is a

village A village is a human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet but smaller than a town with a population typically ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand. Although villages are often located in rural areas, the term urban v ...

located in Maniwa District,

Okayama Prefecture is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located in the Chūgoku region of Honshu. Okayama Prefecture has a population of 1,826,059 (1 February 2025) and has a geographic area of 7,114 Square kilometre, km2 (2,746 sq mi). Okayama Prefecture ...

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 village had an estimated

population Population is a set of humans or other organisms in a given region or area. Governments conduct a census to quantify the resident population size within a given jurisdiction. The term is also applied to non-human animals, microorganisms, and pl ...

of 847 in 378 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 13 persons per km². The total area of the village is . It is a member of

The Most Beautiful Villages in Japan is a Japanese nonprofit organization of listing some of the most beautiful villages and towns in Japan. The association is active on enhancement and protection of Japanese rural heritage, cultural fairs, and branding and promotion of regional, ...

Association.

Geography

Shinjō is located in the north central part of Okayama Prefecture, separated from

Tottori Prefecture is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located in the Chūgoku region of Honshu. Tottori Prefecture is the List of Japanese prefectures by population, least populous prefecture of Japan at 538,525 (2023) and has a geographic area of . ...

to the north by the Chugoku Mountains. Mountains and forests occupy most of the village area].

Neighboring municipalities

Okayama Prefecture * Maniwa, Okayama, Maniwa * Niimi Tottori Prefecture * Hino *

Kōfu is the capital Cities of Japan, city of Yamanashi Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 187,985 in 90,924 households, and a population density of 880 persons per km2. The total area of the city is . Overview Toponymy Kōfu ...

Climate

Shinjō 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 ''Cfa'') characterized by warm summers and cold winters with heavy snowfall. The average annual temperature in Shinjō is 11.4 °C. The average annual rainfall is 1883 mm with September as the wettest month. The temperatures are highest on average in January, at around 23.3 °C, and lowest in January, at around -0.5 °C.

Demography

Per Japanese census data,population statistics
/ref> the population of Shinjō has been as follows. The population has been steadily declining since the 1950s

History

Shinjō is part of ancient

Mimasaka Province was a Provinces of Japan, province of Japan in the area that is northern Okayama Prefecture in the Chūgoku region of western Japan. Mimasaka bordered Bitchū Province, Bitchū, Bizen Province, Bizen, Harima Province, Harima, Hōki Province, Hō ...

. After 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 organized into Shinjō village with the creation of the modern municipalities system on June 1, 1889.

Government

Shinjō 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 ...

village council eight members. Shinjō, collectively with the city of Maniwa, contributes one member to the Okayama Prefectural Assembly. In terms of national politics, the village is part of the Okayama 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 main economic activity in the area is forestry and agriculture. Shinjō grows a variety of rice called ''hime no mochi''. This rice is used to make the

mochi A mochi ( ; Japanese ) is a Japanese rice cake made of , a short-grain Japonica rice, japonica glutinous rice, and sometimes other ingredients such as water, sugar, and cornstarch. The steamed rice is pounded into paste and molded into the ...

rice cakes for which this town is also known. The hime no mochi factory is a major employer in Shinjō.

Education

Shinjō has one public elementary school and one public junior high school operated by the village government. The village does not have a high school.

Transportation

Railway

The village does not have any passenger railway service. The nearest train station is Neu Station on then

JR West , 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, ...

Hakubi Line in

Hino, Tottori is a List of towns in Japan, town located in Hino District, Tottori, Hino District, Tottori Prefecture, Japan., the town had an estimated population of 2,591 in 1,223 households and a population density of 19 persons per km². The total area of t ...

or Chūgoku-Katsuyama Station on the

Kishin Line is a railway line operated by West Japan Railway Company (JR West) between Himeji, Hyōgo and Niimi, Okayama, Japan. The name of the line comes from the first kanji of Himeji () and Niimi () which the line connects. Stations *S: Trains stop *s: ...

in Maniwa, Okayama.

Highways

Local attractions

This village is known for the cherry trees along its main street, which is called . These trees were planted to celebrate the Japanese victory over Russia in the

Russo-Japanese War The Russo-Japanese War (8 February 1904 – 5 September 1905) was fought between the Russian Empire and the Empire of Japan over rival imperial ambitions in Manchuria and the Korean Empire. The major land battles of the war were fought on the ...

in 1905. There are many old buildings along Victory Cherry Blossom Street. Many of these buildings used to be in that were built to accommodate the '' sankin kōtai'' mandatory processions of ''daimyō'' from their domains to the capital and back.

References

External links

*
Shinjō official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Shinjo, Okayama Villages in Okayama Prefecture