Toba (鳥羽市, Toba-shi) is a city located in Mie Prefecture, Japan. As of 31 July 2021[update], the city had an estimated population of 17,741 in 8328 households and a population density of 170 persons per km2.[1] The total area of the city is 107.34 square kilometres (41.44 sq mi).
Toba
鳥羽市 | |
|---|---|
 Overview of Toba | |
 Flag  Emblem | |
 | |
 Location of Toba in Mie Prefecture | |
  Toba | |
| Coordinates: 34°28′52.8″N 136°50′36.3″E / 34.481333°N 136.843417°E | |
| Country | Japan |
| Region | Kansai |
| Prefecture | Mie |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | Kin'ichirō Nakamura |
| Area | |
| • Total | 107.34 km2 (41.44 sq mi) |
| Population (July 2021) | |
| • Total | 17,741 |
| • Density | 170/km2 (430/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC+9 (Japan Standard Time) |
| Phone number | 0599-25-1112 |
| Address | 3-1-1 Toba, Toba-shi, Mie-ken 517-0011 |
| Climate | Cfa |
| Website | Official website |
| Symbols | |
| Bird | Common gull |
| Flower | Dianthus |
| Tree | Tachibana |
Geography
editToba is located on the northeastern tip of Shima Peninsula in far eastern Mie Prefecture, facing Ise Bay of the Pacific Ocean to the north and east. The area is famous for oysters and for cultured pearls. The entire city area is within the borders of the Ise-Shima National Park.
Toba administers numerous islands in the Ise Bay, the most important of which are:
Neighboring municipalities
editMie Prefecture
Climate
editToba has a Humid subtropical climate (Köppen Cfa) characterized by warm summers and cool winters with light to no snowfall. The average annual temperature in Toba is 15.6 °C (60.1 °F). The average annual rainfall is 2,428.5 mm (95.61 in) with September as the wettest month. The temperatures are highest on average in August, at around 26.9 °C (80.4 °F), and lowest in January, at around 5.2 °C (41.4 °F).[2]
| Climate data for Toba (1991−2020 normals, extremes 1977−present) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 18.2 (64.8) |
21.4 (70.5) |
24.1 (75.4) |
28.7 (83.7) |
32.6 (90.7) |
35.2 (95.4) |
37.0 (98.6) |
38.3 (100.9) |
36.6 (97.9) |
30.4 (86.7) |
25.6 (78.1) |
24.5 (76.1) |
38.3 (100.9) |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 8.9 (48.0) |
9.5 (49.1) |
13.2 (55.8) |
18.6 (65.5) |
23.0 (73.4) |
25.9 (78.6) |
30.0 (86.0) |
31.2 (88.2) |
27.4 (81.3) |
21.9 (71.4) |
16.5 (61.7) |
11.4 (52.5) |
19.8 (67.6) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | 5.2 (41.4) |
5.5 (41.9) |
8.6 (47.5) |
13.7 (56.7) |
18.2 (64.8) |
21.7 (71.1) |
25.8 (78.4) |
26.9 (80.4) |
23.5 (74.3) |
18.1 (64.6) |
12.6 (54.7) |
7.6 (45.7) |
15.6 (60.1) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 1.6 (34.9) |
1.7 (35.1) |
4.3 (39.7) |
9.0 (48.2) |
13.7 (56.7) |
18.2 (64.8) |
22.5 (72.5) |
23.5 (74.3) |
20.3 (68.5) |
14.6 (58.3) |
8.7 (47.7) |
3.7 (38.7) |
11.8 (53.3) |
| Record low °C (°F) | −5.2 (22.6) |
−4.9 (23.2) |
−2.9 (26.8) |
−0.2 (31.6) |
5.5 (41.9) |
11.4 (52.5) |
15.6 (60.1) |
17.4 (63.3) |
12.4 (54.3) |
5.8 (42.4) |
−0.5 (31.1) |
−3.4 (25.9) |
−5.2 (22.6) |
| Average precipitation mm (inches) | 82.4 (3.24) |
90.2 (3.55) |
174.3 (6.86) |
212.2 (8.35) |
256.3 (10.09) |
264.3 (10.41) |
204.6 (8.06) |
187.0 (7.36) |
399.0 (15.71) |
330.1 (13.00) |
141.9 (5.59) |
86.4 (3.40) |
2,428.5 (95.61) |
| Average precipitation days (≥ 1.0 mm) | 5.6 | 6.2 | 9.9 | 10.0 | 10.9 | 13.1 | 11.6 | 8.9 | 12.6 | 11.1 | 6.9 | 5.9 | 112.7 |
| Mean monthly sunshine hours | 180.6 | 167.6 | 191.4 | 194.9 | 199.4 | 148.9 | 182.9 | 215.6 | 152.1 | 158.3 | 160.2 | 176.9 | 2,128.7 |
| Source: Japan Meteorological Agency[3][2] | |||||||||||||
Demographics
editPer Japanese census data,[4] the population of Toba has decreased rapidly over the past 30 years.
