Toride, Ibaraki
Geography. Located in southern Ibaraki Prefecture, Toride is bordered by Chiba Prefecture to the south. The Tone River passes along the southern border of Toride, which also marks the Ibaraki/Chiba border. The city is located in the Kanto Plain and was often subject to flooding. It is approximately 40 kilometers from central Tokyo. Surrounding municipalities. Ibaraki Prefecture Chiba Prefecture Climate. Toride has a Humid continental climate (Köppen "Cfa") characterized by warm summers and cool winters with light snowfall. The average annual temperature in Toride is 14.4 °C. The average annual rainfall is 1320 mm with September  as the wettest month. The temperatures are highest on average in August, at around 24.6 °C, and lowest in January, at around 3.6 °C. Demographics. Per Japanese census data, the population of Toride has remained relatively steady over the past 30 years. History. Toride developed in the Edo period as a post town on the Mito Kaidō highway connecting Edo with Mito and as a nexus for water-borne traffic on the Tone River; however, the name is thought to derive from an ancient fort constructed by Taira no Masakado in the Heian period. The area was part  of ancient Shimōsa Province, but was transferred to the newly created Ibaraki prefecture after the Meiji restoration. Toride town was created with the establishment of the modern municipalities system on April 1, 1889. It was elevated to city status on October 1, 1970. On March 28, 2005, the neighboring town of Fujishiro (from Kitasōma District) was merged into Toride, nearly doubling its size. Government. Toride has a mayor-council form of government with a directly elected mayor and a unicameral city council of 24 members. Toride contributes two members to the Ibaraki Prefectural Assembly. In terms of national politics, the  city is part of Ibaraki 3rd district of the lower house of the Diet of Japan. Economy. Due to its proximity to Tokyo, Toride is increasingly a bedroom community for the Tokyo metropolis. Rice, sake, pickles and leeks dominate local agriculture. Education. Toride has 14 public elementary schools and six public middle schools operated by the city government, and five public high schools operated by the Ibaraki Prefectural Board of Education. In addition, there are one private elementary school, two private middle schools and two private high schools. The Tokyo University of the Arts maintains a campus at Toride. Transportation . Railway. JR East – Jōban Line Kantō Railway - Jōsō Line