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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 Mie 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 Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the n ...
. , the city 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 usi ...
of 17,741 in 8328 households and a population density of 170 persons per km². The total area of the city is .


Geography

Toba is located on the northeastern tip of Shima Peninsula in far eastern Mie Prefecture, facing
Ise Bay is a bay located at the mouth of the Kiso Three Rivers between Mie and Aichi Prefectures in Japan. Ise Bay has an average depth of and a maximum depth of . The mouth of the bay is and is connected to the smaller Mikawa Bay by two channels: ...
of the Pacific Ocean to the north and east. The area is famous for oysters and for cultured pearls. The entire city area is within the borders of the Ise-Shima National Park. Toba administers numerous islands in the
Ise Bay is a bay located at the mouth of the Kiso Three Rivers between Mie and Aichi Prefectures in Japan. Ise Bay has an average depth of and a maximum depth of . The mouth of the bay is and is connected to the smaller Mikawa Bay by two channels: ...
, the most important of which are: *
Kamishima is an inhabited island located in Ise Bay off the east coast of central Honshu, Japan. It is administered as part of the city of Toba in Mie Prefecture. The name of Kami-shima has alternatively been written with as or ; its present form of Ka ...
*
Kozukumi Island is an island located in Ise Bay off the east coast of central Honshu, Japan. It is administered as part of the city of Toba in Mie Prefecture. Kozukumi-jima is uninhabited. It has been regarded as a sacred island to the Shinto religion si ...
*
Ōzukumi-jima is an island located in Ise Bay off the east coast of central Honshu, Japan. It is administered as part of the city of Toba in Mie Prefecture. Ōzukumi-jima is mentioned in the Heian period ''Wamyō Ruijushō ''. Archaeologists have found ...
* Sugashima *
Tōshijima is an inhabited island located in Ise Bay off the east coast of central Honshu, Japan. It is administered as part of the city of Toba in Mie Prefecture. It is the largest of the outlying islands of Toba. The name of Tōshijima appears in early ...
*
Sakatejima also known as Sakate Sima, Sakate-jima, or Sakate-shima, is an island located in Ise Bay off the east coast of central Honshu, Japan. It is administered as part of the city of Toba in Mie Prefecture. It is the smallest of the four inhabited isl ...
* Mitsujima


Neighboring municipalities

Mie Prefecture *
Ise Ise may refer to: Places *Ise, Mie, a city in Japan ** Ise Grand Shrine, a Shinto shrine located in Ise, Mie * Ise Ekiti, a city in Nigeria * Ise, Norway, a village in Norway * Ise Province, an ancient province of Japan * River Ise, a tributary of ...
* Shima


Climate

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


Demographics

Per Japanese census data, the population of Toba has decreased rapidly over the past 30 years.


History

The area of modern Toba has been continuously inhabited since before the Jōmon period. During the
Sengoku period The was a period in History of Japan, Japanese history of near-constant civil war and social upheaval from 1467 to 1615. The Sengoku period was initiated by the Ōnin War in 1467 which collapsed the Feudalism, feudal system of Japan under the ...
, the area was under the control of pirates, from whom emerged Kuki Yoshitaka (from Nakiri district) as a dominant ruler. After having dominated the local seacoasts, he established Toba as his capital and built a castle there. Under the Tokugawa shogunate, the castle became the center for
Toba Domain was a Japanese domain of the Edo period, located in Shima Province (part of modern-day Mie Prefecture), Japan. It was centered on Toba Castle in what is now the city of Toba. History During the Sengoku period, most of Shima Province came u ...
. In the Edo period, Toba flourished in trade and as a transshipment port between Osaka and
Edo Edo ( ja, , , "bay-entrance" or "estuary"), also romanized as Jedo, Yedo or Yeddo, is the former name of Tokyo. Edo, formerly a ''jōkamachi'' (castle town) centered on Edo Castle located in Musashi Province, became the ''de facto'' capital of ...
. The town of Toba was created with the establishment of the modern municipalities system on April 1, 1889. Toba was raised to city status on November 1, 1954, by merging with seven neighboring villages in Shima District.


