270px, Mitoyo City Hall 270px, Aerial view of Mitoyo city center 270px, Shiudeyama 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 ...

located in

Kagawa Prefecture is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located on the island of Shikoku. Kagawa Prefecture has a population of 949,358 (as of 2020) and is the List of Japanese prefectures by area, smallest prefecture by geographic area at . Kagawa Pr ...

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 59,876 in 23024 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 270 persons per km². The total area of the city is .

Geography

Mitoyo is located in western Kagawa Prefecture. It faces the

Seto Inland Sea The , sometimes shortened to the Inland Sea, is the body of water separating Honshu, Shikoku, and Kyushu, three of the four main islands of Japan. It serves as a waterway connecting the Pacific Ocean to the Sea of Japan. It connects to Osaka Ba ...

to the north and borders

Tokushima Prefecture is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located on the island of Shikoku. Tokushima Prefecture has a population of 682,439 (1 February 2025) and has a geographic area of 4,146 Square kilometre, km2 (1,601 sq mi). Tokushima Prefecture b ...

across the

Sanuki Mountains The are a mountain range running along the southern border of Kagawa and the northern border of Tokushima prefectures on the island of Shikoku, Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northe ...

to the south. In the north, the Shonai Peninsula with Mt. Shiude and Mt. Myoken stretches out to the northwest. Some coastal parts of the city are within the borders of the

Setonaikai National Park is a Japanese national park, comprising areas of Japan's Seto Inland Sea, and of ten bordering Prefectures of Japan, prefectures. Designated a national park in 1934, it has since been expanded several times. It contains about 3,000 islands, know ...

. The city includes Awashima Island and Shishijima in the Seto Inland Sea between Shikoku and

Honshu , historically known as , is the largest of the four main islands of Japan. It lies between the Pacific Ocean (east) and the Sea of Japan (west). It is the list of islands by area, seventh-largest island in the world, and the list of islands by ...

Neighbouring municipalities

Kagawa Prefecture * Kan'onji * Kotohira * Mannō * Tadotsu * Zentsuji Tokushima Prefecture * Higashimiyoshi * Miyoshi

Climate

Mitoyo 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 climate classification The Köppen climate classification divides Earth climates into five main climate groups, with each group being divided based on patterns of seasonal precipitation and temperature. The five main groups are ''A'' (tropical), ''B'' (arid), ''C'' (te ...

''Cfa'') with hot, humid summers, and cool winters. Some rain falls throughout the year, but the months from May to September have the heaviest rain. The average annual temperature in Mitoyo 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 . The highest temperature ever recorded in Mitoyo was on 6 August 2017; the coldest temperature ever recorded was on 4 February 1999.

Demographics

Per Japanese census data, the population of Mitoyo in 2020 is 61,857 people. Mitoyo has been conducting censuses since 1920.

History

The area of Mitoyo was part of the ancient Sanuki Province and has been inhabited since prehistoric times. A number of

shell mound A midden is an old dump for domestic waste. It may consist of animal bones, human excrement, botanical material, mollusc shells, potsherds, lithics (especially debitage), and other artifacts and ecofacts associated with past human occup ...

s from the

Jōmon period In Japanese history, the is the time between , during which Japan was inhabited by the Jōmon people, a diverse hunter-gatherer and early agriculturalist population united by a common culture, which reached a considerable degree of sedentism an ...

have been identified, and the Minami Kusagi Shell Mound is the largest shell mound in Kagawa Prefecture and the Kotsutajima Shell Midden is the oldest in the Seto Inland Sea region. During the

Edo Period The , also known as the , is the period between 1600 or 1603 and 1868 in the history of Japan, when the country was under the rule of the Tokugawa shogunate and some 300 regional ''daimyo'', or feudal lords. Emerging from the chaos of the Sengok ...

, the city area was divided between the holdings of

Marugame Domain file:Kyōgoku Akiyuki.jpg, 270px, Kyōgoku Akiyuki file:香川県丸亀市丸亀城 - panoramio (45).jpg, 270px, Marugame Castle was a Han (Japan), feudal domain under the Tokugawa shogunate of Edo period Japan, in what is now Kagawa Prefecture ...

and Tadotsu Domain, and direct ''

tenryō The Tokugawa shogunate, also known as the was the military government of Japan during the Edo period from 1603 to 1868. The Tokugawa shogunate was established by Tokugawa Ieyasu after victory at the Battle of Sekigahara, ending the civil war ...

'' holdings of the

Tokugawa shogunate The Tokugawa shogunate, also known as the was the military government of Japan during the Edo period from 1603 to 1868. The Tokugawa shogunate was established by Tokugawa Ieyasu after victory at the Battle of Sekigahara, ending the civil wars ...

