Nishinomiya facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Nishinomiya 西宮市
Core city
From top left: Hanshin Koshien Stadium, Nishinomiya Shrine, Tōkō-ji, Shukugawa Park, and Hankyu Nishinomiya Gardens
Flag Chapter
Nishinomiya Location in Japan
Country	Japan
Region	Kansai
Prefecture	Hyōgo
Area
• Total	99.96 km2 (38.59 sq mi)
Population  (May 1, 2021)
• Total	484,368
• Density	4,845.62/km2 (12,550.1/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+09:00 (JST)
City hall address	10-3 Rokutanji-chō, Nishinomiya-shi, Hyōgo-ken 662-8567
Symbols Flower Sakura Tree Camphor laurel

Nishinomiya City Hall

Aerial view of Nishinomiya city center in 1985

Hirota Shrine

Nishinomiya (西宮市, Nishinomiya-shi) is a city in Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan. It's a busy city with lots of trade and shipping. As of November 2022, about 484,368 people live here. Nishinomiya is the third largest city in Hyōgo Prefecture by population.

The city is famous for Koshien Stadium. This is where the Hanshin Tigers baseball team plays. It's also where Japan's big annual high school baseball championship happens.

Geography and Climate

Nishinomiya is in the southeast part of Hyōgo Prefecture. It sits between the big cities of Kobe and Osaka. To the south, it touches Osaka Bay. To the east, it's next to the Amagasaki, Itami, and Takarazuka cities. The Rokkō Mountains are to the north.

The city has two main parts: mountains in the north and a flat area near the coast in the south. In the middle is Mount Kabuto, which is 309 meters tall and a famous landmark.

Nearby Cities

Nishinomiya shares borders with these cities in Hyōgo Prefecture:

• Kita-ku, Kobe
• Amagasaki
• Itami
• Takarazuka
• Ashiya

Weather in Nishinomiya

Nishinomiya has a Humid subtropical climate. This means it has warm summers and cool winters. Sometimes there is light snowfall. The average temperature each year is about 14.6 °C (58.3 °F). August is usually the warmest month, around 26.4 °C (79.5 °F). January is the coolest, around 3.3 °C (37.9 °F). The city gets about 1578 mm (62 inches) of rain each year, with September being the rainiest month.

Population Growth

The number of people living in Nishinomiya grew very fast in the 1950s and 1960s. Since then, it has continued to grow, but at a slower speed.

History of Nishinomiya

The area where Nishinomiya is located has been lived in for a very long time. People lived here even during the ancient Yayoi period. Many old kofun (burial mounds) have been found in the city.

The Hirota Shrine was built during the Asuka period. A market town grew around its west gate. This town was called "Nishi no miya," which means "the West Shrine." This is how the city got its name.

From the Muromachi period, Nishinomiya became famous for making sake, a traditional Japanese drink. The modern city of Nishinomiya was officially created on April 1, 1889.

The Kōshien Stadium opened on April 1, 1924. Nishinomiya officially became a city on April 1, 1925. The city grew bigger over time by adding nearby towns and villages. On January 17, 1995, a big earthquake called the Great Hanshin earthquake caused a lot of damage in Nishinomiya.

Economy and Business

Nishinomiya is an important industrial area. A big part of its economy comes from making food and drinks, especially sake. The city is also part of the Hanshin industrial zone.

• Furuno is a global company based in Nishinomiya. They make electronic products like marine electronics and medical equipment.

Farming in the City

Most of the farmland in Nishinomiya is now in urban areas. This makes farming difficult. However, people are working to make farming profitable. They grow special vegetables for the big markets in Osaka and Kobe. Farmers also use greenhouses and new methods to grow safe products.

Living in Nishinomiya

Nishinomiya is a popular place to live because it's between Kobe and Osaka. There are many fancy neighborhoods, especially near the city of Ashiya. You can also find large shopping malls here, like Lalaport Koshien and Hankyu Nishinomiya Gardens.

Education

Nishinomiya has many schools and colleges.

