Miura, Kanagawa

Miura 三浦市
City
Miura City Hall
Japanese black pine

Miura (三浦市, Miura-shi) is a city located in Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan.

As of April 1, 2017, the city had an estimated population of 44,132, with 17,473 households,^[1] and a population density of 1,400/km² (3,600/sq mi). The total area is 32.05 km² (12.37 sq mi).

History

The area of modern Miura has been inhabited since prehistoric times. Archaeologists have uncovered numerous remains from the

After the Meiji Restoration, the town of Misaki within Miura District, Kanagawa was created on April 1, 1889. The town was electrified in 1913, but did not have running water until 1934.

The area was badly shaken during the

Miura came to some infamy in 2001 after the dismembered body of Lucie Blackman was found in a seaside cave a few hundred meters from the apartment of serial rapist, Joji Obara.^[2]

Miura has been the arrival point of several trans-Pacific sailboat races, such as the 1969 San Francisco-Tokyo

Geography

Miura is located on the very southern end of Miura Peninsula in southeast Kanagawa Prefecture, surrounded on three sides by the Pacific Ocean, with Sagami Bay to the west. To the south of the urban area and port is the island of Jōgashima, connected to the city by a bridge. It is a popular destination for weekend tourism. The Jōgashima Lighthouse was built by the French engineer Léonce Verny at the end of the 19th century.

Surrounding municipalities

• Kanagawa Prefecture
  • Yokosuka

Climate

Demographics

Per Japanese census data,^[5][6] the population of Miura peaked in the 1990s and has declined since.

Economy

The economy of the city is dominated by commercial fishing, centered on the harbor of Misaki, Japan's 18th most important fishing harbor, and the 2nd for its catch of tuna, which the local mascot of Miura Tunanosuke is named and designed after.^[7] Misaki is an important fishing harbor, mainly specializing in the processing of tuna. The harbor also has a quay which can accommodate sailboats from neighboring marinas.

Agriculture remains important to the local economy, especially watermelon and daikon.

Transportation

Railway

• Keikyū Kurihama Line
  • Miurakaigan – Misakiguchi

Highway

• Japan National Route 134

Education

Miura is home to Misaki Fisheries High School, a specialist fishery high school. The school trains students in one of four commercial fisheries skills: radio communications, engineering, food processing, and ocean fishing. The school maintains two fishing vessels, one of which is the ocean-going tuna fishing ship Shōnan Maru, launched in 2005. The Shōnan Maru is a frequent visitor to the

Local events

Miura is well known for the Miura Marathon which is normally held in the first week of March. The race consists of three events: 5 kilometer, 10 kilometer, and a half marathon.

Sister city relations

• Suzaka, Nagano, Japan
• Warrnambool, Victoria
  , Australia.

Notes

References

• Info about Kitesurfing on the beach

External links

• Media related to Miura, Kanagawa at Wikimedia Commons
• Official Website (in Japanese)
• Geographic data related to Miura, Kanagawa at OpenStreetMap