Eito

Eito (永都 Eito), officially Eito City (永都市 Eito-shi), is the of Chisei. The city stands on the Ōshirakawa River within the Aso valley of central Chisei. Eito has been a major settlement for two millenia, and was first founded by the Ezo. The district today known as Maruwauchi, which includes the Royal City and part of the financial center, roughly corresponds to the city's historic boundaries until its massive expansion beginning in the late 16th century. Eito was the largest city in Chisei for the majority of its history, but the extreme scale of destruction and depopulation the city suffered during the Second Escar-Varunan War resulted in it being surpassed in population by Wanshu after the war.

Though it is located in and serves as the state capital of Shirakawa, the city and its wider metropolitan area form the majority of the Eito Royal Capital Province (永都王京州 Eito Ōkyōshū), which is ruled directly by the Royal Government of Chisei. The city is divided into 27 wards, and along with the Capital Province as a whole is governed by the Governor of the Royal Capital Region and the Eito Special Administrative Council.

While less prominent than Wanshu, Eito is nevertheless a major financial and cultural center in Chisei, hosting many of the nations largest companies and media institutions. Eito has the largest concentration of educational institutions in Escar, and is home to highly ranked institutions such as the Eito National College ( and ), the Eito College of Economics and the state-run comprehensive Eito Kyūgakkō. It is home to over 110,000 international students, the largest population of any city in the world. In 2019 it was named as Escar's most visited city, with 25 million international visitors annually.

The 18 wards have a total population of 5.04 million, while the province/metro area as a whole has a population of 6.23 million, making Eito the second largest city in Chisei, and the third largest in Escar.

Eito has an extensive network of public transport, and the Eito Metro is the oldest underground railway system in the world. Aso International Airport is one of the city's two major airports, alongside Eito Royal Airport, and it is the busiest airport on the continent.

Toponymy
In, the city was historically known as Nishiaso (西阿蘇, 'West Aso'), being located at the western entrance to the Aso valley. After becoming the Shirakawan capital, it was known as Asokyō (阿蘇京) or Aso no Miyako (阿蘇の都). The city was renamed "Eito" (永都, 'Eternal Capital') in 1390 by Kyofu Daiso. Eito is known as Eyto-kotan ('Eito City') or Notenay Apa-kotan ('South Apasiri') in, and as Asokhot in.

It was also known as Daonan in Huaxia (桃岸, 'Peach Shore', Modern Liang: Táo'àn), a name adopted as Momogishi by the Hinoans and Yamataians and used up until the 18th century (briefly reoccurring during the Second Escar-Varunan War). The name is still used by organisations, such as Momogishi TV (a local television channel) and Momo24, a branch of the Yamataian IDOL24 Group based in Eito.

Politics
As the capital of Chisei, Eito contains the primary residence of the Chiseian Monarchy and the major institutions of the Royal Government of Chisei. Most buildings associated with the national government are located in the Royal City, a special sub-district of Maruwauchi ward, including the White Palace and the Grand Assembly Building. The nearby district of Kitamaru meanwhile is the city's, containing almost all of its foreign missions as well as the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Kitamaru Hall, headquarters of the Kini'ei agency.

Status & administration
As the seat of the Royal Government, the entire Eito province including the city proper is considered to be seperate from the jurisdiction of the Shirakawan state government, though the National Assembly and the Governor's Office are both based in the city. The Eito City Supreme Court is the highest judicial institution of the province, and since 1962 the city has had its own constitution.

The Governor of the Royal Capital Province is directly appointed by Grand King of Chisei on the advice of the Royal Council, and serves as the head of government for both the province and city administration. The incumbent governor is Sagita Goro, appointed in 2014. The governor has primarily ceremonial authority, though they preside and have veto powers over the Eito Special Administrative Council. 1 member from each of the 27 city wards, and 3 from each of the subsidiary cities are elected every 3 years to this council through a with, for a total of 36 members.

The political status of Eito is an issue of some political contention. Some groups argue the city and its metropolitan area should be annexed into Shirakawa and allowed to elect representatives to the National Assembly, potentially as a counterweight against Wanshu. Others propose that it should be made into a full federal subject, with complete legal autonomy and an elected head of government. The Free Eito Association is a political party and activist group founded in 2002, dedicated to promoting greater autonomy and democratic accountability for the city government. It currently holds 12 seats on the ESAC.

Policing
As Eito is outside the jurisdiction of the Royal Shirakawan Police, security and policing is instead handled throughout the territory by the Capital Guard - a department of the Royal Guard Office - and the National Security Agency.

