Chino, Nagano

Chino
茅野市
Chino City Hall
Chino City Hall
Flag of Chino
Official seal of Chino
Location of Chino in Nagano Prefecture
Location of Chino in Nagano Prefecture
Chino is located in Japan
Chino
Chino
Coordinates: 35°59′43.9″N 138°9′31.7″E / 35.995528°N 138.158806°E / 35.995528; 138.158806
CountryJapan
RegionChūbu (Kōshin'etsu)
PrefectureNagano
Government
 • MayorChiyokazu Yanagidaira (since April 2007)
Area
 • Total
266.59 km2 (102.93 sq mi)
Elevation
800 m (2,600 ft)
Population
 (March 2019)
 • Total
55,673
 • Density210/km2 (540/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+9 (Japan Standard Time)
Symbols 
• TreeSilver birch
• FlowerJapanese gentian
Phone number026-273-1111
Address2-6-1 Tsukahara-cho, Chino-shi, Nagano-ken 391-8501
WebsiteOfficial website
Tateshina Highland from Mt.Kitayokodake

Chino (茅野市, Chino-shi) is a city located in Nagano Prefecture, Japan. As of 1 March 2019, the city had an estimated population of 55,673 in 23,236 households,[1] and a population density of 210 persons per km². The total area of the city is 266.59 square kilometres (102.93 sq mi).

Geography

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Lake Shirakaba

Chino is located in a mountainous area of the east-central Nagano prefecture. Notable mountains within the city limits include Mount Yatsugatake, Mount Tateshina, and Mount Kirigamine. Chino city hall is located at an elevation of 801 meters and is thus the highest city hall location in Japan.[citation needed]

Climate

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The city has a climate characterized by hot and humid summers, and relatively mild winters (Köppen climate classification Cfa). The average annual temperature in Chino is 10.9 °C. The average annual rainfall is 1310  mm with September as the wettest month. The temperatures are highest on average in August, at around 23.6 °C, and lowest in January, at around -1.8 °C.[2] The mountainous portions of the city are considered part of the snow country of Japan, with heavy accumulations of snow in winter.

Surrounding municipalities

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Demographics

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Per Japanese census data,[3] the population of Chino has recently plateaued after a long period of growth.

Historical population
YearPop.±%
1940 32,326—    
1950 38,260+18.4%
1960 35,220−7.9%
1970 36,200+2.8%
1980 43,942+21.4%
1990 50,064+13.9%
2000 54,841+9.5%
2010 56,415+2.9%
2020 56,400−0.0%

History

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The area of present-day Chino was part of ancient Shinano Province and was part of Suwa Domain under the Tokugawa shogunate in the Edo period. The village of Eimei in Suwa District was established by the creation of the municipalities system on April 1, 1889. It was elevated to town status and renamed Chino on May 3, 1948. On February 1, 1955, the town of Chino annexed the neighboring villages of Miyakawa, Kanzawa, Tamagawa, Toyohira, Azumino, Kitayama, Kohigashi, and Yonezawa. Chino was elevated to city status on August 1, 1958.[4]

In 2018, the Chino Municipal Government created a "Bond Diary" program (Yui Nikki, also known as Kōkan Nikki) for citizens over the age of 20. The program romantically matches area residents with non-residents via "old fashioned" means of the written word.[5]

Government

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Chino has a mayor-council form of government with a directly elected mayor and a unicameral city legislature of 18 members.

Economy

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Chino is noted for its production of kanten, a type of agar, and the growing of celery and lettuce. Manufacturing includes precision instruments and electronics. The mountains of the Tateshina Highlands are a popular destination for seasonal tourism.[6]

Education

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Chino has nine public elementary schools and four public middle schools. There is one public high school operated by the Nagano Prefectural Board of Education and one private high school. The Tokyo University of Science, Suwa is also located in Chino.

Transportation

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Railway

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Highway

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Sister city relations

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Partner cities for the Mutual Evacuation Treaty

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Awara, Fukui since 17 August 2014.[14]

Local attractions

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References

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  1. ^ Chino city official statistics Archived 2019-02-23 at the Wayback Machine(in Japanese)
  2. ^ Chino climate data
  3. ^ Chino population statistics
  4. ^ Chino city official history Archived 2018-03-04 at the Wayback Machine (in Japanese)
  5. ^ "In Digital Age, Singles In Japan Returning To Journal Exchanges To Find Love". Japan Times. 4 August 2019. Retrieved 31 August 2019.
  6. ^ Campbell, Allen; Nobel, David S (1993). Japan: An Illustrated Encyclopedia. Kodansha. p. 192. ISBN 4-06-205938-X.
  7. ^ "Shimai toshi - Nagano-ken Chino-shi" [Chino, Nagano - Sister cities]. Asahi City Office (in Japanese). Archived from the original on 6 March 2019. Retrieved 4 March 2019.
  8. ^ "Shimaitoshi Chiba-ken Asahi-shi" [Asahi, Chiba - our sister cities]. Chino City Office (in Japanese). 31 October 2013. Archived from the original on 12 February 2015. Retrieved 12 February 2015.
  9. ^ "The Sister City Program" (PDF). Sōja City Office (in Japanese and English). p. 33. Archived from the original (PDF) on 6 March 2019. Retrieved 4 March 2019.
  10. ^ "Shimai toshi - Okayama-ken Soja-shi" [Soja, Okayama - our sister cities]. Chino City Office (in Japanese). 31 October 2013. Archived from the original on 12 February 2015. Retrieved 12 February 2015.
  11. ^ "Shimai toshi: Nagano-ken Chino-shi" [Chino, Nagano, our sister city]. Introduction to Isehara (in Japanese). Isehara City Office. 2014-09-04. Retrieved 4 March 2019.
  12. ^ "Shimai toshi - Kanagawa-ken Isehara-shi" [Isehara, Kanagawa - our sister cities]. Chino City Office (in Japanese). 31 October 2013. Archived from the original on 12 February 2015. Retrieved 12 February 2015.
  13. ^ "Shimai toshi Amerika gasshukoku Rongumonto-shi (Kororado-shu)" [Longmont, USA (Colorado) - our sister cities]. Chino City Office (in Japanese). 31 October 2013. Archived from the original on 12 February 2015. Retrieved 12 February 2015.
  14. ^ あわら市記者懇談会 (PDF). Awara City (in Japanese). 5 August 2014. Retrieved 4 March 2019.
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