Hitoyoshi, Kumamoto
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Hitoyoshi
人吉市 | |
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 Kuma River running through the city | |
 Flag  Emblem | |
 Location of Hitoyoshi in Kumamoto Prefecture | |
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  Hitoyoshi Location in Japan | |
| Coordinates: 32°13′N 130°45′E / 32.217°N 130.750°E | |
| Country | Japan |
| Region | Kyushu |
| Prefecture | Kumamoto Prefecture |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | Hayato Matsuoka |
| Area | |
• Total | 210.55 km2 (81.29 sq mi) |
| Population (November 1, 2022) | |
• Total | 30,752 |
| • Density | 144/km2 (370/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC+09:00 (JST) |
| City hall address | 1578-1, Shimo-shiromoto-machi, Hitoyoshi-shi, Kumamoto-ken 868-8601 |
| Climate | Cfa |
| Website | www |
| Symbols | |
| Bird | Japanese bush-warbler |
| Flower | Ume |
| Tree | Oak |
Hitoyoshi (人吉市, Hitoyoshi-shi) is a city in Kumamoto Prefecture, Japan. The city was founded on February 11, 1942.[1] As of November 2022,[update] the city has an estimated population of 30,752 and a population density of 144 per km2. The total area is 210.55 km2.[2]
It is famous for boat trips on the river and hot springs. Aoi Aso Shrine, one of the National Treasures of Japan, is located in Hitoyoshi.
It is bounded to the north, east, and west by towns of Kuma District, and to the south by Kagoshima Prefecture.
Commerce
Hitoyoshi's main product is rice shochu (an indigenous spirit distilled from rice), or kuma-shochu, which is the official name of rice shochu produced in Kumamoto's Hitoyoshi and Kuma District. This shochu must be produced in these areas from Japanese rice and with water from the Kuma River, which runs through the town. The World Trade Organization granted kuma-shochu geographical indication status in 1994.[3] The most popular brand is Hakutake Shiro, which currently holds 50% market share on all rice shochu sold in Japan. However, Takahashi Distillery, the producer of Hakutake Shiro, is just one of 28 distilleries in Hitoyoshi in the surrounding region that produce kuma-shochu.
Climate
Hitoyoshi has a humid subtropical climate (Köppen climate classification Cfa) with hot summers and cool winters. Precipitation is significant throughout the year, and is heavier in the summer months, especially June and July.
| Climate data for Hitoyoshi (1991−2020 normals, extremes 1943−present) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 22.3 (72.1) |
24.0 (75.2) |
26.9 (80.4) |
30.4 (86.7) |
34.0 (93.2) |
34.9 (94.8) |
37.0 (98.6) |
37.8 (100.0) |
36.4 (97.5) |
33.2 (91.8) |
27.6 (81.7) |
22.7 (72.9) |
37.8 (100.0) |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 10.3 (50.5) |
12.4 (54.3) |
16.1 (61.0) |
21.3 (70.3) |
25.5 (77.9) |
27.3 (81.1) |
31.2 (88.2) |
32.3 (90.1) |
29.4 (84.9) |
24.4 (75.9) |
18.1 (64.6) |
12.2 (54.0) |
21.7 (71.1) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | 4.7 (40.5) |
6.2 (43.2) |
9.8 (49.6) |
14.6 (58.3) |
19.1 (66.4) |
22.4 (72.3) |
26.1 (79.0) |
26.6 (79.9) |
23.6 (74.5) |
18.0 (64.4) |
11.9 (53.4) |
6.3 (43.3) |
15.8 (60.4) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 0.2 (32.4) |
1.0 (33.8) |
4.5 (40.1) |
8.9 (48.0) |
13.7 (56.7) |
18.7 (65.7) |
22.4 (72.3) |
22.8 (73.0) |
19.5 (67.1) |
13.3 (55.9) |
7.3 (45.1) |
1.9 (35.4) |
11.2 (52.1) |
| Record low °C (°F) | −9.8 (14.4) |
−9.1 (15.6) |
−6.1 (21.0) |
−3.5 (25.7) |
3.0 (37.4) |
7.8 (46.0) |
15.0 (59.0) |
15.3 (59.5) |
7.4 (45.3) |
−0.4 (31.3) |
−4.2 (24.4) |
−7.8 (18.0) |
−9.8 (14.4) |
| Average precipitation mm (inches) | 75.4 (2.97) |
109.0 (4.29) |
160.7 (6.33) |
177.8 (7.00) |
215.6 (8.49) |
560.9 (22.08) |
491.0 (19.33) |
226.3 (8.91) |
229.3 (9.03) |
108.8 (4.28) |
96.9 (3.81) |
83.3 (3.28) |
2,535 (99.8) |
| Average snowfall cm (inches) | 2 (0.8) |
2 (0.8) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
1 (0.4) |
5 (2) |
| Average rainy days (≥ 1.0 mm) | 8.0 | 9.0 | 11.5 | 10.5 | 9.7 | 15.9 | 14.0 | 12.2 | 10.6 | 7.2 | 8.5 | 8.2 | 125.3 |
| Average snowy days (≥ 1 cm) | 0.6 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 | 1.2 |
| Average relative humidity (%) | 76 | 74 | 73 | 72 | 73 | 81 | 81 | 79 | 80 | 79 | 82 | 80 | 78 |
| Mean monthly sunshine hours | 123.0 | 133.9 | 161.6 | 175.8 | 182.1 | 117.1 | 167.2 | 183.5 | 156.5 | 163.6 | 125.6 | 118.6 | 1,808.5 |
| Source: Japan Meteorological Agency[4][5] | |||||||||||||
Tourism
- Hitoyoshi Station
- Aoi Aso Shrine
- SL Hitoyoshi
- Hitoyoshi Castle
- Kuma River (Japan)
Aoi Aso Shrine in Hitoyoshi - kuma River Rafting
- KAJIYA-MACHI STREET
- KOYA-MACHI
- Sekaiichi Chiisana Bijutsukan Chobit
- Eikokuji
- MOZOKA station 868
In popular culture
Hitoyoshi is the inspiration for and setting of "Ohitoyo" in the anime Rail Romanesque and the visual novel game that the anime is derived from.
Notable people from Hitoyoshi
 |
- Tetsuharu Kawakami, baseball player and manager
- Miki Tori, manga artist
- Teruyoshi Uchimura, comedian
See also
References
- ^ "Hitoyoshi's Historical Chronology" (in Japanese). 人吉市政府. Archived from the original on 2006-10-06. Retrieved 2022-12-04.
- ^ "Hitoyoshi official website" (in Japanese). Retrieved 2022-12-04.
- ^ "Branding crops and Geographical indication | The Canon Institute for Global Studies". www.canon-igs.org. Retrieved 2018-12-19.
- ^ 観測史上1～10位の値（年間を通じての値）. JMA. Retrieved February 17, 2022.
- ^ 気象庁 / 平年値（年・月ごとの値）. JMA. Retrieved February 17, 2022.
External links
- Official website
(in Japanese) 
Hitoyoshi travel guide from Wikivoyage
Geographic data related to Hitoyoshi, Kumamoto at OpenStreetMap
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