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

Fukuoka Prefecture is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located on the island of Kyūshū. Fukuoka Prefecture has a population of 5,109,323 (1 June 2019) and has a geographic area of 4,986 Square kilometre, km2 (1,925 sq mi). Fukuoka Prefecture borders S ...

, Japan. As of April 30, 2011, the city has an estimated population of 71,848, with 24,507 households and a population density of 934.55 persons per km². The total area is 76.88 km².City of Yanagawa
/ref> On March 21, 2005 the towns of

Yamato was originally the area around today's Sakurai City in Nara Prefecture of Japan, which became Yamato Province and by extension a name for the whole of Japan. Yamato is also the dynastic name of the ruling Imperial House of Japan. Japanese his ...

and

Mitsuhashi Mitsuhashi (written: 三橋 lit. "three bridges") is a Japanese surname. Notable people with the surname include: *, Japanese field hockey player *, Japanese volleyball player *, Japanese entomologist *, Japanese voice actress *, Japanese badminton ...

(both from Yamato District) were merged into Yanagawa. Yanagawa is popular with Japanese tourists because of its 470 km of wide

canal Canals or artificial waterways are waterways or engineered channels built for drainage management (e.g. flood control and irrigation) or for conveyancing water transport vehicles (e.g. water taxi). They carry free, calm surface flow un ...

s. Yanagawa riverboats, called "donkobune", are used to take tourists around the city. In 1987 a video documentary was created by

Studio Ghibli is a Japanese animation studio headquartered in Koganei, Tokyo."Studio Ghibli Collection - Madman Entertainment". ''Studio Ghibli Collection - Madman Entertainment''. Retrieved 2020-12-14. It is best known for its animated feature films, and ha ...

about these canals and their restoration. is widely available and includes English subtitles. Yanagawa was originally constructed in the mid-16th century by the Kamachi clan. Before then, it had been a traditional farming village, with the canals used for irrigation;

Tanaka Yoshimasa is the fourth most common Japanese surname. It is typically written with the kanji for . Less common variants include , , , , and . People with the surname *, Japanese musician formerly known as Boku no Lyric no Bōyomi *, Japanese voice actres ...

(Japanese: 田中吉政; 1548 – 1609) ordered the canals to be maintained and built a castle in Yanagawa, which is still maintained today. The modern city was founded on April 1, 1952. Yanagawa is the birthplace of

Kitahara Hakushu Kitahara (written: ) is a Japanese surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Hakushū Kitahara or Kitahara Ryūkichi (1885–1942), Japanese tanka poet * Kana Kitahara (born 1988), Japanese footballer * Kenji Kitahara (born 1976), former ...

, a

Meiji era The is an era of Japanese history that extended from October 23, 1868 to July 30, 1912. The Meiji era was the first half of the Empire of Japan, when the Japanese people moved from being an isolated feudal society at risk of colonization b ...

poet and writer of children's songs. An annual three-day festival is held every November in Yanagawa complete with poetry readings, fireworks, music, and a great number of evening boat rides. During this festival, most activities begin from Shimohyaku Town and center at the Hiyoshi Shinto Shrine. In addition, Hakushu's birth house is located in Yanagawa and open to the public for tours. The Yanagawa Municipal Folk Museum is mainly dedicated to preservation of Hakushu-sensei's works and memorabilia. During the months of March and April, Yanagawa also plays host to a number of festivals, most notably

Hinamatsuri , also called Doll's Day or Girls' Day, is a religious (Shinto) holiday in Japan, celebrated on 3March of each year. Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric (2005)"Hina Matsuri"in ''Japan Encyclopedia'', p. 313. Platforms covered with a red carpet–mater ...

or Girls' Festival on March 3. A great number of finely crafted

Heian era The is the last division of classical Japanese history, running from 794 to 1185. It followed the Nara period, beginning when the 50th emperor, Emperor Kanmu, moved the capital of Japan to Heian-kyō (modern Kyoto). means "peace" in Japanese. ...

styled dolls are placed on display in a number of private homes, shops, and businesses throughout the city. During this time, a number of local citizens actually open up their homes to the public, allowing people to come and see their elaborate decorations and displays.

References

External links

*
Yanagawa City official website

* ttp://www.ohana.co.jp/ Official website of the Ohana Villa in Yanagawa; a popular local attraction
A local guide for English speakers visiting the Yanagawa area (archive)
{{Authority control Cities in Fukuoka Prefecture