Yurihonjo, Akita
Encyclopedia
is a city
Cities of Japan
||A is a local administrative unit in Japan. Cities are ranked on the same level as and , with the difference that they are not a component of...

 located in Akita
Akita Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan located in the Tōhoku Region of northern Honshu, the main island of Japan. The capital is the city of Akita.- History :The area of Akita has been created from the ancient provinces of Dewa and Mutsu....

, Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...

.

The city was founded on March 22, 2005 from the merger of the former city of Honjō
Honjo, Akita
was a city located in Akita in the Tōhoku region of Japan.On March 22, 2005 the city of Honjō and the towns of Chōkai, Higashiyuri, Iwaki, Nishime, Ōuchi, Yashima and Yuri merged to form the new city of Yurihonjō....

 and the former towns of Chōkai
Chokai, Akita
Chōkai was a town located in Yuri District, Akita, Japan.On March 22, 2005 the city of Honjō and the towns of Chōkai, Higashiyuri, Iwaki, Nishime, Ōuchi, Yashima and Yuri, all from Yuri District, merged to form the new city of Yurihonjō....

, Higashiyuri
Higashiyuri, Akita
Higashiyuri was a town located in Yuri District, Akita, Japan.On March 22, 2005 the city of Honjō and the towns of Chōkai, Higashiyuri, Iwaki, Nishime, Ōuchi, Yashima and Yuri, all from Yuri District, merged to form the new city of Yurihonjō....

, Iwaki
Iwaki, Akita
Iwaki was a town located in Yuri District, Akita, Japan.On March 22, 2005 the city of Honjō and the towns of Chōkai, Higashiyuri, Iwaki, Nishime, Ōuchi, Yashima and Yuri, all from Yuri District, merged to form the new city of Yurihonjō....

, Nishime
Nishime, Akita
Nishime was a town located in Yuri District, Akita, Japan.On March 22, 2005 the city of Honjō and the towns of Chōkai, Higashiyuri, Iwaki, Nishime, Ōuchi, Yashima and Yuri, all from Yuri District, merged to form the new city of Yurihonjō....

, Ōuchi
Ouchi, Akita
Ōuchi was a town located in Yuri District, Akita, Japan.On March 22, 2005 the city of Honjō and the towns of Chōkai, Higashiyuri, Iwaki, Nishime, Ōuchi, Yashima and Yuri, all from Yuri District, merged to form the new city of Yurihonjō....

, Yashima
Yashima, Akita
was a town located in Yuri District, Akita, Japan.On March 22, 2005 the city of Honjō and the towns of Chōkai, Higashiyuri, Iwaki, Nishime, Ōuchi, Yashima and Yuri, all from Yuri District, merged to form the new city of Yurihonjō....

 and Yuri
Yuri, Akita
Yuri was a town located in Yuri District, Akita, Japan.On March 22, 2005 the city of Honjō and the towns of Chōkai, Higashiyuri, Iwaki, Nishime, Ōuchi, Yashima and Yuri, all from Yuri District, merged to form the new city of Yurihonjō....

. Just after the merger, the new city of Yurihonjō had 126 representatives in its new city assembly, more than the whole of Tokyo.

As of October 2011, the city had an official population
Population
A population is all the organisms that both belong to the same group or species and live in the same geographical area. The area that is used to define a sexual population is such that inter-breeding is possible between any pair within the area and more probable than cross-breeding with individuals...

 of 84,046 and a density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...

 of 69.5 persons per km². The total area is 1209.04 km².

Sightseeing spots

Amasagi Village is a complete tourist center in the town of Iwaki, northern Yurihonjō. It is centered around an historical facility, and it contains the samurai residence of the Unuma family (transferred from its original site), and a museum with collections of furniture and samurai armour.
A large standing Buddha
Gautama Buddha
Siddhārtha Gautama was a spiritual teacher from the Indian subcontinent, on whose teachings Buddhism was founded. In most Buddhist traditions, he is regarded as the Supreme Buddha Siddhārtha Gautama (Sanskrit: सिद्धार्थ गौतम; Pali: Siddhattha Gotama) was a spiritual teacher from the Indian...

 statue.
Each year a large cherry blossom festival (April) and Azalea festival (May) take place here.
This park is famous for its yellow cherry blossom trees and it holds a firework display in May during full bloom.
A waterfall, grassy park, and hiking trails in the mountains near Mt. Chōkai.
One thousand stone statues line the side of a hill in Oriwatari, Ōuchi. These statues wear a red bib, representing jizō.
A small but popular ski area on the lower slopes of the Mount Chōkai. It is especially popular with snowboarders.
A large plateau of outstanding natural beauty on the Akita side of Mount Chōkai. It includes numerous rental cottages and an amusement area.

Honjō Marina & Koyoshi River

  • Rowing
There are 500 metre & 1000 metre rowing courses at the mouth of the Koyoshi River. A major public regatta takes place here each year in September. Three high schools in Yurihonjō have their own rowing clubs with a history of success in national rowing championships.
  • Marina, Sailing
Honjō has a wide beach with an adjacent yachting harbour.

