Hitoyoshi (人吉市, Hitoyoshi-shi) is a city in Kumamoto Prefecture, Japan. The city was founded on February 11, 1942.[citation needed] As of October 2016, the city has an estimated population of 33,461 and a population density of 160 persons per km2. The total area is 210.55 km2.[citation needed]
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![]() | This article may be expanded with text translated from the corresponding article in Japanese. (January 2022) Click [show] for important translation instructions.
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Hitoyoshi
人吉市 | |
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City | |
![]() 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 | |
Country | Japan |
Region | Kyushu |
Prefecture | Kumamoto Prefecture |
Government | |
• Mayor | Hayato Matsuoka |
Area | |
• Total | 210.55 km2 (81.29 sq mi) |
Population (October 1, 2016) | |
• Total | 33,461 |
• Density | 160/km2 (410/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 |
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.
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.[1] 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.
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) |
Average high °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) |
Average low °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[2][3] |
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.
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