is a

town A town is a human settlement. Towns are generally larger than villages and smaller than cities, though the criteria to distinguish between them vary considerably in different parts of the world. Origin and use The word "town" shares an o ...

located in

Chita District is a rural district located in southwestern Aichi Prefecture, Japan, on Chita Peninsula. As of 1 October 2019, the district had an estimated population of 160,542 and a population density of 968 persons per km2. Its total area was 165.84 ...

Aichi Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan located in the Chūbu region of Honshū. Aichi Prefecture has a population of 7,552,873 () and a geographic area of with a population density of . Aichi Prefecture borders Mie Prefecture to the west, Gifu 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 town 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 22,701 in 8852 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 RosenberPopu ...

of 491 persons per km². The total area of the town was

Geography

Mihama is located in the center of

Chita Peninsula Chita Peninsula (知多半島 ''Chita Hantō'') is a peninsula to the south of Aichi Prefecture, central Honshū, Japan. It runs approximately north-south. To the west is Ise Bay, while to the east it encloses Mikawa Bay. It faces the Atsumi ...

in southern Aichi Prefecture, bordered by

Mikawa Bay Mikawa Bay (Landsat photo) Mikawa Bay (三河湾 ''Mikawa-wan'') is a bay to the south of Aichi Prefecture, Japan, surrounded by Chita Peninsula to the west and Atsumi Peninsula to the east and south. Its area is approximately 604 km2. Poll ...

to the east and

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: ...

to the west. Part of the town’s area is within the borders of the Mikawa Wan Quasi-National Park.

Neighboring municipalities

*Aichi Prefecture ** Taketoyo **

Tokoname is a city in Aichi Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 57,872 in 24,872 households, and a population density of 1,035 persons per km². The total area of the city is . Geography Tokoname is located on the western coast ...

** Minamichita

Demographics

Per Japanese census data, the population of Mihama peaked at around the year 2005 and has been in slow decline since.

Climate

The town has a climate characterized by hot and humid summers, and relatively mild winters (

Köppen climate classification The Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by German-Russian climatologist Wladimir Köppen (1846–1940) in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen, nota ...

''Cfa''). The average annual temperature in Mihama is 15.6 °C. The average annual rainfall is 1737 mm with September as the wettest month. The temperatures are highest on average in August, at around 27.4 °C, and lowest in January, at around 4.8 °C.

History

The villages of Kōwa and Noma were established within

Chita District, Aichi is a rural district located in southwestern Aichi Prefecture, Japan, on Chita Peninsula. As of 1 October 2019, the district had an estimated population of 160,542 and a population density of 968 persons per km2. Its total area was 165.84&nbs ...

with the establishment of the modern municipalities system on October 1, 1889. Kōwa was raised to town status on May 6, 1903 and Noma on July 1, 1942 The town of Mihama was established on April 1, 1955 through the merger of the towns of Kōwa and Noma. On March 31, 1957, the area of the town expanded when the neighboring town of Kosugaya was dissolved, and divided between Mihama and Tokoname. During March 2006, discussions were held to merge Mihama with the town of Minamichita to the south to form the new city of “Minamicentrair” named after the popular nickname for

Chūbu Centrair International Airport is an international airport on an artificial island in Ise Bay, Tokoname City in Aichi Prefecture, south of Nagoya in central Japan. Centrair is classified as a first class airport and is the main international gateway for the Chubu ...

, but the merger proposal was strongly opposed by the majority of the inhabitants of Minamichita, and the merger did not take place.

Economy

The

primary sector The primary sector of the economy includes any industry involved in the extraction and production of raw materials, such as farming, logging, fishing, forestry and mining. The primary sector tends to make up a larger portion of the economy ...

dominates the economy of Mihama, notably

commercial fishing Commercial fishing is the activity of catching fish and other seafood for commercial profit, mostly from wild fisheries. It provides a large quantity of food to many countries around the world, but those who practice it as an industry must oft ...

and agriculture.

Education

Nihon Fukushi University is a private university with its main campus at Mihama, Aichi, and other campuses at Nagoya and Handa, also in Aichi Prefecture, Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is ...

– Mihama Campus *Mihama has six public elementary schools and two public junior high schools operated by the town government, and one high school operated by the Aichi Prefectural Board of Education.

Transportation

Railway

Meitetsu – Kōwa Line *- Meitetsu logomark 2

Meitetsu – Chita New Line * - - -

Highway

Minamichita Road The is a 4-laned expressway, toll road in Aichi Prefecture, Japan. It is managed by Aichi Prefectural Road Public Corporation. Overview Officially the road is designated as Aichi Prefectural Route 7. The road is designated (motor vehicles must ...

Local attractions

*Minami-Chita Beachland - beach resort *

Nomazaki Lighthouse or just Noma Lighthouse is a lighthouse in town of Mihama, Chita District, Aichi, Japan built during the Taishō period, located on Chita Peninsula in Mikawa Bay. History Noma Lighthouse was lit on March 10, 1921, and is the oldest lighthous ...

* Sugimoto Art Museum *Tylek & Tylecek Mihama Museum

Notable people

Otokichi , also known as Yamamoto Otokichi and later known as John Matthew Ottoson (1818 – January 1867), was a Japanese castaway originally from the area of Onoura near modern-day Mihama, on the west coast of the Chita Peninsula in Aichi Prefectur ...

, Edo period Japanese castaway

References

External links

* * {{Authority control Towns in Aichi Prefecture Populated coastal places in Japan