270px, Kanoya City Hall is a city in

Kagoshima Prefecture is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located on the island of Kyushu and the Ryukyu Islands. Kagoshima Prefecture has a population of 1,527,019 (1 February 2025) and has a geographic area of 9,187 Square kilometre, km2 (3,547 Square m ...

, Japan. , 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 98,367 in 46114 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 100 persons per km². The total area of the city is . Kanoya is also popularly called the "Town of Roses".

Geography

Kanoya is located approximately at the heart of

Ōsumi Peninsula image:Osumi Peninsula Kagoshima Japan SRTM.jpg, 261x261px, Satellite image of Ōsumi Peninsula The projects south from the Japanese island of Kyūshū and includes the southernmost point on the island, Cape Sata. Its east coast lies on the Pacifi ...

with its city limits running approximately east and west and north and south. The Takakuma Mountains stretch out into the northwestern part of the city and the Kimotsuki Mountains in the southeast. Between both mountain ranges lie the Kasanohara and Kanoyahara plateaus. The Kimotsuki Plains spread through the alluvial plains of the Kimotsuki River that runs through central Kanoya. In the western part of the city is Kinkō Bay (part of

Kagoshima Bay also known as Kinkō Bay, is a deep inlet of the East China Sea on the coast of Japan.''Merriam Webster's Geographical Dictionary, Third Edition'', p. 562. Kagoshima Bay is on the south coast of the island of Kyūshū. The port city of Kagoshi ...

) which runs down the coast line.

Neighboring municipalities

Kagoshima Prefecture * Higashikushira *

Kimotsuki file:Kimotsuki Town Office Kagoshima 200809.jpg, 270px, Kimotsuki Town Hall file:Kimotsuki River Kimotsuki Hami 01.JPG, 270px, Kimotsuki River file:Koyama Yabusame 2011.JPG, 270px, ''Yabusame'' in Kimitsuki is a List of towns in Japan, town in Kim ...

* Kinkō * Kirishima * Ōsaki in

Soo District is a district located in Kagoshima Prefecture, Japan. As of October 1, 2008, the district has an estimated population of 14,713 and a density of 146 persons/km2. The total area is 100.82 km2. The district has one town: * Ōsaki History Th ...

. * Soo * Tarumizu File:Kanoya City Central 2009.JPG, View of downtown Kanoya from Kanoya City Hall File:ISS034-E-027139.jpg, An image taken from the International Space Station showing Kanoya and its surroundings on January 10, 2013

Climate

Kanoya 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 climate classification The Köppen climate classification divides Earth climates into five main climate groups, with each group being divided based on patterns of seasonal precipitation and temperature. The five main groups are ''A'' (tropical), ''B'' (arid), ''C'' (te ...

''Cfa'') with hot summers and mild winters. Precipitation is significant throughout the year, and is heavier in summer, especially the months of June and July. The average annual temperature in Kanoya is . The average annual rainfall is with June 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 18 August 2020, and its record low is , reached on 25 January 2016.

Demographics

Within Kagoshima Prefecture, Kanoya is the third most populous city next to

Kagoshima , is the capital Cities of Japan, city of Kagoshima Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 583,966 in 285,992 households, and a population density of 1100 persons per km2. The total area of the city is . Etymology While the ...

(the prefectural capital) and Kirishima.

History

The area of Kanoya was part of ancient

Ōsumi Province was a province of Japan in the area of southeastern Kyūshū, corresponding to the eastern half of modern Kagoshima Prefecture, and including the Ōsumi Islands . Ōsumi bordered on Hyūga to the northeast, and Satsuma Province to the nor ...

, and was part of the Shimazu-shō, a vast ''

shōen A was a field or Manorialism, manor in Japan. The Japanese language, Japanese term comes from the Tang dynasty Chinese language, Chinese term "莊園" (Mandarin: ''zhuāngyuán'', Cantonese: ''zong1 jyun4''). Shōen, from about the 8th to th ...

'' landed manor in Ōsumi,

Satsuma Satsuma may refer to: * Satsuma (fruit), a citrus fruit * ''Satsuma'' (gastropod), a genus of land snails Places Japan * Satsuma, Kagoshima, a Japanese town * Satsuma District, Kagoshima, a district in Kagoshima Prefecture * Satsuma Domain, a ...

that was opened at the end of the

Heian period The is the last division of classical Japanese history, running from 794 to 1185. It followed the Nara period, beginning when the 50th emperor, Emperor Kammu, moved the capital of Japan to Heian-kyō (modern Kyoto). means in Japanese. It is a ...

, and which evolved into

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 ...

in 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 ...

. After 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 ...

, the village of Kanoya was established with the creation of the modern municipalities system on April 1, 1889. Kanoya was raised to town status on December 31, 1912. On May 27, 1941 Kanoya merged with the villages of Hanaoka and Oaira to form the city of Kanoya. In 2006, the original city of Kanoya was expanded following the merger of the two towns of

Aira ''Aira'' is a genus of Old World plants in the grass family, native to western and southern Europe, central and southwest Asia, plus Africa. The common name, shared with the similar related genera '' Deschampsia'' and ''Koeleria'', is hair-gras ...

and Kushira in Kimotsuki District, and Kihoku in

. The original Kanoya City was established as a municipality on May 27, 1941 (Navy Memorial Day).

Government

Kanoya 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 ...

city council of 26 members. Kanoya, collectively with the city of Tarumizu contributes four members to the Kagoshima Prefectural Assembly. In terms of national politics, the city is part of the

Kagoshima 4th district , the House of Representatives of Japan is elected from a combination of multi-member districts and single-member districts, a method called parallel voting. Currently, 176 members are elected from 11 multi-member districts (called proportional re ...

