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 Currentoff shore providing a moderating effect.
Per Japanese census data, the population of Makinohara has been relatively steady over the past 50 years.
Climate
The city has a climate characterized by hot and humid summers, and relatively mild winters. The average annual temperature in Makinohara is 15.9 °C. The average annual rainfall is 2083 mm with September as the wettest month. The temperatures are highest on average in August, at around 26.8 °C, and lowest in January, at around 6.0 °C.
History
The area of present-day Makinohara was part of former Tōtōmi Province. During the Edo period, the town of Sagara was the castle town of Sagara Domain. With the establishment of the modern municipalities system in the early Meiji period on April 1, 1889, Sagara was incorporated as a town within Haibara District. The city of Makinohara was established on October 11, 2005, from the merger of the towns of Haibara and Sagara.
The local economy of Makinohara is dominated by the production of green tea, and to a lesser extent by commercial fishing, and manufacturing of automobile components for Suzuki Motors. Fuji Dream Airlines has its headquarters in Makinohara.
Education
Makinohara has seven public elementary schools operated by the city government and one shared between Makinohara and Kikugawa, and three shared between Makinohara and Omaezaki. The city likewise operates two public junior high schools and shares operated with one junior high school with Kikugawa and one with Omaezaki. The city has two public high schools operated by the Shizuoka Prefectural Board of Education.
, which opened in 2009, straddles the border between Makinohara and Shimada.
Local attractions
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.
