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

Shimane Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan located in the Chūgoku region of Honshu. Shimane Prefecture is the second-least populous prefecture of Japan at 665,205 (February 1, 2021) and has a geographic area of 6,708.26 km2. Shimane Prefecture borders Yamaguc ...

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 ...

. It is the third largest city in the

prefecture A prefecture (from the Latin ''Praefectura'') is an administrative jurisdiction traditionally governed by an appointed prefect. This can be a regional or local government subdivision in various countries, or a subdivision in certain international ...

and is located at the southwestern end of the prefecture. It is a

coastal The coast, also known as the coastline or seashore, is defined as the area where land meets the ocean, or as a line that forms the boundary between the land and the coastline. The Earth has around of coastline. Coasts are important zones in ...

city on the

Sea of Japan The Sea of Japan is the marginal sea between the Japanese archipelago, Sakhalin, the Korean Peninsula, and the mainland of the Russian Far East. The Japanese archipelago separates the sea from the Pacific Ocean. Like the Mediterranean Sea, it h ...

and possesses beautiful white sand beaches, which make the city a popular destination for local tourists in the summer. Hamada is a small city around 1 hour 40 minutes by expressway to

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 ...

. The city was founded on November 3, 1940. On October 1, 2005, the towns of

Asahi Asahi (朝日, 旭, or あさひ) means "morning sun" in Japanese and may refer to: Cities * Asahi, Chiba (旭市; ''Asahi-shi'') Wards * Asahi-ku, Osaka (旭区; ''Asahi-ku'') * Asahi-ku, Yokohama (旭; ''Asahi-ku'') Towns * Asahi, Aichi (旭� ...

, Kanagi and Misumi, and the village of Yasaka (all from Naka District) were merged into Hamada. Therefore, Naka District was dissolved as a result of this merger. As of March 2017, Hamada City has an estimated

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 57,142, with roughly 43,000 people living in the coastal urban 'city' area. The prefectural

university A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, t ...

( The University of Shimane) is located in Hamada, as is the Institute for Northeast Asian Research. Hamada is one of the few cities in the region to possess a heavy tonnage shipping

port A port is a maritime facility comprising one or more wharves or loading areas, where ships load and discharge cargo and passengers. Although usually situated on a sea coast or estuary, ports can also be found far inland, such as Ham ...

. The Hamada commercial port can accept vessels up to a maximum of .1
/sup>

Geography

Climate

Hamada 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 The Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by German-Russian climatologist Wladimir Köppen (1846–1940) in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen, notabl ...

''Cfa''). It experiences a wide range in temperature between summer and winter but due to its location it is saved from the extreme winter cold in the north and prolonged summer heat in the south. In summer the temperature gets as high as with high humidity and in winter it can drop to . The coastal main city of Hamada occasionally gets snowfall in the winter. The mountainous areas of Hamada inland to the east receive high levels of snowfall and are home to some of the best ski resorts in the area. Late spring/early summer is the rainy season with frequent light showers throughout the day. Spring and Autumn in Hamada provide warm, sunny weather with a very comfortable temperature. Due to its location on the western seaboard of Japan, Hamada is relatively free from weather extremes such as typhoons or flooding. Hamada is also not located near a fault line and the occurrence of strong earthquakes in Shimane is rare.

Demographics

Per Japanese census data, the population of Hamada in 2020 is 54,592 people. Hamada has been conducting censuses since 1920.

Education

Hamada has 26 elementary schools, 9 junior high schools and 3 senior high schools throughout the city area.

Tourism

Sights

* Aquas is on the outskirts of the city. It is the largest

aquarium An aquarium (plural: ''aquariums'' or ''aquaria'') is a vivarium of any size having at least one transparent side in which aquatic plants or animals are kept and displayed. Fishkeepers use aquaria to keep fish, invertebrates, amphibians, aq ...

in western

Honshū , historically called , is the largest and most populous island of Japan. It is located south of Hokkaidō across the Tsugaru Strait, north of Shikoku across the Inland Sea, and northeast of Kyūshū across the Kanmon Straits. The island separa ...

. * The Hamada Museum of Children's Art is located about one mile from the city center. Its exhibits include artwork by children from around the world and artwork of interest to children. Their programs include technical art classes and art history workshops for children of all ages. * The ruins of Hamada castle are situated on the top of a hill near the centre of town. Hamada Castle was built in 1620, and destroyed towards the end of the

Tokugawa Shogunate The Tokugawa shogunate (, Japanese 徳川幕府 ''Tokugawa bakufu''), also known as the , was the military government of Japan during the Edo period from 1603 to 1868. Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005)"''Tokugawa-jidai''"in ''Japan Encyclopedia ...

.History
From the top of the ruins, visitors can see extensive views of Hamada city and the coast. * Iwami Seaside Park is a large beach located near Aquas with cabins, barbecue areas, and rental facilities.

Culture

Yearly festivals

International relations

Twin towns — Sister cities

Hamada is twinned with: *

Shizuishan Shizuishan, formerly Shizuizi, is a prefecture-level city in the Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region of the People's Republic of China. It is the northernmost prefecture in Ningxia and the second most populous, after the regional capital Yinchuan, bord ...

, China *

Pohang Pohang () is a city in the province of North Gyeongsang, South Korea, and a main seaport in the Daegu-Gyeongbuk region. The built-up area of Pohang is located on the alluvium of the mouth of the Hyeongsan River. The city is divided into two wa ...

, South Korea

References

External links

Hamada City official website
. (There is an English page link from the Japanese page, but it has less information.)

Hamada International Association homepage
(slightly out of date)

Aquas Aquarium
English version available.
Iwami Seaside Park
About the park and its facilities. {{Authority control Cities in Shimane Prefecture Port settlements in Japan Populated coastal places in Japan