is a
city
A city is a human settlement of notable size.Goodall, B. (1987) ''The Penguin Dictionary of Human Geography''. London: Penguin.Kuper, A. and Kuper, J., eds (1996) ''The Social Science Encyclopedia''. 2nd edition. London: Routledge. It can be def ...
located in
Mie Prefecture,
Japan
Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...
. , the city had an estimated
population of 16,910 in 9177 households and a
population density of 88 persons per km
2.
The total area of the city was .
Geography
Owase is located in southeastern
Kii Peninsula, in southern Mie Prefecture, facing the Gulf of Kumano the
Pacific Ocean. Ninety percent of the city area is forested or coastal
rias. Sandwiched between mountains and the offshore
Kuroshio Current, the area is noted for very heavy rainfall from spring through autumn. More than 80% of the population is concentrated in former Osawe town, on the coast.
Neighboring municipalities
Mie Prefecture
*
Kumano
*
Kihoku
Nara Prefecture
*
Kamikitayama
Climate
Owase has a
humid subtropical climate
A humid subtropical climate is a zone of climate characterized by hot and humid summers, and cool to mild winters. These climates normally lie on the southeast side of all continents (except Antarctica), generally between latitudes 25° and 40° ...
(
Köppen climate classification ''Cfa''), with comfortable spring and autumn seasons, and warm winters with practically no snow. The warm
Kuroshio Current makes its closest contact with the Japanese coast at Owase, and combined with the high mountains falling almost to the sea, this gives Owase an extremely heavy annual rainfall of , which is the highest in the world at low altitudes in subtropical and warm temperate latitudes. Only certain parts of southern
Chile, coastal
British Columbia and the
Adriatic Sea coast have as much rain at low elevations outside the tropics. In addition,
typhoons often pass Owase in summer.
Despite the excessive wetness of the climate, summers are no more uncomfortable or humid than in the rest of southern Japan: indeed humidity is marginally lower than on cities close to the
Seto Inland Sea
The , sometimes shortened to the Inland Sea, is the body of water separating Honshū, Shikoku, and Kyūshū, three of the four main islands of Japan. It serves as a waterway connecting the Pacific Ocean to the Sea of Japan. It connects to Osaka ...
or on the southern
Sea of Japan.
Demographics
Per Japanese census data,
Owase population statistics
/ref> the population of Owase has decreased steadily over the past 40 years.
History
The area of present-day Owase was part of ancient Shima Province
was a Provinces of Japan, province of Japan which consisted of a peninsula in the southeastern part of modern Mie Prefecture.Louis-Frédéric, Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005). "''Shima''" in . Its abbreviated name was . Shima bordered on Ise ...
, but was transferred to Kii Province in 1582. During this time, large-scale forestry projects were begun. After the Meiji restoration, the area became part of Mie Prefecture. The town of Owase was established on April 1, 1889, within Kitamuro District of Mie Prefecture with the creation of the modern municipalities system.
The city of Owase was established on June 20, 1954, by the merger of the town of Owase with the surrounding villages of Sugari and Kuki and the villages of Kitawauchi and Minamiwauchi (both from Minamimuro District).
Government
Owase has a mayor-council form of government with a directly elected mayor and a unicameral city council of 10 members. Owase, collectively with the towns of Kihoku, contributes two members to the Mie Prefectural Assembly. In terms of national politics, the city is part of Mie 4th district of the lower house
A lower house is one of two Debate chamber, chambers of a Bicameralism, bicameral legislature, the other chamber being the upper house. Despite its official position "below" the upper house, in many legislatures worldwide, the lower house has co ...
of the Diet of Japan
The is the national legislature of Japan. It is composed of a lower house, called the House of Representatives (, ''Shūgiin''), and an upper house, the House of Councillors (, '' Sangiin''). Both houses are directly elected under a paralle ...
.
Economy
Due to its location, Owase is mainly supported by its commercial fishery
Commercial fishing is the activity of catching fish and other seafood for commercial profit, mostly from wild fisheries. It provides a large quantity of food to many countries around the world, but those who practice it as an industry must often p ...
and forestry industries. Yellowtail, amberjack, Japanese horse mackerel, sauries
Sauries are fish of the family Scomberesocidae. There are two genera, each containing two species. The name Scomberesocidae is derived from the ''scomber'', which in turn is derived from the Greek ''skombros'', meaning "mackerel", and the Latin ...
