Yokote, Akita

Yokote 横手市
City
Yokote City Hall
Flag Seal
Location of Yokote in Akita Prefecture
Country	Japan
Region	Tōhoku
Prefecture	Akita Prefecture
Area
• Total	693.04 km2 (267.58 sq mi)
Population  (June 2013)
• Total	94,728
• Density	137/km2 (350/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+9 (Japan Standard Time)
- Tree	Apple
- Flower	Sakura
- Bird	Swan
Phone number	0182-35-2111
Address	1-1 Jōri 1chome, Yokote-shi, Akita-ken 013-8601
Website	Official website

Kamakura Snow Stature in Yokote

Yokote (横手市, Yokote-shi) is a city located in Akita Prefecture, Japan.

As of June 2013, the city has an estimated population of 94,728 and a population density of 137 persons per km². The total area is 693.04 km² (267.58 sq mi).

Geography

Yokote is located in southeast corner of Akita Prefecture by the Ōu Mountains and Iwate Prefecture to the east.

Neighboring municipalities

• Akita Prefecture
  • Yurihonjō, Akita
  • Daisen, Akita
  • Yuzawa, Akita
  • Misato, Akita
  • Ugo, Akita
  • Higashinaruse, Akita
• Iwate Prefecture
  • Nishiwaga, Iwate

Climate

Yokote has a Humid continental climate (Köppen climate classification Cfa) with large seasonal temperature differences, with warm to hot (and often humid) summers and cold (sometimes severely cold) winters. Precipitation is significant throughout the year, but is heaviest from August to October.

History

The area of present-day Yokote was part of ancient Dewa Province and was the homeland of the Kiyohara clan of the Heian period Gosannen War. At the end of the Sengoku period, the area came under the control of the Onodera clan, who ruled from Yokote Castle. However, the Onodera sided against Tokugawa Ieyasu at the Battle of Sekigahara and the area came under the control of the Satake clan, who had been relocated to Kubota Domain from their former holdings in Hitachi Province. Kubota Domain was uncommon in that it contained more than one castle, despite the Tokugawa shogunate's "one castle per domain" rule, and Yokote remained a secondary castle town under the Kubota clan until the Meiji restoration.

After the start of the Meiji period, the area became part of Hiraka District, Akita Prefecture in 1878, with one town and 23 villages. The modern city of Yokote was founded on April 1, 1951.

On October 1, 2005, the towns of Hiraka, Jūmonji, Masuda, Omonogawa and Ōmori, and the villages of Sannai, and Taiyū (all from Hiraka District) were merged into Yokote, which now occupies all of former Hiraka District, plus the villages of Meiji and Nishinarusei (formerly from Ogachi District), and the village of Kanazawa (formerly from Senboku District).

Economy

The economy of Yokote is based on agriculture.

Transportation

Railway

• JR East - Ōu Main Line
  • Jūmonji - Daigo - Yanagita - Yokote
• JR East - Kitakami Line
  • Kurosawa - Komatsukawa - Hiraishi - Ainono - Yabitsu - Yokote

Highway

• Akita Expressway
• Japan National Route 13
• Japan National Route 107
• Japan National Route 342
• Japan National Route 397

Local attractions

• Akita Museum of Modern Art

Local events

Kamakura Festival

Yokote is known for its Kamakura Festival, a midwinter festival in which igloo-like snow houses are made throughout the town. It is held in the days leading to the Bonden Festival (mid February) and its location is focused around the city hall area. Children and others sit in the kamakura and serve amazake and mochi to visitors. In addition, several stalls are situated around town serving other types of typical Japanese festival food, including the town's own meibutsu "Yokote yakisoba".

An altar for the water deity is carved into the rear of the room inside each kamakura, where people pray for abundant harvests, the safety of their family members, protection against fire and for academic success. In addition to the large igloos, there are mini-kamakura which are spread throughout the city. There are candles Inside the tiny snow domes. Some of the regular kamakura and the mini-kamakura are sponsored by local businesses and can sometimes look like an advertisement for a product (like a cell phone). The kamakura can be experienced year round in a building adjacent to Yokote City Hall called the Kamakura-kan. Inside, there are a few kamakura kept at a temperature of 10 °C (50 °F) and are open to visitors.

International relations

See also: List of twin towns and sister cities in Japan

Twin towns/Sister cities

Yokote is twinned with:

• Atsugi, Kanagawa, Japan, since May 24, 1985
• Naka, Ibaraki, Japan, since October 22, 2004

Noted people from Yokote

• Manabu Terata – politician
• Tatsuzō Ishikawa - author
• Yasushi Sasaki – movie director.
• Sayuri Sugawara – musician
• Yu Takahashi – musician
• Daisuke Usami – volleyball player
• Kiyonomori Masao – sumo wrestler

External links

• Yokote City official website Template:Ja icon
• Yokote tourist information Template:Ja icon
• Bonden Festival