Nishiwaki, Hyōgo

Nishiwaki (西脇市, Nishiwaki-shi) is a city in Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan. It was founded on April 1, 1952.

Nishiwaki

西脇市
City
Flag
Seal
Location of Nishiwaki in Hyōgo Prefecture
Nishiwaki
Location in Japan
Coordinates: 34°59′25″N 134°58′20″E
CountryJapan
RegionKansai
PrefectureHyōgo Prefecture
Government
 • MayorJuichi Kishi (since November 2005)
Area
 • Total132.47 km2 (51.15 sq mi)
Population
 (May 1, 2017)
 • Total41,336
 • Density310/km2 (810/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+09:00 (JST)
City hall addressGonose 605, Nishiwaki City, Hyōgo Prefecture (兵庫県西脇市郷瀬町605)
677-8511
Websitewww.city.nishiwaki.lg.jp
Symbols
FlowerPhlox subulata
TreeCherry blossom

The city calls itself "The Navel of Japan (Nihon no Heso)." Located at the crossing of the 135° East meridian and the 35° North parallel, the city's Nihon no Heso Park marks the center of the nation. JR West operates Nihon Heso Station on the Kakogawa Line (in addition to other stations in Nishiwaki).

As of May 1, 2017, the city had an estimated population of 41,336, with 16,858 households,[1] and a population density of 310 persons per km². The total area is 132.47 km².

On October 1, 2005, the town of Kurodashō (from Taka District) was merged into Nishiwaki.

Mascots

Nisshi (にっしー） was made to promote the city in 2010, and she wears a blue clothes made of "Banshu-Ori", which is a kind of textile and famous in Nisiwaki city.[2]

Sakura (さくら) is Nisshi's sister and wears pink clothes.[3]

Heso-no-Kanchan (へそのかんちゃん) was made to promote a historical drama, Gunshi-Kanbe (軍師官兵衛), which had been broadcast in 2014. "Kanchan" was designed after the model of Kanbe's appearance in his childhood.[4]

Transportation

Railway

Highways

Sister city
Street sign in Renton, WA commemorating its sister city

Nishiwaki has been the sister city of Renton, Washington, U.S.A since 1969.[5] Since then there have been mutual exchanges between the cities, most notably the annual middle school exchange program which began in 1989. (The US delegation was in Japan October 3-13, 1989.) The initial delegation from the US included (future) actress Casey Strand.

References
  1. "Official website of Nishiwaki City" (in Japanese). Japan: Nishiwaki City. Retrieved 13 May 2017.
  2. "Nisshi'ｓ Profile" (PDF). Nishiwaki city. Retrieved 1 June 2017.
  3. "西脇TMOオリジナルゆるキャラ「さくら」が西脇市の住民になりました！". Nishiwaki city. Retrieved 1 June 2017.
  4. "イメージキャラクター「へそのかんちゃん」とロゴマークについて". Nishiwaki city. Retrieved 1 June 2017.
  5. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2016-06-01. Retrieved 2009-12-07.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
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