, sea bream
The Sparidae are a family of fish in the order Perciformes, commonly called sea breams and porgies. The sheepshead, scup, and red seabream are species in this family. Most sparids are deep-bodied compressed fish with a small mouth separated by a ...
and bonito
Bonitos are a tribe of medium-sized, ray-finned predatory fish in the family Scombridae – a family it shares with the mackerel, tuna, and Spanish mackerel tribes, and also the butterfly kingfish. Also called the tribe Sardini, it consists of ...
are among the fish landed at Owase. Japanese cypress
''Chamaecyparis obtusa'' (Japanese cypress, hinoki cypress or hinoki; ja, 檜 or , ) is a species of cypress native to central Japan in East Asia, and widely cultivated in the temperate northern hemisphere for its high-quality timber and orname ...
and cryptomeria trees are found in abundance here in the mountains.
Education
Owase has five public elementary schools and two public middle schools operated by the city government and one public high school operated by the Mie Prefectural Department of Education. The prefecture also operates one special education school for the handicapped..
Transportation
Railway
JR Tōkai – Kisei Main Line
* - - - -
Highway
* 24px, link=, alt=E42 Kisei Expressway
The is a national expressway in Japan. It is owned and operated by Central Nippon Expressway Company.
Naming
The name is a kanji acronym consisting of characters found in the former names of the provinces linked by the expressway. consists ...
*
*
*
Port
*Owase Port
Local attractions
* - Sengoku period Japanese castle site, now a park.
* - a popular hiking trails on the Kumano Kodo - Ise-ji Route. There is a hiking trail which leads to Mt. Tengura, overlooking Owase City. For more information, visi
* Kumano Kodo Centre - Constructed entirely from cypress wood, the Kumano Kodo Centre features the origins and history of the Kumano Kodo pilgrimage route. A playground, also made entirely from cypress, is located near the centre.
* Yume Kodo - an onsen
In Japan, are the country's hot springs and the bathing facilities and traditional inns around them. As a volcanically active country, Japan has many onsens scattered throughout all of its major islands. There are approximately 25,000 hot ...
located near the Kumano Kodo Centre. The facility features deep sea water onsen, which has healing properties, as well as sauna rooms.
* - a Shinto shrine
A is a structure whose main purpose is to house ("enshrine") one or more ''kami'', the deities of the Shinto religion.
Overview
Structurally, a Shinto shrine typically comprises several buildings.
The '' honden''Also called (本殿, meani ...
noted for an ancient, sacred tree over 1,000 years old and as the venue for the annual Ya Ya Matsuri.
* - Buddhist temple built during the Edo period with two fierce-looking deity statues guarding the entrance. It is located just adjacent to the Owase Jinja.
* - A beautiful white sandy beach, with clear turquoise waters located near the train station.
* - a fishing village located in eastern Owase, best accessed by a 20-minute ferry ride from Owase
* - a fishing village
Festivals & Events
* – farmers market held the first Saturday morning of every month, featuring stalls selling Owase's local produce such as fresh seafood, dried fish, sea salt, jam etc. along with special performances by the locals.
* – the largest festival in Owase, held annually on 1–5 February. In the evenings of 2-4 February, men parade around the streets, jostling each other and chanting "Ya Ya" while drinking sake before the "chosen" ones dive into the sea to purify themselves. The festival ends off with a day-long street parade on the 5th featuring dance performances and an archery contest at Owase Jinja.
* – a summer festival held on the first Saturday in August with a fireworks display.
* – held on 15 September annually, beginning with a day-long parade culminating at the local Hachiman Jinja
Sister city relations
* – Prince Rupert, British Columbia, Canada, since September 26, 1968
* – Jinzhou District
Jinzhou District () is one of the seven districts of Dalian, Liaoning province, People's Republic of China. It is located about northeast of the city centre and facing the Bohai Sea to the west as well as the Korea Bay to the east and has a long ...
, Dalian
Dalian () is a major sub-provincial port city in Liaoning province, People's Republic of China, and is Liaoning's second largest city (after the provincial capital Shenyang) and the third-most populous city of Northeast China. Located on the ...
, Liaoning
Liaoning () is a coastal province in Northeast China that is the smallest, southernmost, and most populous province in the region. With its capital at Shenyang, it is located on the northern shore of the Yellow Sea, and is the northernmost ...
, China,[ since July 8, 2007
]
Notable people
*Hideo Fukuyama
is a Japanese racing driver. A former competitor at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, he attempted to compete in the NASCAR Winston Cup Series in the early 2000s, but only qualified for four races before leaving the series. He was the first Japanese driv ...
, professional race car driver
References
External links
*
Owase sightseeing page
*
{{Authority control
Cities in Mie Prefecture
Port settlements in Japan
Populated coastal places in Japan
Owase, Mie