. Following the

Meiji restoration The , referred to at the time as the , and also known as the Meiji Renovation, Revolution, Regeneration, Reform, or Renewal, was a political event that restored Imperial House of Japan, imperial rule to Japan in 1868 under Emperor Meiji. Althoug ...

, the area was divided into villages within Mino District, which merged with Toyota District to form Mitoyo District, Kagawa in 1899. The city of Mitoyo was established on January 1, 2006, from the merger of all seven towns of Mitoyo District: Mino, Nio, Saita, Takase, Takuma,

Toyonaka is a city in Osaka Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 399,263 in 179651 households and a population density of 5700 persons per km2. The total area of the city is . It is a suburban city of Osaka City and a part of the ...

and Yamamoto.

Government

Mitoyo 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 22 members. Mitoyo contributes three members to the Kagawa Prefectural Assembly. In terms of national politics, the city is part of Kagawa 3rd 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

The area of Mitoyo was noted for its salt industry in ancient times. In the modern era, efforts have been made to develop harbors and industries in the coastal area, creating a coastal industrial zone centered on Takuma Port. On the other hand, the Shonai Peninsula and offshore islands are focused on flower gardening and tourism. Agriculture remains the largest industry, notably fruits such as grapes, mandarin oranges, and peaches. The city is the largest tea producing area in Kagawa Prefecture. Other crops include lettuce, onions, loquats, and rice. Efforts are being made to integrate agriculture and tourism to promote regional development.

Education

Mitoyo has 19 public elementary schools and six public middle schools operated by the city government, and one private middle school. The city has two public high schools operated by the Kagawa Prefectural Board of Education and one private high school.

Transportation

Railways

Shikoku Railway Company The , commonly known as , is the smallest of the seven constituent companies of the Japan Railways Group (JR Group). It operates of intercity and local rail services in the four prefectures on the island of Shikoku in Japan. The company has it ...

Yosan Line The is the principal railway line on the island of Shikoku in Japan, connecting the major cities of Shikoku, and via the Honshi-Bisan Line, with Honshu. It is operated by the Shikoku Railway Company (JR Shikoku), and is aligned approximately p ...

* () - - - - -

- Dosan Line *

Highways

Takamatsu Expressway * * * *

Sister cities

* Waupaca, Wisconsin, United States, sister city since 1994 * Hapcheon County,

South Gyeongsang South Gyeongsang Province (, ) is a Administrative divisions of South Korea, province in the southeast of South Korea. The provincial capital is at Changwon. It is adjacent to the major metropolitan center and port of Busan. The UNESCO World Heri ...

, South Korea, friendship city since July 13, 2007 * Sanyuan County,

Qingdao Qingdao, Mandarin: , (Qingdao Mandarin: t͡ɕʰiŋ˧˩ tɒ˥) is a prefecture-level city in the eastern Shandong Province of China. Located on China's Yellow Sea coast, Qingdao was long an important fortress. In 1897, the city was ceded to G ...

Shaanxi Shaanxi is a Provinces of China, province in north Northwestern China. It borders the province-level divisions of Inner Mongolia to the north; Shanxi and Henan to the east; Hubei, Chongqing, and Sichuan to the south; and Gansu and Ningxia to t ...

, China, friendship city since January 13, 2009

Local attractions

* Chichibugahama Beach, It is also called the Salar de Uyuni of Japan * Daikō-ji, 69th temple on the Shikoku Pilgrimage * Iyadani-ji, 71st temple on the Shikoku Pilgrimage * Motoyama-ji, 70th temple on the Shikoku Pilgrimage; its Man Hall is a National Treasure. * Shiudeyama Site, National Historic Site * Takaya Shrine, There is a torii gate that is also called the Torii gate of the sky *Tsushima Shrine, located on an offshore island, is only accessible during its

festival A festival is an event celebrated by a community and centering on some characteristic aspect or aspects of that community and its religion or cultures. It is often marked as a local or national holiday, Melā, mela, or Muslim holidays, eid. A ...

one day a year in early August.

Noted people from Mitoyo

Jun Kaname is a Japanese actor and tarento. He was born in Mitoyo, Kagawa and made his drama debut as an actor in 2001 in the Tokusatsu Series " Kamen Rider Agito". He appears not only in TV dramas but also in movies, commercial messages, variety TV progra ...

, actor * Erika Mabuchi, actress *

Kento Momota is a former Japanese badminton player. He has won several major badminton tournaments including becoming a two time World Champion, becoming a two time Asian Champion, and winning one All England title. Momota received a Guinness World Reco ...

, Badminton player

References

External links

*
Nio Dragon Festival in Mitoyo
HK(video) * {{Authority control Cities in Kagawa Prefecture Populated coastal places in Japan