Shinagawa Ward Office Daisan-Chosha office 4th floor, 2-1-36 Hiromachi,Shinagawa-ku, Tokyo 140-0005 Japan (Map) TEL:+81-3-5742-6517 MAIL:info@sifa.or.jp Top Page > Introduction of Cities > Portland, Maine in the United States What is the City of Portland like? Location The State of Maine is located the farthest east in the United States and borders on New Brunswick and Quebec of Canada.　Portland is located 160 kilometers north of Boston, Massachusetts. Area 55.80 square kilometers (Approximately 2.7 times bigger than Shinagawa Ward) Population About 69,000 (Approximately 1/5 the population of Shinagawa Ward) Climate The difference in temperature between mornings (evenings) and daytime is quite large and it gets the coldest in the mornings and evenings. Although the highest temperature in the day in the summer is about 30 degrees centigrade, it is not humid like Tokyo because the humidity is always relatively low. Time difference Minus 14 hours to Japan (14 hours behind Japan) For example, when it is noon in Japan, Portland is 10:00 p.m. the previous day. * Daylight-saving time starts on the second Sunday in March and ends on the first Sunday in November. During daylight-saving time, Portland is 13 hours behind Japan. Portland City Hall Zoom The fifth year anniversary visit, "Wing of Friendship" - Welcome ceremony held in front of Portland City Hall Zoom Portland is a summer resort city and the old and new buildings are well-harmonized throughout the city. Portland is a city of scenic beauties. The city has such attractive places as active ports, sandy beaches, mountains covered with pine trees which are the state tree, and lakes that face towards Casco Bay. Islands are dotted with well-known summer resorts known to tourists. Portland used to be a small and rustic city in New England. But the city presently has high cultural standards after redevelopment and reconstruction took place in the city. There are new buildings with famous restaurants and first-class hotels that are well-harmonized with the old and historical buildings, such as 19th century Victorian style houses and churches. Portland, located in central downtown, has the Portland Museum of Art, public library, hotels, and office buildings. Tourists love to visit such historical buildings as the lighthouse called "Portland Headlight" and "Henry Wordsworth Longfellow's house". Portland Headlight (A lighthouse) Zoom Yacht harbor Zoom Scenery of Portland Zoom Shinagawa Ward and Portland The birthplace of Dr. Edward S. Morse is Portland, Maine. He is credited in discovering the "Omori Shell Mounds" in Shinagawa Ward. Through him, Shinagawa Ward has a historical connection with Portland. Ever since the sister city agreement was signed with Portland on October 13,1984, the exchange program with young people has become a main function which is actively being conducted between Shinagawa Ward and Portland. Elementary and Junior High Schools in Shinagawa Ward signed sister school agreements with schools in Portland to start school-level exchange programs with one another. We became the 30th anniversary sister city conclusion by last year. ▲Page Top