is a

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

located in Chita District, Aichi Prefecture, Japan. , 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 using ...

of 22,701 in 8852 households, and a

population density Population density (in agriculture: 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 geographical ...

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

Geography

Mihama is located in the center of Chita Peninsula in southern Aichi Prefecture, bordered by Mikawa Bay 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 is a town located in Chita District, Aichi Prefecture, Japan. , the town had an estimated population of 43,147 in 18,392 households, and a population density of 1,636 persons per km2. The total area of the town was . Geography Taketoyo is locate ...

** Tokoname ** 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 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, 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 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 – 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 , referred to as , is a private railway company operating around Aichi Prefecture and Gifu Prefecture of Japan. Some of the more famous trains operated by Meitetsu include the '' Panorama Car'' and the '' Panorama Car Super'', both of which ...

– Kōwa Line *- Meitetsu logomark 2

– Chita New Line * - - -

Highway

Minamichita Road The is a 4-laned expressway, toll road in Aichi 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 th ...

Local attractions

*Minami-Chita Beachland - beach resort * Nomazaki Lighthouse *

Sugimoto Art Museum The Sugimoto Art Museum (杉本美術館) features the work of the Japanese painter Kenkichi Sugimoto (1905-2004) and is located in Mihama, Chita District, Aichi Prefecture, Japan. The museum is operated by the Meitetsu railway company. See al ...

*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 Prefecture ...

, Edo period Japanese castaway

References

External links

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