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 ...

in western

Toyama Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan located in the Chūbu region of Honshu. Toyama Prefecture has a population of 993,848 (1 January 2025) and has a geographic area of 4,247.61 km2 (1,640.01 sq mi). Toyama Prefecture borders Ishikawa Prefecture to the ...

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

. , the city had an estimated population of 48,275 in 17,632 households, and a population density of 210 persons per km². Its total area is . Himi is known primarily for its

commercial fishing Commercial fishing is the activity of catching fish and other seafood for Commerce, commercial Profit (economics), profit, mostly from wild fisheries. It provides a large quantity of food to many countries around the world, but those who practice ...

industry. The city was founded on August 1, 1952.

Geography

Himi is in the far northwestern Toyama Prefecture, and is bordered by

Ishikawa Prefecture is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located in the Chūbu region of Honshu island. Ishikawa Prefecture has a population of 1,096,721 (1 January 2025) and has a geographic area of 4,186 Square kilometre, km2 (1,616 sq mi). Ishikawa Pr ...

(the Noto Peninsula to the west and north, and the

Sea of Japan The Sea of Japan is the marginal sea between the Japanese archipelago, Sakhalin, the Korean Peninsula, and the mainland of the Russian Far East. The Japanese archipelago separates the sea from the Pacific Ocean. Like the Mediterranean Sea, it ...

( Toyama Bay) to the east. Much of the area is a

dispersed settlement A dispersed settlement, also known as a scattered settlement, is one of the main types of settlement patterns used by landscape historians to classify rural settlements found in England and other parts of the world. Typically, there are a num ...

typical of this region of Japan.

Surrounding municipalities

*Ishikawa Prefecture ** Hakui ** Hōdatsushimizu ** Nakanoto ** Nanao *Toyama Prefecture ** Takaoka

Climate

Himi has a

humid continental climate A humid continental climate is a climatic region defined by Russo-German climatologist Wladimir Köppen in 1900, typified by four distinct seasons and large seasonal temperature differences, with warm to hot (and often humid) summers, and cold ...

(Köppen ''Cfa'') characterized by mild summers and cold winters with heavy snowfall. The average annual temperature in Himi is 13.9 °C. The average annual rainfall is 2409 mm with September as the wettest month. The temperatures are highest on average in August, at around 26.4 °C, and lowest in January, at around 2.8 °C.

Demographics

Per Japanese census data, the population of Himi has declined over the past 40 years.

History

The area of present-day Himi was part of ancient Etchū Province. The town of Himi was created within Imizu District, Toyama with the establishment of the municipalities system on April 1, 1889. Izumi District was divided on March 29, 1896 into Izumi District and Himi District. The town annexed the neighboring villages of Kanno and Inazumi in 1940, and the villages of Goishi, Yashiro, Yokawa in 1952. In 1953, the town further annexed the villages of Kubo, Miyata, Kamijo and Kumanashi. In 1954, Himi annexed the villages of Ao, Yabuta, Unami, Mera, Kume, Kojiro, Junicho, Hayakawa, Fuse, and Busshoji, so that in its final form it encompassed the entire district of Himi with the exception of the village of Ota (which was annexed by Takaoka).

Government

Himi 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 legislature of 17 members.

Education

Himi has twelve public elementary schools and five public junior high schools operated by the town government, and one public high school operated by the Toyama Prefectural Board of Education.

Transportation

Railway

West Japan Railway Company , 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, ...

(JR West) - Himi Line ** -

Highway

* Nōetsu Expressway * *

Regional specialties

* Cold Yellowtail * Himi Beef * Himi Buri * Himi Curry * Himi Hatomugi Tea * Himi Iwashi * Himi Udon * Kintsuba

Points of interest

* Asahi Shell Mound, a National Historic Site * Himi Banya * Himi Seaside Botanical Garden * Ōzakai Cave Dwelling Site, a National Historic Site * Shimao Seaside Park * Yanaidanu-no-Oyama Kofun, a National Historic Site

References

External links

Official Website
{{Authority control Cities in Toyama Prefecture Populated coastal places in Japan