Arao, Kumamoto

"Arao" redirects here. For the settlement in Portugal, see Arão, Portugal.

Arao 荒尾市
—  City  —
Location of Arao in Kumamoto
Arao
Coordinates: 32°59′00″N 130°26′07″E
Country	Japan
Region	Kyushu
Prefecture	Kumamoto
Government
• Mayor	Jyunji Maehata (since January 2003)
Area
• Total	57.15 km2 (22.1 sq mi)
Population (April 30, 2011)
• Total	56,144
• Density	982.4/km2 (2,544.4/sq mi)
Time zone	Japan Standard Time (UTC+9)
City symbols
- Tree	Pinus
- Flower	Pyraspyrifolia
Phone number	81-(0)968-63-1111
Address	Kunai-Deme 390, Arao City, Kumamoto Prefecture (熊本県荒尾市宮内出目390番地) 864-8686
Website	City of Arao

Arao (荒尾市, Arao-shi) is a city located in Kumamoto, Japan.

As of April 30, 2011, the city has an estimated population of 56,144, with a household number of 23,966 and the density of 982.40 persons per km². The total area is 57.15 km².

The city was founded on April 1, 1942.

Arao was once a large coal mining town, but it has since lost a great deal of its population, due to the closing of the mine 11 years ago. Some schools that once housed 1,500 children have now been looking at declining enrollments down 1,000 students or more. Currently, Arao's political concentration is on tourism, to try to lure people back to this once heavily populated land. Recent hopes to pull in tourists are in its two big amusement parks, Mitsui Greenland and Ultraman Land.

One notable aspect of this city includes Shoudai pottery, an art form almost completely exclusive to Arao, involving slow kilning and under glazing. Also, the Arao nashi pear is a fruit product grown widely in this town. The pear is round, brown and about the size of a bowling ball.

External links

Media related to Arao, Kumamoto at Wikimedia Commons

• Official website (Japanese)