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 the central part of Tottori 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 ...

. As of October 1, 2016, the city has an estimated population of 48,558 and a population density of 180 persons per km², making it the third largest city in Tottori. The total area is 272.15 km². The ancient provincial government of

Hoki province Hoki can mean: *Hōki Province, was an old province of Japan, today part of the Tottori Prefecture *Hōki, Tottori, a town in Japan *Hōki, a Japanese era name from 770 through 781 *Hoki (fish), another name for blue grenadier, a merluccid hake of ...

was located in this area, and in medieval times Uchikoshiyama (a hill) featured a castle. Today the remnants of the provincial government and two monasteries can still be seen in the city. Kurayoshi was officially founded on October 1, 1953 though historical Kurayoshi predates this foundation and the grid outline of the streets reflects a certain amount of Edo Period planning. Additionally there are many 'soil lacquered' warehouses (''dozo'', 土蔵) that survive, 'soil lacquering' being a traditional Japanese style of architecture. On March 22, 2005 the town of Sekigane (from

Tōhaku District is a Districts of Japan, district located in Tottori Prefecture, Japan. As of 2003, the district has an estimated population of 65,944 and a population density, density of 109.54 persons per km2. The total area is 602.02 km2. Towns and vil ...

) was merged into Kurayoshi.

Etymology

The name of Kurayoshi in the Japanese language is formed from two kanji characters. The first, , means " warehouse", a historical feature of the city, and the second, means "good" or "good

fortune Fortune may refer to: General * Fortuna or Fortune, the Roman goddess of luck * Luck * Wealth * Fortune, a prediction made in fortune-telling * Fortune, in a fortune cookie Arts and entertainment Film and television * ''The Fortune'' (1931 film) ...

Geography

Kurayoshi forms a major part of the . The plain supports the agriculture of the region, and is a major center of rice and pears, as well as grapes in the sandy areas near the Sea of Japan coast.

Climate

Kurayoshi has a Humid climate (Köppen ''Cfa'') characterized by warm, wet summers and cold winters with heavy snowfall. The average annual temperature in Kurayoshi is . The average annual rainfall is with September as the wettest month. The temperatures are highest on average in August, at around , and lowest in January, at around . Its record high is , reached on 20 July 2018, and its record low is , reached on 6 February 2018.

Parks

Kurayoshi Park Square, a local development featuring museums, conference rooms, a music hall, restaurants, and park space, remains a popular meeting place. Nearby Utsubuki park is known throughout the prefecture as one of the best places to view

cherry blossom A cherry blossom, also known as Japanese cherry or sakura, is a flower of many trees of genus ''Prunus'' or ''Prunus'' subg. ''Cerasus''. They are common species in East Asia, including China, Korea and especially in Japan. They generally ...

s in spring. The park also features sports fields and a small animal zoo.

Transportation

The San'in train line operated by JR West serves the city from

Kurayoshi Station is a passenger railway station located in the city of Kurayoshi, Tottori Prefecture, Japan. It is operated by the West Japan Railway Company (JR West). Lines Kurayoshi Station is served by the San'in Main Line, and is located 270.1 kilomet ...

and provides a connection to other major cities in Tottori, as well as cities in other regions like Kyoto or Osaka. There are also highway bus connections to

Kobe Kobe ( , ; officially , ) is the capital city of Hyōgo Prefecture Japan. With a population around 1.5 million, Kobe is Japan's seventh-largest city and the third-largest port city after Tokyo and Yokohama. It is located in Kansai region, whic ...

, Osaka,

Hiroshima is the capital of Hiroshima Prefecture in Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 1,199,391. The gross domestic product (GDP) in Greater Hiroshima, Hiroshima Urban Employment Area, was US$61.3 billion as of 2010. Kazumi Matsui h ...

, Fukuoka and Tokyo. Tottori Airport is the nearest airport to Kurayoshi.

Surrounding Municipalities

* Tottori Prefecture ** Hokuei ** Yurihama, Tottori, Yurihama ** Misasa, Tottori, Misasa ** Kōfu, Tottori, Kōfu ** Kotoura, Tottori, Kotoura * Okayama Prefecture ** Maniwa, Okayama, Maniwa

International relations

Twin towns — Sister cities

Kurayoshi is Twin towns and sister cities, twinned with: * Matsudo, Chiba, Japan (2004) * Naju, South Korea

Gallery

File:Kurayoshi Utsubuki-Tamagawa17nt3200.jpg, Dozo (土蔵) (Utsubuki-tamagawa) File:Kurayoshi Park Square04n4592.jpg, Kurayoshi Park Square File:Kurayoshi01n4592.jpg, Traditional weaving

References

External links

Kurayoshi City official website
{{Authority control Kurayoshi, Tottori, Cities in Tottori Prefecture