is a

city A city is a human settlement of a substantial size. The term "city" has different meanings around the world and in some places the settlement can be very small. Even where the term is limited to larger settlements, there is no universally agree ...

located in Fukui Prefecture,

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

. , the city had an estimated

population Population is a set of humans or other organisms in a given region or area. Governments conduct a census to quantify the resident population size within a given jurisdiction. The term is also applied to non-human animals, microorganisms, and pl ...

of 27,107 in 10,140 households and the

population density Population density (in agriculture: Standing stock (disambiguation), standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geog ...

of 232 persons per km². The total area of the city was . It is one of the few Hiragana cities in Japan. Awara is a city famous for its onsen resorts and natural hotwater springs.

Geography

Awara is located in far northern Fukui Prefecture, bordered by Ishikawa Prefecture to the north and 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 ...

to the northeast, The city of Sakai surrounds the city to the east, south and west.

Neighbouring municipalities

*Fukui Prefecture ** Sakai * Ishikawa Prefecture ** Kaga

Climate

Awara has a Humid climate (Köppen ''Cfa'') characterized by warm, wet summers and cold winters with heavy snowfall. The average annual temperature in Awara is 14.2 °C. The average annual rainfall is 2481 mm with September as the wettest month. The temperatures are highest on average in August, at around 26.8 °C, and lowest in January, at around 2.8 °C.

Demographics

Per Japanese census data,Awara population statistics
/ref> the population of Awara peaked around the year 2000 and has declined since.

History

Awara is part of ancient Echizen Province. During the

Edo period The , also known as the , is the period between 1600 or 1603 and 1868 in the history of Japan, when the country was under the rule of the Tokugawa shogunate and some 300 regional ''daimyo'', or feudal lords. Emerging from the chaos of the Sengok ...

, the area was divided between the holdings of Fukui Domain, Maruoka Domain and Nishio Domain. Following the

Meiji restoration The , referred to at the time as the , and also known as the Meiji Renovation, Revolution, Regeneration, Reform, or Renewal, was a political event that restored Imperial House of Japan, imperial rule to Japan in 1868 under Emperor Meiji. Althoug ...

, it was organised into part of Sakai District in Fukui Prefecture. Awara Onsen was developed from June 1884. With the establishment of the modern municipalities system on April 1, 1889, the town of Kanazu and villages of Awara, Ii, Tsuboe, Hosorogi, Yoshizaki, Kitagata and Honjō were established. Awara was raised to town status in February 1935. The villages of Ii, Tsuboe, Hosoroe, and Yoshizaki merged into Kanazu in October 1954, and Kitagata and Honsho were merged into Awara in March 1955. Most of Awara Onsen burned down in a fire in April 1956. Awara and Kanazu merged to form the city of Awara on March 1, 2004.

Government

Awara has a mayor-council form of government with a directly elected mayor and a unicameral city legislature of 18 members.

Economy

The economy of Awara is mixed, with agriculture and the tourism industry centered on Awara Onsen playing prominent roles. Hitachi Zosen Fukui Corporation, a hydraulic press manufacturer, is headquartered in Awara.

Education

Awara has seven public elementary schools and two middle schools operated by the city government, and one public high school operated by the Fukui Prefectural Board of Education.

High school

* Kanazu High School (金津高校)

Junior high schools

* Awara Junior High School (芦原中学校) * Kanazu Junior High School (金津中学校)

Elementary schools

* Awara Elementary School (芦原小学校) * Honjo Elementary School (本荘小学校) * Hosorogi Elementary School (細呂木小学校) * Ii Elementary School (伊井小学校) * Kanazu Elementary School (金津小学校) * Kanazu Higashi Elementary School (金津東小学校) * Kitagata Elementary School 北潟小学校)

Transportation

Railway

JR West , also referred to as , is one of the Japan Railways Group (JR Group) companies and operates in western Honshu. It has its headquarters in Kita-ku, Osaka. It is listed in the Tokyo Stock Exchange, is a constituent of the TOPIX Large70 index, ...

- Hokuriku Shinkansen ** * Echitetsu Logomark

Echizen Railway Mikuni Awara Line ** - - * Hapi-Line Fukui Logomark

Hapi-Line Fukui ** - -

Highway

* * *

International relations

* Shaoxing,

Zhejiang ) , translit_lang1_type2 = , translit_lang1_info2 = ( Hangzhounese) ( Ningbonese) (Wenzhounese) , image_skyline = 玉甑峰全貌 - panoramio.jpg , image_caption = View of the Yandang Mountains , image_map = Zhejiang i ...

, China, friendship city

Local attractions

* Awara Onsen * Echizen-Kaga Kaigan Quasi-National Park *site of Yoshizaki-gobō

References

External links

* * {{Authority control Cities in Fukui Prefecture Populated coastal places in Japan