Ninomiya, Kanagawa
Geography. Ninomiya is located on the coast of west-central Kanagawa Prefecture, bordered to the south by Sagami Bay of the Pacific Ocean. In the north, a gentle range of hills called the Oiso Hills extends from east to west. The Kuzugawa River runs through the central part of the town, and the Nakamura River (called the Oshikiri River near the mouth of the river) runs through the western part. Surrounding municipalities. Kanagawa Prefecture Climate. Ninomiya has a Humid subtropical climate (Köppen "Cfa") characterized by warm summers and cool winters with light to no snowfall. The average annual  temperature in Ninomiya is 13.4 °C. The average annual rainfall is 2144 mm with September as the wettest month. The temperatures are highest on average in August, at around 24.2 °C, and lowest in January, at around 2.9 °C. Demographics. Per Japanese census data, the population of Ninomiya has grown relatively steadily until around the year 2000 and is now slightly declining. History. Ninomiya was the location of the second-highest ranked shrine in Sagami Province, Kawawa Shrine, which is mentioned in Heian period records, and claims to have been established by the semi-legendary Emperor Suinin . As a minor coastal settlement, it was under the control of the later Hōjō clan of Odawara during the Sengoku period. In the Edo period, it was nominally part of Odawara Domain. After the Meiji Restoration and with the establishment of the district system in 1878, the area came under the control of . In April 1889, Ninomiya village merged with four neighboring hamlets to form Azuma with the establishment of the modern municipalities system, and on March 26, 1896 Yurugi District became part of modern Naka District. Azuma was elevated to town status on November 3, 1935 and was renamed  Ninomiya. Government. Ninomiya has a mayor-council form of government with a directly elected mayor and a unicameral town council of 14 members. Ninomiya, together with neighboring Ōiso, contributes one member to the Kanagawa Prefectural Assembly. In terms of national politics, the town is part of Kanagawa 15th district of the lower house of the Diet of Japan. Economy. The local economy of Ninomiya is based primarily on agriculture and commercial fishing. The town is also a bedroom community for both Tokyo/Yokohama and Odawara Education. Ninomiya has three public elementary schools and two public middle schools operated by the  town government, and one public high school operated by the Kanagawa Prefectural Board of Education. There is also one private middle school and one private high school. Transportation. Railway. JR East – Tōkaidō Main Line