonaka was designated a Special city with increased local autonomy. It was further promoted to a

core city In urban planning, a historic core city or central city is the municipality with the largest 1940 population in the present metropolitan area (metropolitan statistical area). This term was retired by the US census bureau and replaced by the term ...

on April 1, 2012.

Government

Toyonaka 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 consisting of one house or assembly that legislates and votes as one. Unicameralism has become an increasingly common type of legislature, making up nearly ...

city council of 34 members. Toyonaka contributes four members to the

Osaka Prefectural Assembly The is the legislature of Osaka Prefecture. As in all prefectures, it is elected to four-year terms by single non-transferable vote in multi- and single-member districts and is responsible for enacting and amending prefectural by-laws, approving ...

. In terms of national politics, the city is part of Osaka 8th district of the

lower house A lower house is the lower chamber of a bicameral legislature, where the other chamber is the upper house. Although styled as "below" the upper house, in many legislatures worldwide, the lower house has come to wield more power or otherwise e ...

of the

Diet of Japan , transcription_name = ''Kokkai'' , legislature = 215th Session of the National Diet , coa_pic = Flag of Japan.svg , house_type = Bicameral , houses = , foundation=29 November 1890(), leader1_type ...

Economy

Toyonaka is a regional commercial center and distribution hub for Osaka. Due to its proximity to the Osaka metropolitan area, it is also a

commuter town A commuter town is a populated area that is primarily residential rather than commercial or industrial. Routine travel from home to work and back is called commuting, which is where the term comes from. A commuter town may be called by many o ...

, and includes Senri New Town and other large-scale housing developments. Manufacturing industry is concentrated in the south. Economically, the city has a long-standing relationship with

Hankyu Corporation , trading as , is a Japanese private railway company that provides commuter and interurban service to the northern Kansai region. It is one of the flagship properties of Hankyu Hanshin Holdings Inc., in turn part of the Hankyu Hanshin Toho Gr ...

. Therefore, many of the core companies of the Hankyu and Hanshin group are headquartered in Toyonaka.

Education

Toyonaka has 41 public elementary schools and 17 public middle schools operated by the city government and five public high school operated by the Osaka Prefectural Department of Education. There are also one private elementary school, one private middle school and four private high schools. The prefecture also operates two special education schools for the handicapped. The Osaka College of Music is located in Toyonaka.

Transportation

Airports

Osaka International Airport , often referred to as , is the primary domestic airport for the Kansai region of Japan, including its major cities of Osaka, Kyoto, and Kobe. It is the airport closest to Osaka, being 11 km (7 mi) north of Ōsaka Station, Osaka Stati ...

is partially located in Toyonaka including its terminal, although it is more commonly associated with the city of

Railway

Kita-Osaka Kyūkō Railway * - - Hankyu Railway Logo

Hankyu Railway , trading as , is a Japanese private railway company that provides commuter and interurban service to the northern Kansai region. It is one of the flagship properties of Hankyu Hanshin Holdings Inc., in turn part of the Hankyu Hanshin Toho Gr ...

Hankyu Takarazuka Line The is a Japanese railway line operated by the private railway operator Hankyu Railway. It connects Umeda Station in downtown Osaka with Takarazuka Station (Hankyu), Takarazuka Station in Takarazuka, Hyogo. It has a branch line, the Hankyu M ...

* - - - - - Osaka monorail logo

Osaka Monorail - Main Line * Osaka Airport - - - -

Highway

Chūgoku Expressway * JP Expressway E1

Meishin Expressway * 25px Hanshin Expressway Route 11 Ikeda Route * * * *

Sister cities

San Mateo, California San Mateo ( ) is the most populous city in San Mateo County, California, United States, on the San Francisco Peninsula. It is part of the San Francisco Bay Area metropolitan region, and is located about south of San Francisco. San Mateo border ...

, United States The Consulate-General of Russia in Osaka is located in Toyonaka.

Local attractions

*Harada Shrine. Founded during the reign of the Emperor Tenmu (672–686), the wooden shrine was rebuilt in 1652 and again in 1781. An important cultural property, it is known for its copse of camphor trees and it is the site of the popular Lion Festival each October. * Hattori Ryokuchi Arboretum *

Hattori Ryokuchi Park is a large, hilly park in northern Osaka Prefecture, Osaka. It is most famous for its Open-Air Museum of Old Japanese Farmhouses, which contains examples of rural architecture from various parts of Japan. It also contains tennis courts, bamboo ...

* Open-Air Museum of Old Japanese Farm Houses *

Osaka University The , abbreviated as UOsaka or , is a List of national universities in Japan, national research university in Osaka, Japan. The university traces its roots back to Edo period, Edo-era institutions Tekijuku (1838) and Kaitokudō, Kaitokudo (1724), ...

Notable people from Toyonaka

* Shōzō Endō, comedian * Takashi Fujii, television performer * Mai Hosho, actress * Tak Matsumoto, musician and guitarist ( B'z) *

Yoshihiro Murai is a Japanese politician who has served as governor A governor is an politician, administrative leader and head of a polity or Region#Political regions, political region, in some cases, such as governor-general, governors-general, as the head o ...

, governor of

Miyagi prefecture is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located in the Tōhoku region of Honshu. Miyagi Prefecture has a population of 2,265,724 (1 August 2023) and has a geographic area of . Miyagi Prefecture borders Iwate Prefecture to the north, Akit ...

(2005–present) * Yukie Nishimura, pianist and composer * Masashi Oguro, soccer player *

Panchan Rina , better known as , is a Japanese professional kickboxer. She is a former Knock Out (kickboxing)#Black Female Minimumweight Championship, Knock Out-Black Female Minimumweight Champion, Knock Out (kickboxing)#Black Female Atomweight Championship, ...

, kickboxer * Unagi Sayaka, professional wrestler *

Kaoru Shintani is a Japanese manga artist. Shintani is best known for his series ''Area 88''. In addition to his pilot comics, Shintani has ventured into science fiction, fantasy, comedy, and hentai comics as well. In 1985, he was awarded the Shogakukan Manga Aw ...

, manga artist *

Sanshiro Takagi , better known by his ring name , is a Japanese professional wrestler and promoter who works for the Japanese wrestling promotion CyberFight, where he serves as executive vice president. He is one of the founding members and current chairman of ...

, professional wrestler * Naoki Tanaka, comedian *

Naoki Tanizaki (born December 1, 1978) is a Japanese professional wrestler. He is known for his work in Dragon Gate. He previously went under the ring name . Professional wrestling career Toryumon system and Dragon Gate (2002–2006) Originally from t ...

, professional wrestler *

Osamu Tezuka Osamu Tezuka (, born , ''Tezuka Osamu'', – 9 February 1989) was a Japanese manga artist, cartoonist and animator. Considered to be among the greatest and most influential cartoonists of all time, his prolific output, pioneering techniques an ...

, manga artist and animator * Hitomi Yaida, singer and songwriter

References

External links

* {{Authority control Cities in Osaka Prefecture