Events

  • Fireworks
A fireworks festival is held every summer near the mouth of the Koyoshi River.
This religious event takes place in January in which a group of men and boys walk through the snow to Shinzan Shrine.
In March each year visitors can follow a map of public displays of the traditional Hina dolls at over 50 different locations around the city.

Mount Chōkai

is an inactive volcano that stands alone on the border between Akita Prefecture
Akita Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan located in the Tōhoku Region of northern Honshu, the main island of Japan. The capital is the city of Akita.- History :The area of Akita has been created from the ancient provinces of Dewa and Mutsu....

 and Yamagata Prefecture
Yamagata Prefecture
-Fruit:Yamagata Prefecture is the largest producer of cherries and pears in Japan. A large quantity of other kinds of fruits such as grapes, apples, peaches, melons, persimmons and watermelons are also produced.- Demographics :...

. It is 2236m high and is the second highest mountain in the Tohoku area. It is popular with skiers, hikers and climbers.

There are two main trails for climbing Mount Chōkai from the Akita side. One trailhead is in Nikaho
Nikaho, Akita
is a city located in Akita, Japan.On October 1, 2005, the town of Nikaho merged with the towns of Kisakata and Konoura, all from Yuri District, to form the city of Nikaho. The new city has an area of 240.61km², and an estimated population of 27,245 as of October 2011.-City Symbols:The city tree is...

, south of Yurihonjō. The other, in Yurihonjō, starts at the Parking Area. A one-way hike from the Haraikawa commonly takes 3 hours and there are bungalows and camping sites on the lower slopes of this trail.

The mountain has its own unique Alpine plants and vegetation such as and .

Local crafts, arts, and food

There are four independent rice wine breweries in Yurihonjō: Akita Homare, Yuri Masamune, Tenju, and Dewanofuji.
Dried noodles which are eaten hot or cold. The texture of Honjō Udon is tough.
These elaborate decorative balls are made from silk thread and are a popular souvenir of Yurihonjō.
A number of craftsmen in Yurihonjō produce traditional lacquerware.
This is a traditional folk song, known as min'yō
Min'yo
is a genre of traditional Japanese music. The term is a translation of the German word "Volkslied" and has only been in use during the twentieth century...

, which is reputed to be one of the most difficult for singers to master. A national Honjō Oiwake competition is held in Yurihonjō every year over 2 days in September.
The foothills of Mount Chōkai produce many varieties of wild mountain vegetables and in spring and autumn it is common to see cars parked on the side of the road as people stop to pick them. Popular mountain vegetables are , and .

Hot springs and spas

There are comparatively many hot springs - known as onsen
Onsen
An is a term for hot springs in the Japanese language, though the term is often used to describe the bathing facilities and inns around the hot springs. As a volcanically active country, Japan has thousands of onsen scattered along its length and breadth...

 in Japanese - in Yurihonjō, including some large scale ones which also offer accommodation such as the Poporoko Hot Spring.
in the Ōuchi area is reputed to cure minor pains and many sufferers stay there long-term.

Famous people from Yurihonjō

, a leading politician in the Liberal Democratic Party
Liberal Democratic Party (Japan)
The , frequently abbreviated to LDP or , is a centre-right political party in Japan. It is one of the most consistently successful political parties in the democratic world. The LDP ruled almost continuously for nearly 54 years from its founding in 1955 until its defeat in the 2009 election...

. Served as Transport Minister and Government Spokesman., the first head of the Tokyo Stock Exchange and later the Japan Tax Agency., an Olympic volleyball player., a current TV celebrity., a pitcher for Hiroshima Carp baseball team.

Twin Cities

Yurihonjō is twinned with three foreign cities: Vác
Vác
Vác is a town in Pest county in Hungary with approximately 35,000 inhabitants. The archaic spellings of the name are Vacz and Vacs.-Location:...

, Hungary
Hungary
Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...

 Yangsan
Yangsan
Yangsan is a city in Gyeongsangnam-do Province, South Korea.-Administrative divisions:Currently, Yangsan is made up of 1 eup, 4 myeon, and 7 dong. There are plans, however, to create a new Ungsang-eup, which would include 4 dong.-Railways:...

, South Korea
South Korea
The Republic of Korea , , is a sovereign state in East Asia, located on the southern portion of the Korean Peninsula. It is neighbored by the People's Republic of China to the west, Japan to the east, North Korea to the north, and the East China Sea and Republic of China to the south...

 Wuxi
Wuxi
Wuxi is an old city in Jiangsu province, People's Republic of China. Split in half by Lake Tai, Wuxi borders Changzhou to the west and Suzhou to the east. The northern half looks across to Taizhou across the Yangtze River, while the southern half also borders the province of Zhejiang to the south...

, China
People's Republic of China
China , officially the People's Republic of China , is the most populous country in the world, with over 1.3 billion citizens. Located in East Asia, the country covers approximately 9.6 million square kilometres...

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