| Year | Pop. | ±% |
|---|---|---|
| 1920 | 24,640 | — |
| 1930 | 23,632 | −4.1% |
| 1940 | 24,488 | +3.6% |
| 1950 | 30,222 | +23.4% |
| 1960 | 30,521 | +1.0% |
| 1970 | 29,462 | −3.5% |
| 1980 | 28,812 | −2.2% |
| 1990 | 27,320 | −5.2% |
| 2000 | 24,945 | −8.7% |
| 2010 | 21,413 | −14.2% |
History
editThe area of modern Toba has been continuously inhabited since before the Jōmon period. During the Sengoku period, the area was under the control of pirates, from whom emerged Kuki Yoshitaka (from Nakiri district) as a dominant ruler. After having dominated the local seacoasts, he established Toba as his capital and built a castle there. Under the Tokugawa shogunate, the castle became the center for Toba Domain. In the Edo period, Toba flourished in trade and as a transshipment port between Osaka and Edo.
The town of Toba was created with the establishment of the modern municipalities system on April 1, 1889. Toba was raised to city status on November 1, 1954, by merging with seven neighboring villages in Shima District.
Government
editToba has a mayor-council form of government with a directly elected mayor and a unicameral city council of 14 members. Toba contributes one member to the Mie Prefectural Assembly. In terms of national politics, the city is part of Mie 4th district of the lower house of the Diet of Japan.
Economy
editCommercial fishing, including cultivated pearls, and tourism play important roles in the local economy.
Education
editToba has nine public elementary schools and five public middle schools operated by the city government and one public high school operated by the Mie Prefectural Department of Education. The Toba National College of Maritime Technology, one of the five maritime technology colleges in Japan which offers merchant marine programs such as Deck officer, Marine Engineering and other advanced programs related to maritime education.[5] is located in Toba, as is the Sugashima Marine Biological Laboratory - Graduate School of Science, Nagoya University.
Culture
editToba city hosts the highest number of ama divers in Japan. "Toba and Shima, cities where you can meet ama divers" has been defined as the 73rd stories of Japanese heritage. [6]
Transportation
editRailway
editHighway
editFerry
editLocal attractions
editSister city relations
editSanta Barbara, California, United States, since 1966[7]
Sanda, Hyōgo, friendship city since July 1, 1971
Notable people from Toba
edit- Mitsuru Hattori, Manga artist
- Tsunekazu Ishihara, President of The Pokémon Company
- Mikimoto Kōkichi, Entrepreneur and businessman
External links
editToba travel guide from Wikivoyage
Geographic data related to Toba, Mie at OpenStreetMap
- Official city website(in Japanese)
- Toba tourism association official website (in Japanese)
- A Day Tripper's Guide to Ise and Toba Japanzine by Zack Davisson
References
edit- ^ "Toba city official statistics" (in Japanese). Japan.
- ^ a b 気象庁 / 平年値（年・月ごとの値）. JMA. Retrieved April 11, 2022.
- ^ 観測史上1～10位の値（年間を通じての値）. JMA. Retrieved April 11, 2022.
- ^ Toba population statistics
- ^ Marine Programs in Toba
- ^ Japan Heritage Portal Site 73th story
- ^ "City of Toba". Sister Cities International.