270px, Aya from Aya Castle
270px, Aya Castle
is a
town
A town is a type of a human settlement, generally larger than a village but smaller than a city.
The criteria for distinguishing a town vary globally, often depending on factors such as population size, economic character, administrative stat ...
located in
Higashimorokata District,
Miyazaki Prefecture
is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located on the island of Kyūshū. Miyazaki Prefecture has a population of 1,028,215 as of 1 January 2025 and has a geographic area of 7,735 Square kilometre, km2 (2,986 sq mi). Miyazaki Prefectur ...
,
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 town 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 6,713 in 2861 households, and a
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 71 persons per km
2.
The total area of the town is .
Geography
Aya is located in the midwestern part of Miyazaki Prefecture. The southern part is the western edge of the Miyazaki Plain, and the northern part is the
Kyushu Mountains
Kyushu Mountains () is a mountain range that runs from northeast to southwest in central Kyushu.
The highest peak of the mountain range is Mount Sobo
is one of the 100 Famous Japanese Mountains. The mountain lies on the border of Taketa, � ...
, which are steep and home to one of the largest evergreen forests in Japan. Much of the town is within the borders of the
Kyūshū Chūō Sanchi Quasi-National Park.
Neighbouring municipalities
* Miyazaki Prefecture
**
Kobayashi
Kobayashi (Japanese language, Japanese: , 'small woods') is the 8th most common Japanese surname. A less common variant is . Notable people with the surname include:
Arts
Film, television, theater and music
*, Japanese actress and voice a ...
**
Kunitomi
**
Miyazaki
**
Nishimera
Climate
Aya has a
humid subtropical climate
A humid subtropical climate is a subtropical -temperate climate type, characterized by long and hot summers, and cool to mild winters. These climates normally lie on the southeast side of all continents (except Antarctica), generally between ...
(Köppen ''Cfa'') characterized by warm summers and cool winters with light to no snowfall. The average annual temperature in Aya is 16.3 °C. The average annual rainfall is 2309 mm with September as the wettest month. The temperatures are highest on average in August, at around 26.0 °C, and lowest in January, at around 6.2 °C.
Demographics
Per Japanese census data, the population of Aya is as shown below
History
The area of Aya was part of ancient
Hyūga Province
was a province of Japan in the area of southeastern Kyūshū, corresponding to modern Miyazaki Prefecture Hyūga bordered on Ōsumi to the south, Higo to the west, and Bungo to the north. Its abbreviated form name was , although it was als ...
. The area was under the control of the
Itō clan from
Kamakura period
The is a period of History of Japan, Japanese history that marks the governance by the Kamakura shogunate, officially established in 1192 in Kamakura, Kanagawa, Kamakura by the first ''shōgun'' Minamoto no Yoritomo after the conclusion of the G ...
to the end of the
Sengoku period, and came under the control of
Satsuma Domain
The , briefly known as the , was a Han system, domain (''han'') of the Tokugawa shogunate of Japan during the Edo period from 1600 to 1871.
The Satsuma Domain was based at Kagoshima Castle in Satsuma Province, the core of the modern city of ...
under 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 ...
Tokugawa shogunate
The Tokugawa shogunate, also known as the was the military government of Japan during the Edo period from 1603 to 1868.
The Tokugawa shogunate was established by Tokugawa Ieyasu after victory at the Battle of Sekigahara, ending the civil wars ...
. The town developed as a ''
jōkamachi
The were centres of the domains of the feudal lords in medieval Japan. The ''jōkamachi'' represented the new, concentrated military power of the daimyo in which the formerly decentralized defence resources were concentrated around a single, cent ...
'' around
Aya Castle. The village of Aya within
Higashimorokata District, Miyazaki was established on May 1, 1889 with the creation of the modern municipalities system. It was raised to town status on October 1, 1932.
Government
Aya has a
mayor-council form of government with a directly elected mayor and a
unicameral
Unicameralism (from ''uni''- "one" + Latin ''camera'' "chamber") is a type of legislature consisting of one house or assembly that legislates and votes as one. Unicameralism has become an increasingly common type of legislature, making up nearly ...
town council of ten members. Aya, collectively with the town of Kunitomi, constributes one member to the Miyazaki Prefectural Assembly. In terms of national politics, the town is part of the
Miyazaki 1st district of the
lower house
A lower house is the lower chamber of a bicameral legislature, where the other chamber is the upper house. Although styled as "below" the upper house, in many legislatures worldwide, the lower house has come to wield more power or otherwise e ...
of the
Diet of Japan
, transcription_name = ''Kokkai''
, legislature = 215th Session of the National Diet
, coa_pic = Flag of Japan.svg
, house_type = Bicameral
, houses =
, foundation=29 November 1890(), leader1_type ...
.
Economy
Agriculture is the backbone of the town, and the town's organic farming (called "natural ecosystem agriculture" in Aya) has become the town's brand. Livestock products such as Aya beef and Aya pork are also promoted under this brand. The Aya Town Agricultural Support Center, established by the town and the agricultural cooperative (JA Aya), has a "helper team" of 20 people who are responsible for heavy work that is difficult for elderly farmers and for developing sales channels Taking advantage of the evergreen forest, a variety of handicrafts are produced, including dyeing and weaving using plant dyes, wood and bamboo crafts using locally produced wood, pottery using local soil, and glass crafts using nature as motifs. In addition, because the area produces high-quality mulberry wood, which is essential for
Go and
Shogi
, also known as Japanese chess, is a Strategy game, strategy board game for two players. It is one of the most popular board games in Japan and is in the same family of games as chess, Western chess, chaturanga, xiangqi, Indian chess, and janggi. ...
boards, with products made in Aya especially prized for use in title tournaments. Aya's town constitution gives it one of the tightest recycling policies in Japan. It is included into
Aya Biosphere Reserve transition zone.
Education
Aya has one public elementary school and one public junior high school operated by the town government. The town does not have a high school.
Transportation
Railways
Aya does not have any passenger railway service. The nearest train station is
Miyazaki Station on the
JR Kyushu
The , also referred to as , is one of the seven constituent companies of Japan Railways Group (JR Group). It operates intercity rail services within Kyushu, Japan. It formerly operated the Beetle hydrofoil service across the Tsushima Strait be ...
Nippō Main Line
The is a railway line in Kyushu, in southern Japan, operated by Kyushu Railway Company (JR Kyushu). Also known as the Fukuhoku Nippo Line, The line connects Kokura Station in Kitakyushu, Fukuoka, and Kagoshima Station in Kagoshima, Kagoshima, K ...
.
Highways
Aya is not located on any national highway or expressway. The nearest expressway interchanges are the Kunitomi Smart Interchange, Miyazaki Nishi Interchange, Saito Interchange (all on the
Higashikyushu Expressway), or Kobayashi Interchange (on the
Miyazaki Expressway).
Local attractions
*
Aya Castle
*
Kyūshū Chūō Sanchi Quasi-National Park
References
External links
*
Aya official website
{{Miyazaki
Towns in Miyazaki Prefecture