It is a federal crime for personnel of the Chiseian Armed Forces, with the exception of Royal Guards, to enter the city in uniform or to operate in the city in any capacity except with the authorisation of the Royal Council. Consequently the Chiseian Peaceguard does not formally operate in Eito beyond a civilian liason officer with the Capital Guard, though it is sometimes called in to provide support during major unrest or other forms of crisis.

The Royal Capital Province is the only territory in Chisei where private possession of firearms is entirely illegal, though all Capital Guard officers are typically armed.

Given its nature as a political and administrative center, Eito is a common site for large protests. The city constitution guarantees 'the right of all residents, citizens and subjects to exercise freedom of thought and attend public demonstrations', and designates several areas around the city as 'Petition Regions' (嘆願地方 Tangan chihō), such as the square in front of the Grand Assembly Building. All public protests must be pre-approved with the Bureau of the Royal Capital, and organizers are typically encouraged to focus their demonstrations within the Petition Regions, though unapproved protests are frequent.

Eito is considered a high-risk target, and the Kini'ei and Capital Guard maintain a Joint Capital Anti-Terrorism Council ((統合京反恐会 Tōgō Kyō Hankyō Kai) to coordinate intelligence and manage threats. Several terrorist attacks were carried out in Eito during the 1980s, chiefly by the Yashiman Liberation Society (1983 Eito Nerve Gas Attack and 1989 Furuhashi bombing) and the socialist Free Army (1985 Eito Royal Airport Incident, 1987 Nishimaru bombings). From 2002 - 2005 the city was also the target of a car-bombing campaign by Hinoan nationalists, which killed 382 people across 5 attacks. In January 2016, the Kini'ei reported it had successfully arrested multiple individuals who had intended to storm the Heavenly Assembly with firearms and.

Political representation
Eito is divided into 25 parliamentary constituencies. 12 are held by the Federalist Party, 7 by the Social Front, 2 by the New Citizens Party, 3 by the Democratic Royalist Party and 1 by an independent, Kawaguchi Reiko.

Furuhashi-Nishimaru in Eito is the constituency of current Prime Minister Nishioka Kyōka.

Terrain
Eito is located at the western end of Aso valley, a part of the Tanba basin in central mainland Chisei/eastern Shirakawa. The Aso valley is flanked by three mountains; Mount Kamino and Mount Hebihime to the north and Mount Moyagi to the south. Much of Eito has significant variations in altitude, ranging from 120 - 230 m on the river plain to the city's highest point at Nanko Outlook in Taninokabe, 640 m above sea level.

The Ōshirakawa flows directly through the middle of the city. Thanks to the Kyuuga locks, located downriver in Mimasaka Province, and the Ninohe Grand Canal, the river is accessible to small-medium sized ocean-going vessels and all forms of riverine vessels. It has historically been and remains a major economic artery linking the Chiseian capital to major coastal cities such as Kawaguchi. In 1902 Eito was the third-busiest port in Chisei, though the use of the river for cargo has declined greatly since the 1960s due to the expansion of the road, rail and air network. It is still widely used for reacreational purposes, with multiple companies operating ferry and tourboat services on both sides of the river.

The main business district is today located on the north bank, south of the old city limits and the Royal City, slightly downriver from the docks.

Eito sits atop a large natural water table that provides the city with ample freshwater wells. Due to large-scale urbanization, the amount of rain draining into the table is dwindling and wells across the area are drying at an increasing rate.

Climate
Eito has a - (: Cfb). Its average annual temperature is 12.6 °C, with monthly mean temperatures ranging from 1.2 °C in January to 20.0 °C in July.

Due to its position at the western part of the Aso valley, Eito is one of the warmest and driest large cites in Chisei north of the Sangawa River. Summers in Eito can get very warm when compared to other parts of the country at similar latitudes. Between the years 1980 and 2010 there have been 48 days in Eito with a maximum temperature over 25 °C and 15 days with a maximum over 30 °C on average per year. has elevated the number of hot days. In the year of 2018, there have been recorded 102 days with a maximum of over 25 °C and 45 days with a maximum of over 30 °C (compared to 48 and 15 days on average per year between 1980 and 2010). The overall tendency for higher temperatures can be seen when comparing the climate data from 1980 to 2010 with the data from 2010 to 2020. It is getting sunnier, drier and warmer.

Eito is also an, and is consequently sometimes affected by , where the temperature does not drop under 20°C between May and August.

