Makinohara

Makinohara

牧之原市
Makinohara 牧之原市
City
	Tea plantations in Makinohara
	Flag Seal
	Location of Makinohara in Shizuoka Prefecture
	Makinohara
	Coordinates: 34°44′N 138°13′E / 34.733°N 138.217°E
Country	Japan
Region	Chūbu (Tōkai)
Prefecture	Shizuoka Prefecture
Government
• Mayor	Shigeki Nishihara
Area
• Total	111.69 km2 (43.12 sq mi)
Population (March 2018)
• Total	44,642
• Density	400/km2 (1,000/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+9 (Japan Standard Time)
- Tree	camellia sinensis
- Flower	hydrangea
Phone number	548-23-0001
Address	447 Shizunami, Makinohara-shi, Shizuoka-ken 421-0495
Website	www.city.makinohara.shizuoka.jp

Makinohara (牧之原市, Makinohara-shi) is a city located in western Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan.

As of March 2018, the city had an estimated population of 44,642 and a population density of 400 persons per km². The total area was 111.69 km².

Geography

Makinohara is located in south-central Shizuoka Prefecture. It is bordered by Suruga Bay on the Pacific Ocean to the east, and rises gradually to the Makinohara Plateau in the west. The area has a temperate maritime climate, characterized by hot, humid summers and mild winters, with the warm Kuroshio Current offshort providing a moderating effect.

Surrounding municipalities

History

The area of present-day Makinohara was part of former Tōtōmi Province. During the Edo period, the town of Sagara was the center of Sagara Domain. In the cadastral reform of the early Meiji period on April 1, 1889, the area Sagara incorporated as a town within Haibara District.

The modern city of Makinohara was established on October 11, 2005, from the merger of the towns of Haibara and Sagara (both from Haibara District).

Economy

The local economy of Makinohara is dominated by the production of green tea, and to a lesser extent by fishing, and manufacturing of automobile components for Suzuki.^[1]

Fuji Dream Airlines has its headquarters in Makinohara.^[2]

Transportation

Shizuoka Airport, which opened in 2009, straddles the border between Makinohara and Shimada. The city has no train connections.

Highway

Tōmei Expressway - Makinohara Interchange
Japan National Route 150
Japan National Route 473

Local attractions

Makinohara is the site of Sagara Oil field, Japan's only oil field on the Pacific coast. Hand-pumping began in 1873, and the following year, Nippon Oil opened the first mechanical pumping operation in the country at Sagara. Operations ceased in 1955, and in 1980 the field was made into the "Yuden no Sato" Park, operated by the Shizuoka Prefectural government.^[3]^[4]