Universities and Colleges

• Konan University Nishinomiya Campus "Konan Cube"
• Kwansei Gakuin University
• Otemae University
• Kobe College (a women's university)
• Seiwa College and Junior College
• Hyogo College Of Medicine
• Mukogawa Women's University and Junior College
• Shukugawa Gakuin Junior College
• Koshien Junior College

Schools for Kids and Teens

The city government runs 40 public elementary schools and 19 public middle schools. The Hyōgo Prefectural Board of Education runs nine public high schools. One of these, Nishinomiya Kita High, is famous as the setting for parts of the anime series The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya. There are also private schools in the city.

Getting Around Nishinomiya

Nishinomiya has a good transportation system, including trains and highways.

Train Lines

JR West - Kobe Line

• Kōshienguchi - Nishinomiya - Sakura Shukugawa

JR West - Fukuchiyama Line

• Namaze - Nishinomiyanajio - Takedao

Hankyu - Hankyu Kobe Main Line

• Nishinomiya-Kitaguchi - Shukugawa

Hankyu - Hankyu Imazu Line

• Kōtōen - Mondo-Yakujin - Nishinomiya-Kitaguchi - Hanshin-Kokudō - Imazu

Hankyu - Hankyu Kōyō Line

• Shukugawa - Kurakuenguchi - Kōyōen

Hanshin Electric Railway - Hanshin Main Line

• Naruo - Mukogawajoshidai-Mae - Kōshien - Kusugawa - Imazu - Nishinomiya - Kōroen

Hanshin Electric Railway - Hanshin Mukogawa Line

• Mukogawa - Higashi-Naruo - Suzaki - Mukogawadanchimae

Major Highways

• Meishin Expressway
• Chūgoku Expressway
• Hanshin Expressway Route 7 Kita-kobe Line
• National Route 2
• National Route 43
• National Route 171
• National Route 176

International Connections

Nishinomiya has special relationships with cities around the world. These are called sister cities or friendship cities.

Sister cities

• Spokane, Washington, United States (since September 1961)

Friendship cities

• Londrina, Paraná, Brazil (since May 1977)
• Shaoxing, Zhejiang, China (since July 1985)
• District of Lot-et-Garonne and Agen, Nouvelle-Aquitaine, France (since April 1992)
• Burlington, Vermont, United States
• Amami, Kagoshima Prefecture, Japan (since October 1981)
• Yusuhara,Kōchi Prefecture, Japan (since March 1991)

Fun Places to Visit

Koshien Stadium

• Hirota Shrine – This shrine is so old that aristocrats in Kyoto called it "Nishi no miya" (the West Shrine). That's how the city got its name!
• Hyogo Performing Arts Center – A great place to see shows and performances.
• Kannō-ji – A peaceful temple.
• Koshikiiwa Shrine – Another interesting shrine.
• Nishinomiya Shrine – A very important shrine in the city.
• Mondo-yakujin (Tōkō-ji) – A temple known for helping people avoid bad luck.
• Kitayama Botanical Garden – A beautiful garden with many plants.
• Mount Kabuto – You can hike up this mountain for great views.
• Arima Onsen – A famous hot spring town nearby, easy to reach by bus from Nishinomiya.

Famous People from Nishinomiya

Many talented people come from Nishinomiya!

• Mana Ashida – A popular teen actress.
• Aimyon – A well-known singer-songwriter.
• Ryusei Onishi – A member of the boy band Naniwa Danshi.
• Nagaru Tanigawa – The author of the famous light novel series Haruhi Suzumiya.
• Yuichiro Nagashima – A professional kickboxer.
• Ryūsui Seiryōin – A novelist.
• Kaoru Betto – A baseball player.
• Hiro Matsushita – A businessman and former race car driver.
• Hōsei Yamasaki – A comedian.
• Eizo Sakamoto – A heavy metal musician.
• Kaoru – The lead guitarist of the band Dir En Grey.
• Yuya Matsushita – A singer and actor.
• Mina – A singer in the popular K-pop girl group TWICE.
• Akira Tozawa – A professional wrestler.
• Rika Kihira – A figure skater.
• Daisuke Inoue – The inventor of the karaoke machine!
• Daisuke Shima – An actor and singer.
• Shizuka Miyaji – A female cricketer.

Images for kids

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  Nishinomiya cityscape

See also

In Spanish: Nishinomiya para niños