The is longer than the much of northern Chisei, resulting in the earlier arrival of spring.

Winters in Eito are typically mild and with a small possibility of snow, usually in January and February. They are usually dark and overcast. Eito is, on average, covered with snow for only 10 - 20 days per year. The amount of snow has declined in recent decades, and Eito did not recieve any snow between 2017 and 2020. Winter temperatures rarely drop below 0 °C, though some days with lows under -10 °C can occur more often here than at Chisei's northern coasts, though not as frequently as in Kitahashi or Saramosir.

Divisions
The city of Eito is divided into 27 ku (区, 'wards' or 'districts'). These are as follows: Each ward is governed by an elected 12 member council, and each sends 1 representative to the Special Administrative Council. Local councils manage low-level services, collect municipal taxes and enforce city regulations.
 * Akanemachi (赤根町)
 * Aosakanaichi (青魚市)
 * Byakkomon (白虎門)
 * Furuhashi (古橋)
 * Furunuma (古沼)
 * Hanaba (花場)
 * Higashiokamichi (東丘道)
 * Kitamaru (北内)
 * Kurohisuibashi (黒翡翠橋)
 * Maruwauchi (丸は内)
 * Minamibashi (南橋)
 * Minamiyama (南山)
 * Muikaichi (六日市)
 * Murasakimachi (紫咲町)
 * Nishimaru (西内)
 * Nishimori (西森)
 * Nishiokamichi (西丘道)
 * Shimaichi (島市)
 * Shinbandai (新蛮街)
 * Shinbashi (新橋)
 * Shinhigashijuku (新東宿)
 * Shiramachi (白町)
 * Shishukumachi (觜宿町)
 * Suzakumon (朱雀門)
 * Taninokabe (谷の壁)
 * Tōyama (塔山)
 * Ōdō (王道)

Demography
With increasing industrialisation and the wealth of the empire, Eito's population grew rapidly throughout the 19th and early 20th centuries. The city's population peaked in 1935, with a population of 8.96 million, but sharply declined due to the devastation of the Second Escar-Varunan War and the somewhat stagnant post-war economy. The city was overtaken by Wanshu as Chisei's largest city in 1949. In the 2018 statistics from the National Civic Registry, Eito had a population of 5.04 million, while the Eito Royal Capital Province had a total population of 6.23 million.

Since the 1980s, the city's growth has been heavily driven by immigration, both from elsewhere in Chisei as well as from abroad. As of 2018, 1,026,437 residents are foreign born, amounting to over 28% of the population.

According to the 2018 census, 67.9% of the population was Yashimato, 11.7% was Kannaguru, 8.2% was Chiseian-Osovan, 6.5% was Uraani and 2.2% was, with 3.5 of other backgrounds.

Museums
Eito has more than 30 museums. 14 of these are located in Shimaichi, on the south bank of the Ōshirakawa. This area, known as Muranakachō (村中町) after Minister of Culture Muranaka Michihide, was developed in the 1960s on the northern campus of Shimaichi University, which owns and administers several of the buildings.

Owned & administered by Shimaichi U: Other museums in Muranakachō not operated by Shimaichi U:
 * Shirakawan Architectural Museum - Primarily focusing on architecture of the 18th - early 20th century, it features an extensive collection of scale models & photographs of prewar Eito and Wanshu, and a large garden with reconstructed facades of the old Grand Assembly Building and the first National Bank building.
 * Shirakawan Film Museum - Dedicated to 20th century Shirakawan-language film and television, including exhibits such as 'Film under the Conciliar Regime', 'Newsreels of the Imperial Occupation (1924 - 1943)', 'Birth of Colour Television' and as of 2013, an exhibit on the origins of.
 * New Shimaichi Museum of Ancient History - Ancient history museum. Notable collection of ancient Mesovaleyan and north Osovan artifacts.
 * Eito City History Museum - Dedicated to the history of Eito. Exhibits include scale models of the city from 500 BCE to the modern day, reconstructed period-accurate streets and shopfronts, and a large collection of artifacts from Eito temples and shrines destroyed during the war.
 * Eito Transport Museum - A museum of various forms of public and private transport in Eito, including exhibits on the Eito metro system, the canal network, and the development of aviation. Its outdoors section features a number of vintage steam and diesel-powered locomotives.
 * Eito Natural History Museum - Museum of Natural History, covering a range of subject matter from geological and climate history to . The largest collection of extinct marine reptile remains in Escar, which includes 'Fuwafuwa' ("Fluffy"), a 99% complete skeleton.
 * Shimaichi University Museum - A museum of Shimaichi University, charting its history from the medieval period to the present day. Built on the site of the prewar North Shimaichi campus, destroyed during the war.
 * Asai Hotaka Museum Eito - Dedicated to legendary painter and printmaker Asai Hotaka.
 * Eito World History Museum - Features a variety of historical exihibits on history around the world, though primarily focusing on Escar.
 * Eito Sculptural Museum - Art museum, notable for the largest collection of traditional occidental sculpture outside of Amphia.
 * Yokota Museum - The Yokota is the largest art museum in the world, featuring an enormous collection of artwork from around the world, both historical and contemporary.
 * Eito Museum of Modern Art - Second largest modern and contemporary art museum in Chisei.
 * Shimaichi Theatre Museum - Museum dedicated to Chiseian theatre, and  artforms.

