Himeji

Himeji is a city located in Hyōgo Prefecture in the Kansai region of Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 525,682 in 227,099 households and a population density of 980 persons per km2. The total area of the city is . Himeji is located in the central western part of the Harima Plain in the western part of Hyogo Prefecture, and is the central city of the Harima region of the prefecture. The Ichikawa River is located in the central eastern part of the city, and the Senba River and Noda River are located in the center. The Ieshima Islands in the Seto Inland Sea are within the city limits and are located off the coast of Harima Bay. The city is surrounded by the mountains and the sea. Hyōgo Prefecture Kakogawa Takasago Kasai Tatsuno Shisō Taishi Kamikawa Ichikawa Himeji has a humid subtropical climate (Köppen climate classification Cfa) with hot summers and cool winters. Summers are significantly wetter than winters. The average annual temperature in Himeji is . The average annual rainfall is with July as the wettest month. The temperatures are highest on average in August, at around , and lowest in January, at around . The highest temperature ever recorded in Himeji was on 31 August 2020; the coldest temperature ever recorded was on 24 January 1963. Per Japanese census data, the population of Himeji in 2020 is 530,495 people. Himeji has been conducting censuses since 1920. Himeji has been the center of Harima Province since the Nara period, and was the location of the provincial capital and Harima Kokubun-ji. After the Battle of Sekigahara, Ikeda Terumasa received a fief at Harima Province and established the Himeji Domain. He expanded Himeji Castle and its castle town. Due to its location dominating the San'yōdō highway connecting the Kinai region with western Japan, Himeji was a major stronghold of the Tokugawa shogunate through the Bakumatsu period. Following the Meiji restoration, Himeji was the capital of "Himeji Prefecture" (later Shikama Prefecture) from 1871, which was merged into Hyōgo Prefecture in 1876.