Government

Toba has a mayor-council form of government with a directly elected mayor and a unicameral city council of 14 members. Toba contributes one member to the Mie Prefectural Assembly. In terms of national politics, the city is part of Mie 4th district of the lower house of the Diet of Japan.


Economy

Commercial fishing, including cultivated pearls, and tourism play important roles in the local economy.


Education

Toba has nine public elementary schools and five public middle schools operated by the city government and one public high school operated by the Mie Prefectural Department of Education. The Toba National College of Maritime Technology, one of the five maritime technology colleges in Japan which offers merchant marine programs such as Deck officer, Marine Engineering and other advanced programs related to maritime education. is located in Toba, as is the Sugashima Marine Biological Laboratory - Graduate School of Science, Nagoya University.


Culture

Toba city hosts the highest number of ama divers in Japan. "Toba and Shima, cities where you can meet ama divers" has been defined as the 73th stories of Japanese heritage.


Transportation


Railway

JR Tōkai - Sangū Line * 20px Kintetsu Railway -
Toba Line The is a railway line operated by the Japanese private railway company Kintetsu Railway, connecting Ujiyamada Station in Ise, Mie with Toba Station in Toba, Mie. The line runs parallel to JR Central's Sangū Line. The line connects with the ...
* - 20px Kintetsu Railway - Shima Line * - - - - - -


Highway

* Iseshima Skyline * * *


Ferry

*
Ise-wan Ferry The , or Ise Bay Ferry is a ferry that runs between the Port of Toba in Toba, Mie Prefecture and the Port of Irago in Tahara, Aichi Prefecture, Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East A ...


Local attractions

*
Mikimoto Pearl Island is a small island in Ise Bay, offshore Toba, Mie Prefecture, Japan. The island is known as the birthplace of cultured pearl aquaculture. The island is owned by , which operates the island as a tourist attraction, exhibiting pearls and pearl c ...
*
Toba Aquarium is a public aquarium, which is located in Toba, Mie, Japan. The aquarium houses 12 zones which reproduce natural environments, housing some 25,000 individuals representing 1,200 species. The guests are free to tour the aquarium's grounds in any ...
* Toba Castle * Toba Sea-Folk Museum


Sister city relations

* -
Santa Barbara, California Santa Barbara ( es, Santa Bárbara, meaning " Saint Barbara") is a coastal city in Santa Barbara County, California, of which it is also the county seat. Situated on a south-facing section of coastline, the longest such section on the West ...
, since 1966. * - Sanda, Hyōgo, Friendship city since July 1, 1971


Notable people from Toba

*
Mikimoto Kōkichi was a Japanese entrepreneur who is credited with creating the first cultured pearl and subsequently starting the cultured pearl industry with the establishment of his luxury pearl company Mikimoto.Ward, Fred. Pearls: Bethesda, MD: Gem Book Pub ...
, Entrepreneur and businessman *
Mitsuru Hattori is a Japanese manga artist. He is best known for his works ''Kenkō Zenrakei Suieibu Umishō'' and '' Sankarea: Undying Love'', both of which were adapted into anime television series. Works * (2000–2002, serialized in ''Young Magazine Upper ...
, Manga artist * Tsunekazu Ishihara, President of
The Pokémon Company The Pokémon Company (株式会社ポケモン, '' Kabushiki gaisha Pokemon'') is a Japanese company responsible for brand management, production, publishing, marketing, and licensing of the ''Pokémon'' franchise, which consists of video ga ...


External links

* *
Official city website
in Japanese)
Toba tourism association official website
(in Japanese)
A Day Tripper's Guide to Ise and Toba
''Japanzine'' by Zack Davisson


References

{{Authority control Cities in Mie Prefecture Populated coastal places in Japan Toba, Mie