Hino, Shiga

Hino(Nhật dã đinh,Hino-chō)is atownlocated inGamō District,Shiga Prefecture,Japan.As of 1 September 2021,the town had an estimatedpopulationof 21,149 in 8467 households and apopulation densityof 180 persons per km².The total area of the town is 117.60 square kilometres (45.41 sq mi).

Hino Nhật dã đinh
Town
Hino Town Office
Flag Emblem
Location of Hino in Shiga Prefecture
Hino Location in Japan
Coordinates:35°1′N136°15′E
Country	Japan
Region	Kansai
Prefecture	Shiga Prefecture
District	Gamō
Area
• Total	117.60 km2(45.41 sq mi)
Population (September 1, 2021)
• Total	21,149
• Density	180/km2(470/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+09:00(JST)
City hall address	1-1 Kawara, Hino-cho, Gamou-gun, Shiga-ken 529-1698
Phone number	0748-52-1211
Website	Official website
Symbols
Flower	Rhododendron
Tree	Hinoki

Blumen Hugel

Geography

Hino is located in east-central Shiga Prefecture in a large isolated rural area nestled beside theSuzuka Mountainswith the town's tallest peak being Mt. Watamuki (1110m).

Surrounding municipalities

Shiga Prefecture

• Higashiōmi
• Kōka

Climate

Hino has aHumid subtropical climate(KöppenCfa) characterized by warm summers and cool winters with light to no snowfall. The average annual temperature in Hino is 13.1 °C. The average annual rainfall is 1673 mm with September as the wettest month. The temperatures are highest on average in August, at around 24.9 °C, and lowest in January, at around 1.6 °C.

Demographics

Per Japanese census data,the population of Hino has remained relatively steady over the past 60 years.

Historical population

Year	Pop.	±%
1920	21,601	—
1930	21,931	+1.5%
1940	21,059	−4.0%
1950	26,075	+23.8%
1960	22,992	−11.8%
1970	20,754	−9.7%
1980	21,680	+4.5%
1990	22,391	+3.3%
2000	23,022	+2.8%
2010	22,870	−0.7%
2020	20,964	−8.3%

History

The area of Hino was part of ancientŌmi Province.The name "Hino" appears inHeian perioddocuments in connection with handicraft made from thin strips of wood called "Hinomono", which remain a local speciality. During theMuromachi period,the area was dominated by theGamō clanwho ruled from Hino Castle, and it was also the origin of many traveling merchants, known as "Ōmi shonin". During theEdo period,much of the town was part of the domain ofNisshōji Domain,a 20,000kokuholding under theTokugawa shogunate.With the creation of the modern municipalities system on April 1, 1889, the town of Hino was established. Hino expanded by annexing the neighboring villages of Higashi-Sakuradani, Nishi-Sakuradani, Nishioji, Kaige, Minamihizusa, and Kitahizusa on March 16, 1955.

Government

Hino has amayor-councilform of government with a directly elected mayor and aunicameralcity council of 14 members. Hino, together with the town ofRyūōcontributes one member to the Shiga Prefectural Assembly. In terms of national politics, the town is part of Shiga 4th district of thelower houseof theDiet of Japan.

Economy

Agriculture has dominated the local economy since ancient times. Manufacturing includes a number of pharmaceutical factories, including Hino Pharmaceutical Company.

Education

The old Kaikage Elementary School building.

Hino has six public elementary schools and one public middle school operated by the town government, and one public high school operated by the Shiga Prefectural Board of Education.

Transportation

Rural Hino offers less options for public transportation than most areas in Shiga. The privateOhmi Railwaycompany services the one and only train station in Hino,Hino Station,with trains running on average twice every hour, with slightly more frequency during common commuting times and with less during mid afternoon. However, the station was built roughly 3 km away from the town center. Bicycles can be rented near the station and can be taken on and off the Ohmi Train during certain times. The Ohmi Train offers a "Free Ticket" which allows a rider to get on and off anywhere along the train line for the whole day at one set price on weekends and holidays.

Ohmi Railwayalso runs buses which pick up and drop off at multiple points throughout Hino. The main bus connects Kitabata-guchi, Hino Station, andŌmi-Hachiman Stationas well as many rural points in between. The bus takes about 50 minutes from Hino toŌmihachiman.Smaller inner-town buses also operate, but taking into consideration their infrequency, time and cost when compared to the overall size and points of interest of Hino, it is usually best to either walk, ride a bicycle or scooter, or drive a car if visiting multiple destinations.

Railway

Ohmi Railway–Main Line

• Hino

Highway

• National Route 307
• National Route 477

Sister cities

• Buyeo CountyEunsan,Chungcheongnam-do,South Korea
• Embu,São Paulo,Brazil
• Neustadt an der Aisch,Bavaria,Germany

Local attractions

• Blumen Hugel(ブルーメの khâu,Buruume no Oka)is a German themed agricultural park offering some German import foods such as beer and cheese. There are also opportunities for making foods such as sausage and bread. Animals such as cows and horses can be seen as well as a variety of flowers.
• Dahlia Garden(ダリア viên,Daria-en)is a garden that displays thousands ofDahliaduring summer and autumn and offers strawberry picking around March.
• Grimm Adventure Forest(グリム mạo 険の sâm,Gurimu Boken no Mori)is a themed campground based onGrimm's Fairy Tales.It offers cottage and tent camping. There are many extra activities for children such as baking with a stone oven and dying fabrics.
• Hino Castle Ruins(Nhật dã thành tích,Hino-jo ato)are ruins of a castle that is said to have once been used as a place of refuge forOda Nobunaga.
• Hino Festival(Nhật dã tế,Hino Matsuri)is Hino's largest festival, and one of Shiga's biggest, held on May 2 and 3 every year. Large traditional floats called "hikiyama" are pulled through town. Many people from around Shiga and other prefectures come to watch this historic event.
• The oldKaikage Elementary School(Liêm quải tiểu học giáo,Kaigake Shōgakkō)was decommissioned as a regular school in 2001 and has been used for various film and TV series. This school is a model for Icho Private High School in the 2012 anime seriesLove, Chunibyo & Other Delusionsproduced byKyoto Animation.
• Omi Hino Merchant Museum(Cận giang nhật dã thương nhân quán,Omihino Shoninkan)is a museum dedicated to the history of the Hino Merchants.

Notable people from Hino

• Miki Itō,freestyle skier

External links

• Media related toHino, Shigaat Wikimedia Commons
• Hino official website(in Japanese)
• Hino-cho PHOTOGUIDE.JP
• Blumen Hugel(in Japanese)
• Dahlia Garden(in Japanese)
• Grimm's Adventure Forest(in Japanese)