Mikawa, Yamashiro

Not to be confused with Mikawa, Kansai, the second-largest city in Hinomoto.

Mikawa (三川市) is a city in Yamashiro Province, Yamatai. It is located at the mouth of the Sunomata River on the Aki Strait, and also sits on the border between Yamashiro Province and Mizuho Province. Directly across the provincial line is the town of Ono. As of 2018, the city has a population of 134,678.

History
Mikawa City was established in 2005 with the agglomeration of the towns of Mikawa, Kagami, Izumi, Sakamoto, and Toyo.

In 2010, Mikawa Eastern General Hospital was opened in Mikawa City, next to Kagami Station in Mikawa City's downtown area.

2019 Kanayachi All-Yashima Grand Prix
In 2019, the Kanayachi All-Yashima Grand Prix competitive skating competition was held in Mikawa City, Hinomoto. Due to both cities sharing almost the same name, many foreign tourists hoping to spectate the competition ended up in Mikawa, Yamashiro instead. Part of the confusion may have been because another city in Yamashiro province, Okayama City, had previously hosted the Grand Prix in 2016. The situation was compounded by some unscrupulous tour companies in Amphia intentionally attempting to capitalise on the potential confusion between the cities, offering travel packages to Yamashiro Province with the promise of visits to Mikawa being possible. Though Yamashiro does have many attractions of its own, it is generally more popular among domestic tourists rather than international visitors.

Though there was no skating competition to watch in Mikawa, Yamashiro, the city welcomed the large influx of tourists and experienced a 600% increase in tourism during the period, and a general 20% increase beyond pre-2019 numbers in the years that followed. Since then, Mikawa has embraced the incident and has opened its own all-seasons indoor skating rink.

Economy
Mikawa's economy mainly relies on agriculture and fishing. It is known locally for several products and dishes; the banpeiyu fruit bears a resemblance to hugely oversized grapefruits. Karashi Renkon is a specialty which is a lotus root stuffed with a mustard-like sauce called karashi and coated with egg. Basashi is raw horse meat and is often served with onion and ginger; Basashi burgers can be found at hamburger restaurants.

The city's landmarks include the ruins of Sakamoto Fort (now part of a Michi shrine), the port area that offers magnificent views of the Aki strait, and the local paper factory. The main shopping area is a covered arcade that runs for several city blocks between Mikawa Station and the area near Kagami Station. However, since the opening of two large malls nearby the area has been in decline.

Education
Mikawa has nine primary schools, six secondary schools, three junior colleges, and the Mikawa Vocational Training School.

Transportation
Mikawa is served by the Aki Coastal Line, which stops at Mikawa Station and Kagami Station.

Transport around the city is mainly via buses.