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 ori ...

located in

Saitama Prefecture is a landlocked prefecture of Japan located in the Kantō region of Honshu. Saitama Prefecture has a population of 7,338,536 (1 January 2020) and has a geographic area of 3,797 km2 (1,466 sq mi). Saitama Prefecture borders Tochigi 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 north ...

. , 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 a ...

of 33,823 in 15,234 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 RosenberPopul ...

of 2100 persons per km². The total area of the town is .

Geography

Miyashiro is located in central-west Saitama Prefecture.

Surrounding municipalities

* Kasukabe * Shiraoka * Kuki * Sugito

Climate

Miyashiro has a

humid subtropical climate A humid subtropical climate is a zone of climate characterized by hot and humid summers, and cool to mild winters. These climates normally lie on the southeast side of all continents (except Antarctica), generally between latitudes 25° and 40° ...

(Köppen ''Cfa'') characterized by warm summers and cool winters with light to no snowfall. The average annual temperature in Miyashiro is 14.5 °C. The average annual rainfall is 1408 mm with September as the wettest month. The temperatures are highest on average in August, at around 26.3 °C, and lowest in January, at around 2.7 °C.

Demographics

Per Japanese census data,Miyashiro population statistics
/ref> the population of Miyashiro has recently plateaued after a long period of growth.

History

The villages of Monma and Suka were created within

Minamisaitama District, Saitama is a district located in Saitama Prefecture, Japan. , the district has an estimated population of 33,405 and a density of 2,090 persons per km2. The total area is 15.95 km2. Towns and villages *Miyashiro District timeline *1871 (first wav ...

with the establishment of the modern municipalities system on April 1, 1889. The two villages were merged on July 20, 1955 to form the town of Miyashiro. Ina was elevated to town status on November 1, 1970. The origin of the town's name comes from the shrines of the largest villages. "Miya" was taken from Himemiya shrine (姫宮神社) in Himemiya village and "shiro" from Konoshiro shrine (身代神社) in Suka village.

Government

Miyashiro 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, which consists of one house or assembly, that legislates and votes as one. Unicameral legislatures exist when there is no widely perceived need for multic ...

town council of 14 members. Miyashiro, together with the city of Shiraoka, contributes one member to the Saitama Prefectural Assembly. In terms of national politics, the town is part of

Saitama 11th district , the House of Representatives of Japan is elected from a combination of multi-member districts and single-member districts, a method called Parallel voting. Currently, 176 members are elected from 11 multi-member districts (called proportional r ...

of the

lower house A lower house is one of two Debate chamber, chambers of a Bicameralism, bicameral legislature, the other chamber being the upper house. Despite its official position "below" the upper house, in many legislatures worldwide, the lower house has co ...

of the

Diet of Japan The is the national legislature of Japan. It is composed of a lower house, called the House of Representatives (, ''Shūgiin''), and an upper house, the House of Councillors (, '' Sangiin''). Both houses are directly elected under a paralle ...

Economy

The economy of Miyashiro is primarily agricultural.

Education

Nippon Institute of Technology is a private university in Miyashiro, Saitama, Japan, established in 1967. History The Nippon Institute of Technology opened in 1907 as "Tokyo Engineering School". It was renamed "Tokyo Advanced Engineering School" in 1935, but was closed in 1 ...

*Miyashiro has four public elementary schools and three public middle schools operated by the city government, and one public high school operated by the Saitama Prefectural Board of Education. The prefecture also operates one special education school for the handicapped.

Transportation

Railway

Tōbu Railway is a Japanese commuter railway and ''keiretsu'' holding company in the Greater Tokyo Area as well as an intercity and regional operator in the Kantō region. Excluding the Japan Railways Group companies, Tobu's rail system is the second long ...

Tōbu Isesaki Line The is a Japanese railway line operated by the private railway company Tobu Railway, extending from Tōbu-Dōbutsu-Kōen Station in Saitama to Isesaki Station in Gunma Prefecture. The Isesaki Line can refer to the entire section between Asaku ...

Tōbu Skytree Line The is a section of the Tobu Isesaki line operated by the private railway company Tobu Railway, extending from Asakusa Station in Tokyo to Tōbu-Dōbutsu-Kōen Station in Saitama Prefecture. Some trains from the line continue to the Tokyo Met ...

* - -

Tōbu Nikkō Line The is a railway line in Japan operated by the private railway company Tobu Railway. It branches from Tōbu Dōbutsu Kōen Station in Miyashiro, Saitama on the Skytree Line, extending north to Tōbu Nikkō Station in Nikkō, Tochigi. Th ...

Highway

Miyashiro is not located on any national highway or expressway.

Local attractions

* , a

zoological Zoology ()The pronunciation of zoology as is usually regarded as nonstandard, though it is not uncommon. is the branch of biology that studies the animal kingdom, including the structure, embryology, evolution, classification, habits, and dis ...

amusement park An amusement park is a park that features various attractions, such as rides and games, as well as other events for entertainment purposes. A theme park is a type of amusement park that bases its structures and attractions around a central ...

complex which is owned by the Tōbu Group.

Noted people from Miyashiro

Mariko Kouda is a Japanese actress, voice actress, J-pop singer and radio personality. She graduated from Kasukabe Kyōei High School and went on to major in Communications at Tamagawa University in Machida City, Tokyo, graduating in 1990. Kouda has had at l ...

, voice actress * Grape-Kun (グレープ君 / Gurēpu-kun), Humboldt penguin (Spheniscus humboldti)

References

External links

Official Website
{{Authority control Towns in Saitama Prefecture Miyashiro, Saitama