Another major concentration of museums is in the Royal City in Maruwauchi. The museum district is largely built on the campus of the Old Eito Kyūgakkō, which was destroyed during the war. All of the Royal City Museums are operated by the Ministry of Culture.
 * Royal City Memorial Museum - Dedicated to the history of the Royal City and the palatial district.
 * Eito Kyūgakkō Museum - Museum of the Eito Kyūgakkō and its history from the 8th century to the present day.
 * National Museum of Shirakawa - A Museum of Shirakawan history and culture.
 * Royal Archives Museum - Museum of the Chiseian Royal Archives. Includes a number of artifacts belonging to the Royal Family, including several Royal Seals and a collection of jewellery belonging to Grand Queen Teibo.
 * Eito Royal War Museum - A museum of the Chiseian Royal Armed Forces and various historical conflicts. Includes a large collection of armoured vehicles and aircraft.

Other important museums in Eito that are not part of the Muranakachō strip or the Royal City:
 * Museum of Resistance - Located next to the War Martyrs Memorial in Hanaba. Dedicated to the history of the Chiseian resistance in the New Territories and to civilian militias and homeguard units that saw combat during the Battle of Eito, as well as the wider civilian experience of the war.
 * Eito Dōga Museum - Located in Byakkomon. Tracks the history of Chiseian animation (dōga) from early experimental films in the 1890s and 1900s, to postwar Yamataian influences and the Man'en Era 'Dōga boom'.
 * Eito Cathedral Museum - Located next to Eito Cathedral in Shinbandai. Focuses on the history of the Eito messianist community as well as Ordan immigrants to the city.
 * National Fashion Museum - Museum of the Chiseian fashion and textiles industry in Furuhashi, chiefly focused on the early-mid 20th century.
 * Capital Victory Museum - Another military museum, focusing on the Battle of Eito. Funded by the National Veteran's Association, and focuses on the perspectives of soldiers during the battle. Located on the north bank of the river in Minamibashi.
 * Marshal-General's Museum Eito - Funded by the family & estate of former Chancellor Shiba Amame, it is dedicated to her life and memory. It is based in her old family manor, in Higashiokamichi ward.
 * Eito Docks Museum - Museum of the historic Eito docks and the old Eito Bridge district, located at the former dockyards in Furuhashi.

Cuisine
Eito has a vibrant culinary culture. The capital is particularly renowned for its coffeehouses, and as of 2020 there are 489 independent cafés in the city. Jinsaichō in Suzakomon ward is a popular spot for younger people and students, while Shinbochō is the traditional coffee district for book-lovers, academics and older generations.

Famous restaurants in the city include Yagatani Soba, Frau Chihiro's, Higashiyama Shokuten and Hanmura-an. Shima-chō, the city's entertainment district, is host to hundreds of low-cost, which serve both food and alcohol, as well as other 24-hour eateries.

Eito culinary specialities include Yakiasoimo (焼阿蘇芋, 'Grilled Aso Taro'), a regional variety of Satoimo no Nimono featuring simmered in fish stock and soy sauce, and served topped with mushrooms, herbs and a sweet, creamy sauce.

Twin cities
Eito is with a number of other cities around the world - primarily other capital cities.


 * Apasiri, Saramosir - Apasiri and Eito served as the twin capitals of the state of Shirakawa-Saramosir. Eito is sometimes known in Saramosir as Notenay Apa-kotan, or 'South Apasiri'.
 * Heian, Yamatai - Since 1962. The cities have a long working relationship, and much like Wanshu and Niihama are frequently seen as eachothers equivalents.