Yurihonjō, Akita

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

**Yurihonjō**
**由利本荘市**
Yurihonjō's location in Akita, Japan.
Location
Country	Japan
Region	Tōhoku
Prefecture	Akita
Physical characteristics
Area	1,209.04 km² (466.81 sq mi)
Population (as of 2006)
Total	89,961
Density	75.76 /km² (196 /sq mi)
Location	39°23′N, 140°05′E
Symbols
Flower	Iris
Flag
Yurihonjō Government Office
Mayor	Hiroshi Yanagida
Address	〒015-8501 Yurihonjō-shi, Ozaki17
Phone number	0184-24-3321
Official website: City of Yurihonjō

Yurihonjō (由利本荘市, Yurihonjō-shi^?) is a city located in Akita, Japan.

The city was founded on March 22, 2005 from the merger of the former city of Honjo and the former towns of Chokai, Higashiyuri, Iwaki, Nishime, Ouchi, Yashima and Yuri.

As of July 2006, the city had an official population of 89,961 and a density of 75.76 persons per km². The total area is 1209.04 km².

1 Sightseeing spots
2 Honjō Marina & Koyoshi River
3 Events
4 Mount Chōkai
5 Local crafts, arts, and food
6 Hot springs and spas
7 Famous people from Yurihonjō

[edit] Sightseeing spots

Amasagi Village (天鷺村, Amasagi-mura^?)

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.
Akata Giant Buddha Statue (赤田大仏, Akata daibutsu^?)

A large standing Buddha statue.
Honjō Park (本荘公園, Honjō kōen^?)

Each year a large cherry blossom festival (April) and Azalea festival (May) take place here.
Yashio Park (八塩いこいの森, Yashio ikoi no mori^?)

This park is famous for its yellow cherry blossom trees and it holds a firework display in May during full bloom.
Hottai Waterfall (法体の滝, Hottai no taki^?)

A waterfall, grassy park, and hiking trails in the mountains near Mt. Chokai.
One Thousand Jizō (千体地蔵, Sentai Jizō^?)

One thousand stone statues line the side of a hill in Oriwatari, Ouchi. These statues wear a red bib, representing Jizō.

[edit] 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.

[edit] Events

Fireworks

Each area of Yurihonjō has its own fireworks festival in the summer each year. The most popular takes place on the beach in Michikawa.
Naked Festival (裸参り, hadaka matsuri^?)

This religious event takes place in January in which a group of men and boys walk through the snow to Shinzan Shrine.

[edit] Mount Chōkai

Mount Chōkai from the Foresta Chōkai approach.

Mount Chōkai (鳥海山, Chōkai-san^?) is an inactive volcano which stands alone on the border between Akita Prefecture and Yamagata Prefecture. It is 2236 metres 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. One trailhead is in Nikaho, Akita, south of Yurihonjō. There are bungalows and camping sites on the lower slopes of this trail. The other trailhead, Haraikawa (秡川, Haraikawa^?) is not far from Yashima Ski Area and Foresta Chokai. A one-way hike from the Yashima trailhead commonly takes 4 hours.

The mountain has its own unique Alpine plants and vegetation such as Chōkai Thistle (チョウカイアザミ, chōkai azami^?) or Chōkai Fusuma (チョウカイフスマ, Chōkai Fusuma^?).

[edit] Local crafts, arts, and food

Rice Wine Sake

There are four independent rice wine breweries in Yurihonjō: Akita Homare, Yuri Masamune, Tenju, and Dewanofuji.
Honjō Udon (, 本荘うどん^?)

dried noodles which are eaten hot or cold. The texture of Honjō Udon is tough.
Gotenmari ball (ごてんまり, Gotenmari ball^?)

these elaborate decorative balls are made from silk thread and are a popular souvenir of Yurihonjō.
Honjō Lacquer (本荘塗り, Honjō-nuri^?)

a number of craftsmen in Yurihonjō produce traditional lacquerware.
Honjō Oiwake (本荘追分, Honjō Oiwake^?)

this is a traditional folk song, known as min'yō, 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.
Mountain Vegetables (山菜, sansai^?)

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 Yamaudo (山ウド, Yamaudo^?), bamboo shoots (笹タケノコ, bamboo shoots^?) and warabi (ワラビ, warabi^?).

[edit] Hot springs and spas

There are comparatively many hot springs - known as onsen in Japanese - in Yurihonjō, including some large scale ones which also offer accommodation such as the Poporoko Hot Spring.

The Taki Onsen (滝温泉, Taki Onsen^?) in the Ouchi area is reputed to cure minor pains and many sufferers stay there long-term.

[edit] Famous people from Yurihonjō

Kanezō Muraoka (村岡兼造, Muraoka Kenzō^?), a leading politician in the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP). Served as Transport Minister and Government Spokesman.
Masaki Tsuchida (土田正顕, Tsuchida Masaki^?), the first head of the Tokyo Stock Exchange and later the Japan Tax Agency.
Mika Yamauchi (山内美加, Yamauchi Mika^?), an Olympic volleyball player.
Natsuki Katō (加藤夏希, Katō Natsuki^?), a current TV celebrity.
Satoshi Nibe (仁部智, Nibe Satoshi^?), a pitcher for Hiroshima Carp baseball team.