Itō, Shizuoka
Itō
伊東市 | |
---|---|
Blue Rock-thrush | |
Phone number | 0557-36-0111 |
Address | 2-1-1 Ōhara, Ito-shi, Shizuoka-ken 414-8555 |
Website | Official website |
Itō (伊東市, Itō-shi) is a city located on the eastern shore of the Izu Peninsula in Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan. As of 1 August 2023[update], the city had an estimated population of 63,343 [1] and a population density of 510 persons per km². The total area was 124.13 square kilometres (47.93 sq mi).
Geography
Itō is located in eastern Shizuoka Prefecture, on the northeast corner of Izu Peninsula, facing Sagami Bay on the Pacific Ocean. The landscape is hilly, and the heavily indented coastline is scenic. Much of the coastal area of the city is within the Fuji-Hakone-Izu National Park, and due to this, the city is noted for its onsen hot springs with many hotels and resorts. It is located within the Izu-Tobu volcanic zone. Due to its proximity to the Tokyo metropolis and ease of transportation, it has been noted as the most visited national park in all Japan.
Surrounding municipalities
Shizuoka Prefecture
- Atami
- Izu
- Izunokuni
- Higashiizu
Demographics
Per Japanese census data,[2] the population of Itō peaked in around the year 2000.
Year | Pop. | ±% |
---|---|---|
1940 | 33,884 | — |
1950 | 48,533 | +43.2% |
1960 | 54,564 | +12.4% |
1970 | 63,003 | +15.5% |
1980 | 69,638 | +10.5% |
1990 | 71,223 | +2.3% |
2000 | 71,720 | +0.7% |
2023 | 63,343 | −11.7% |
Climate
The city has a climate characterized by hot and humid summers, and relatively mild winters (Köppen climate classification Cfa). The average annual temperature in Itō is 14.8 °C. The average annual rainfall is 2200 mm with September as the wettest month. The temperatures are highest on average in August, at around 25.1 °C, and lowest in January, at around 5.3 °C.[3]
History
During the
On January 1, 1906 the village of Itō was elevated to town status. The
Government
Itō has a
Economy
Itō is one of the well known hot spring resort towns near the greater Tokyo metropolis, one of the best three in all of Japan, thus tourism is the mainstay of the economy. Commercial fishing and the production of stockfish form a secondary economy. Itō has a fishing commercial harbour as well as the popular Michi no Eki Itō Marine Town rest area with a yacht harbour, along the coast along Road 135.
Education
Itō has ten public elementary schools and five public middle schools operated by the city government and two public high schools operated by the Shizuoka Prefectural Board of Education. In addition, the prefecture also operates one special education school for the disabled.
Transportation
Railway
- East Japan Railway Company - Itō Line
- Izukyu Corporation - Izu Kyūkō Line
- Itō - Minami-Itō - Kawana - Futo - Jōgasaki-Kaigan - Izu-Kōgen
Highways
Sister city relations
- Nagano prefecture, Japan, from May 20, 1965
- - Medway, United Kingdom,[4] from August 10, 1982
- - Rieti, Italy,[4] from July 21, 1985
- - Ismayilli, Azerbaijan, from 2013
Local attractions
- Itō Onsen
- Usami Onsen
- Akazawa Onsen
- Jōgasaki Coast
- Mount Ōmuro
Notable people from Itō
- Mokutaro Kinoshita - author
- Ultra Series (Originally from Sukagawa, Fukushima, resided in Itō until his death)
- professional boxer
- World Championshiptitles during his career
Itō in media
- Itō is featured extensively in the manga Amanchu! by Kozue Amano.
- Itō is where takes place the aquatic battle between unit Eva-02 and one enemy angel in the anime Neon Genesis Evangelion, under the sea level in the story.
- In the manga Inuyasha, the protagonist Kagome Higurashi's home is based on the real Higurashi Shrine located in Itō.
References
- ^ Itō City official statistics (in Japanese)
- ^ Itō population statistics
- ^ Itō climate data
- ^ a b "International Exchange". List of Affiliation Partners within Prefectures. Council of Local Authorities for International Relations (CLAIR). Archived from the original on 13 January 2016. Retrieved 21 November 2015.
External links
Media related to Itō, Shizuoka at Wikimedia Commons
- Official website (in Japanese)
- Itō City official website (in English)