Shika, Ishikawa

Shika (志賀町, Shika-machi) is a town located in Hakui District, Ishikawa Prefecture, Japan. As of 31 January 2018, the town had an estimated population of 20,845 in 8090 households, and a population density of 84 persons per km2.[1] The total area of the town was 246.76 square kilometres (95.27 sq mi).

"Shika" redirects here. For a character in the manga/anime Naruto, see Shikamaru Nara. For the Egyptian footballer, Mahmoud Abdelrazek, see Shikabala. For the animal that is translated/Romanized as 'shika' in Japanese, see Sika deer.
Shika

志賀町
Town
Shika Town Hall
Flag
Seal
Location of Shika in Ishikawa Prefecture
Shika
 
Coordinates: 37°0′22.3″N 136°46′40.9″E
CountryJapan
RegionChūbu
Hokuriku
PrefectureIshikawa
DistrictHakui
Government
 • -MayorMasaru Koizumi
Area
 • Total246.76 km2 (95.27 sq mi)
Population
 (January 31, 2018)
 • Total20,845
 • Density84/km2 (220/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+9 (Japan Standard Time)
City symbols 
- TreeIlex integra
- FlowerRosa rugosa
Phone number0767-32-1111
Address1-1 Sueyoshi Senko, Shika-machi, Hakui-gun, Ishikawa-ken 925-0198
WebsiteOfficial website
The longest bench in the world at Masuho Beach
A lighthouse in the town

Geography

Shika occupies the southwestern coastline of Noto Peninsula, facing the Sea of Japan on the west. It is one and a half hours from Kanazawa by car. Shika has a humid continental climate (Köppen Cfa) characterized by mild summers and cold winters with heavy snowfall. The average annual temperature in Shika is 13.3 °C. The average annual rainfall is 2405 mm with September as the wettest month. The temperatures are highest on average in August, at around 25.7 °C, and lowest in January, at around 2.5 °C.[2]

Part of the town is within the limits of the Noto Hantō Quasi-National Park.

Neighbouring municipalities

Demographics

Per Japanese census data,[3] the population of Shika has declined over the past 40 years.

Census Year Population
1970 31,323
1980 30,636
1990 28,782
2000 25,396
2010 22,216

History

The area around Shika was part of ancient Noto Province. During the Sengoku Period (1467–1568), the area was contested between the Hatakeyama clan, Uesugi clan and Maeda clan, with the area becoming part of Kaga Domain under the Edo period Tokugawa shogunate. Following the Meiji restoration, the area was organised into Hakui District, Ishikawa, and the village of Shika was established with the creation of the modern municipalities system on April 1, 1889. Shika was raised to town status on February 1, 1936. On September 1, 2005, the former town of Togi was annexed by Shika.

On January 9, 2015 a resident reported a wooden boat to the local police, which was washed up on the shore. Due to Hangul characters on the boat it was suspected to be from North Korea. The police arrested one man on the boat, who claimed he had left North Korea unintended in mid-December 2014 when conducting an inspection of the boat.[4][5]

Economy

Once a centre for the garment manufacturing industry, the local economy is now dominated by the presence of the Shika Nuclear Power Plant operated by Hokuriku Electric Power Company. Commercial fishing and agriculture are also important to the local economy.

Education

Shika has two public elementary schools and two public middle schools operated by the town government, and one public high school operated by the Ishikawa Prefectural Board of Education.

Transportation

Railway
  • The town has no passenger railway service since the closure of the Hokuriku Railway's Noto Line on June 25, 1972.

Highway
National Route 249

Sister city relations

Local attractions
  • Fukura Lighthouse, built in 1867, the oldest wooden lighthouse in Japan
  • Mount Takatsume
  • Noto Kongo coastline

Notes
  1. Official home page
  2. Shika climate data
  3. Shika population statistics
  4. "Police questioning man found on boat suspected to have arrived from North Korea". Mainichi. 2015-01-09. Retrieved 2015-01-12.
  5. "Man whose boat washed ashore in Ishikawa Pref. says he came from North Korea". Mainichi. 2015-01-10. Retrieved 2015-01-12.
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