Yurihonjō, Akita
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 Honjō and the former towns of Chōkai, Higashiyuri, Iwaki, Nishime, Ōuchi, Yashima and Yuri. 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 of 84,046 and a density of 69.5 persons per km². The total area is 1209.04 km².
Neighboring cities
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. Chōkai.
- One Thousand Jizō (千体地蔵, Sentai Jizō?)
- One thousand stone statues line the side of a hill in Oriwatari, Ōuchi. These statues wear a red bib, representing jizō.
- Yashima Ski Area (矢島スキー場, Yashima Sukī-jō?)
- A small but popular ski area on the lower slopes of the Mount Chōkai. It is especially popular with snowboarders.
- Minami Yurihara Highland (南由利原高原, Minami Yurihara Kōgen?)
- 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
- 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.
- Honjō has a wide beach with an adjacent yachting harbour.
Events
- A fireworks festival is held every summer near the mouth of the Koyoshi River.
- 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.
- 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
Mount Chōkai (鳥海山, Chōkai-san?) is an inactive volcano that stands alone on the border between Akita Prefecture and Yamagata Prefecture. 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, south of Yurihonjō. The other, in Yurihonjō, starts at the Haraikawa (秡川?) 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 Chōkai Thistle (チョウカイアザミ?) and Chōkai Fusuma (チョウカイフスマ?).
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.
- Gotenmari ball (ごてんまり, Gotenmari?)
- 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.
- 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?), bamboo shoots (笹タケノコ, sasa takenoko?) and warabi (ワラビ?).
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.
- Taki Hot Spring (滝温泉, Taki Onsen?) in the Ōuchi area is reputed to cure minor pains and many sufferers stay there long-term.
Famous people from Yurihonjō
- Kanezō Muraoka (村岡兼造?), a leading politician in the Liberal Democratic Party. Served as Transport Minister and Government Spokesman.
- Masaki Tsuchida (土田正顕?), the first head of the Tokyo Stock Exchange and later the Japan Tax Agency.
- Mika Yamauchi (山内美加?), an Olympic volleyball player.
- Natsuki Katō (加藤夏希?), a current TV celebrity.
- Satoshi Nibe (仁部智?), a pitcher for Hiroshima Carp baseball team.
Twin Cities
Yurihonjō is twinned with three foreign cities: