is a

town A town is a human settlement. Towns are generally larger than villages and smaller than cities, though the criteria to distinguish between them vary considerably in different parts of the world. Origin and use The word "town" shares an ori ...

located in Yazu District,

Tottori Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan located in the Chūgoku region of Honshu. Tottori Prefecture is the least populous prefecture of Japan at 570,569 (2016) and has a geographic area of . Tottori Prefecture borders Shimane Prefecture to the west, Hirosh ...

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 ...

. As of October 1, 2015, the town has a

population Population typically refers to the number of people in a single area, whether it be a city or town, region, country, continent, or the world. Governments typically quantify the size of the resident population within their jurisdiction using a ...

of 16,985 and a

density Density (volumetric mass density or specific mass) is the substance's mass per unit of volume. The symbol most often used for density is ''ρ'' (the lower case Greek letter rho), although the Latin letter ''D'' can also be used. Mathematical ...

of . The total area is . Yazu was formed on March 31, 2005, by the merger of the towns of Funaoka, Hattō and Kōge, all from Yazu District.

Geography

Yazu is located to the far east of Tottori Prefecture. Its highest peak is Ōginosen (), which is located on the border of the city of Tottori, the towns of Misasa and Chizu, as well as Shin'onsen in

Hyōgo Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan located in the Kansai region of Honshu. Hyōgo Prefecture has a population of 5,469,762 () and has a geographic area of . Hyōgo Prefecture borders Kyoto Prefecture to the east, Osaka Prefecture to the southeast, an ...

. Ōginosen is part of the Daisen Volcanic Belt. The mountain is part of

Hyōnosen-Ushiroyama-Nagisan Quasi-National Park is a Quasi-National Park in Hyōgo Prefecture, Tottori Prefecture, and Okayama Prefecture, Japan. It was founded on 10 April 1969 and has an area of . Overview Hyōnosen-Ushiroyama-Nagisan Kokutei Kōen comprises three areas of the Chūgoku Mo ...

, and has facilities for

skiing Skiing is the use of skis to glide on snow. Variations of purpose include basic transport, a recreational activity, or a competitive winter sport. Many types of competitive skiing events are recognized by the International Olympic Committee (IO ...

and

camping Camping is an outdoor activity involving overnight stays away from home, either without shelter or using basic shelter such as a tent, or a recreational vehicle. Typically, participants leave developed areas to spend time outdoors in more nat ...

. The Hattō River (), the largest

tributary A tributary, or affluent, is a stream or river that flows into a larger stream or main stem (or parent) river or a lake. A tributary does not flow directly into a sea or ocean. Tributaries and the main stem river drain the surrounding drainage ...

of the

Sendai River The is a river in eastern Tottori Prefecture, Japan. The Sendai is in length and has a drainage area of . The source of the river is in the Chūgoku Mountains. The Sendai flows north through Tottori Prefecture into the Sea of Japan. Under the Ri ...

, flows through Yazu, as does a smaller tributary, the Kisaichi River (), which traces its origin to Ōginosen.

Neighbouring municipalities

Chizu This list of ''Usagi Yojimbo'' characters features characters from the '' Usagi Yojimbo'' comic book. Major characters * Miyamoto Usagi – Miyamoto Usagi is the titular character (inspired by Miyamoto Musashi) and an anthropomorphic rabbit (''Us ...

** Tottori ** Wakasa

Parks

, founded on April 10, 1969, spans across

, and

Okayama Prefecture is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located in the Chūgoku region of Honshu. Okayama Prefecture has a population of 1,906,464 (1 February 2018) and has a geographic area of 7,114 Square kilometre, km2 (2,746 sq mi). Okayama Prefectur ...

. Much of the area of the town of Yazu is included in the quasi-national park.

Demography

Per Japanese census data, the population of Yazu in recent years is as follows:

Government

Yazu is governed by an 18-person town council, headed by a chairperson and vice-chairperson. Makoto Hiraki has served as mayor of Yazu since the founding of the town in 2005. Yazu maintains a municipal board of education, as well as a police and fire department.

References

External links

*
Yazu official website
{{Authority control Towns in Tottori Prefecture