| Chino | |
| Native Name Lang: | ja |
| Settlement Type: | City |
| Pushpin Map: | Japan |
| Coordinates: | 35.9955°N 138.1588°W |
| Subdivision Type: | Country |
| Subdivision Name: | Japan |
| Subdivision Type1: | Region |
| Subdivision Name1: | Chūbu (Kōshin'etsu) |
| Subdivision Type2: | Prefecture |
| Subdivision Name2: | Nagano |
| Leader Title: | Mayor |
| Leader Name: | Chiyokazu Yanagidaira (since April 2007) |
| Area Total Km2: | 266.59 |
| Elevation M: | 800 |
| Population Total: | 55673 |
| Population As Of: | March 2019 |
| Population Density Km2: | auto |
| Timezone1: | Japan Standard Time |
| Utc Offset1: | +9 |
| Blank Name Sec1: | Symbols |
| Blank Info Sec1: | |
| Blank1 Name Sec1: | • Tree |
| Blank1 Info Sec1: | Silver birch |
| Blank2 Name Sec1: | • Flower |
| Blank2 Info Sec1: | Japanese gentian |
| Blank3 Name Sec1: | • Bird |
| Blank Name Sec2: | Phone number |
| Blank Info Sec2: | 026-273-1111 |
| Blank1 Name Sec2: | Address |
| Blank1 Info Sec2: | 2-6-1 Tsukahara-cho, Chino-shi, Nagano-ken 391-8501 |
is a city located in Nagano Prefecture, Japan., the city had an estimated population of 55,673 in 23,236 households,[1] and a population density of 210 persons per km². The total area of the city is 266.59sqkm.
Chino is located in a mountainous area of the east-central Nagano prefecture. Notable mountains within the city limits include Mount Yatsugatake, Mount Tateshina, and Mount Kirigamine. Chino city hall is located at an elevation of 801 meters and is thus the highest city hall location in Japan.
The city has a climate characterized by hot and humid summers, and relatively mild winters (Köppen climate classification Cfa). The average annual temperature in Chino is 10.9 °C. The average annual rainfall is 1310 mm with September as the wettest month. The temperatures are highest on average in August, at around 23.6 °C, and lowest in January, at around -1.8 °C.[2] The mountainous portions of the city are considered part of the snow country of Japan, with heavy accumulations of snow in winter.
Per Japanese census data,[3] the population of Chino has recently plateaued after a long period of growth.
The area of present-day Chino was part of ancient Shinano Province and was part of Suwa Domain under the Tokugawa shogunate in the Edo period. The village of Eimei in Suwa District was established by the creation of the municipalities system on April 1, 1889. It was elevated to town status and renamed Chino on May 3, 1948. On February 1, 1955, the town of Chino annexed the neighboring villages of Miyakawa, Kanzawa, Tamagawa, Toyohira, Azumino, Kitayama, Kohigashi, and Yonezawa. Chino was elevated to city status on August 1, 1958.[4]
In 2018, the Chino Municipal Government created a "Bond Diary" program (Yui Nikki, also known as Kōkan Nikki) for citizens over the age of 20. The program romantically matches area residents with non-residents via "old fashioned" means of the written word.[5]
Chino has a mayor-council form of government with a directly elected mayor and a unicameral city legislature of 18 members.
Chino is noted for its production of kanten, a type of agar, and the growing of celery and lettuce. Manufacturing includes precision instruments and electronics. The mountains of the Tateshina Highlands are a popular destination for seasonal tourism.[6]
Chino has nine public elementary schools and four public middle schools. There is one public high school operated by the Nagano Prefectural Board of Education and one private high school. The Tokyo University of Science, Suwa is also located in Chino.
- Asahi, Chiba since 3 December 1974, updated on 29 October 2015 due to Asahi's amalgament of neighboring townships.[7] [8] - Sōja, Okayama since 26 January 1984.[9] [10] - Isehara, Kanagawa since 21 January 1986.[11] [12]
- Longmont, Colorado, USA since 25 May 1990.[13]Awara, Fukui since 17 August 2014.[14]