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 ...

. Kanoya is home to the

Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force The , abbreviated , also simply known as the Japanese Navy, is the maritime warfare branch of the Japan Self-Defense Forces, tasked with the naval defense of Japan. The JMSDF was formed following the dissolution of the Imperial Japanese Navy ( ...

Kanoya Air Field.

Economy

Kanoya has a primary economy centering on agriculture, fishing, livestock raising and food processing. Kanoya's specialties include

Berkshire pig The Berkshire is a British breed of pig. It originated in the English county of Berkshire, for which it is named. It is normally black, with some white on the snout, on the lower legs, and on the tip of the tail. It is a rare breed in the Un ...

, peanuts,

broiler Breed broiler is any chicken (''Gallus gallus domesticus'') that is bred and raised specifically for meat production. Most commercial broilers reach slaughter weight between four and six weeks of age, although slower growing breeds reach slaug ...

s, and sweet potatoes.

Education

Kanoya has 23 public elementary schools and 12 public junior high schools operated by the city government and five public high schools operated by the Kagoshima Prefectural Board of Education. There is also one private high school. The city also hosts the

National Institute of Fitness and Sports in Kanoya is a national university in Kanoya, Kagoshima, 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 fro ...

Transportation

Railway

Kanoya is the most populous city in Japan outside of

Okinawa Prefecture is the southernmost and westernmost prefecture of Japan. It consists of three main island groups—the Okinawa Islands, the Sakishima Islands, and the Daitō Islands—spread across a maritime zone approximately 1,000 kilometers east to west an ...

without passenger rail services, after the closure of the in 1987. The nearest station is

Shibushi Station is a passenger railway station located in the city of Shibushi, Kagoshima Prefecture, Japan. It is operated by JR Kyushu and is on the Nichinan Line. Lines The station is the southern terminus of the Nichinan Line and is located 88.9 km f ...

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 ...

Nichinan Line The is a railway line in south-eastern Kyushu, Japan, operated by Kyushu Railway Company (JR Kyushu). It connects Minami-Miyazaki Station in Miyazaki, Miyazaki to Shibushi Station in Shibushi, Kagoshima. History The Miyazaki Prefectural Gover ...

, but the nearest practical station is

Kagoshima-Chūō Station is a major railway station in the city of Kagoshima, Japan. It is operated by the Kyushu Railway Company (JR Kyushu). It is also the southernmost high-speed Shinkansen railway terminal in Japan. Lines The station is the southern terminus of the ...

on the

Kyushu Shinkansen The is a Japanese Shinkansen high-speed railway network. It is an extension of the San'yō Shinkansen from Honshu connecting the city of Fukuoka (Hakata Station) in the north of Japan's Kyushu Island to the city of Kagoshima (Kagoshima-Chuo Sta ...

. In both cases, it takes more than an hour to reach the station by private car, or two hours by bus.

Highway

Higashikyushu Expressway The is one of the expressways of Japan from Kitakyūshū (and the bridge to Honshū) to east of Kagoshima linking with the Kyushu Expressway. It runs north to south, through the prefectures of Fukuoka, Oita, Miyazaki and the Kagoshima prefec ...

* * *

Local attractions

* Kanoya Air Base Museum * Takakuma Dam

Notable people from Kanoya

* Sunshine Ikezaki (Real Name: Satoru Ikezaki,

Nihongo is the principal language of the Japonic language family spoken by the Japanese people. It has around 123 million speakers, primarily in Japan, the only country where it is the national language, and within the Japanese diaspora worldwide. ...

: 池崎慧, ''Ikezaki Satoru''), Japanese comedian *

Sayuri Kokushō is a Japanese actress, singer, and tarento. She was an original member of Onyanko Club. She works for the talent management firm Sony Music Entertainment Japan, Sony Music Artists. Her debut single, "Valentine Kiss", is the most popular Valenti ...

(

: 国生さゆり or 國生さゆり, ''Kokusho Sayuri''),

Japanese actress The following is a list of Japanese actresses in surname alphabetical order. Names are displayed given name first, per Wikipedia manual of style. To be included in this list, the person must have a Wikipedia article showing that they are Japanes ...

singer Singing is the art of creating music with the voice. It is the oldest form of musical expression, and the human voice can be considered the first musical instrument. The definition of singing varies across sources. Some sources define singi ...

, and

tarento Television personalities in Japan, known as in Japanese, are celebrities who regularly appear in mass media in Japan, especially as panelists on variety shows. During the Golden Age of Hollywood, bankable stars in the United States were descri ...

* Yamato Maeda (

: 前田大和, ''Maeda Yamato''), Japanese

professional baseball Professional baseball is organized baseball in which players are selected for their talents and are paid to play for a specific team or club system. It is played in baseball league, leagues and associated farm teams throughout the world. Moder ...

outfielder An outfielder is a person playing in one of the three defensive positions in baseball or softball, farthest from the batter. These defenders are the left fielder, the center fielder, and the right fielder. As an outfielder, their duty is to catch ...

(

Yokohama DeNA BayStars The are a professional baseball team in the Japanese Central League. Their home field is Yokohama Stadium, located in central Yokohama. The team has been known by several names since becoming a professional team in 1950. It adopted its current n ...

Nippon Professional Baseball is a professional baseball league and the highest level of baseball in Japan. Locally, it is often called , meaning simply ''Professional Baseball''; outside of Japan, NPB is often referred to as "Japanese baseball". The roots of the league ...

) * Yuka Nishida (

: 西田優香, ''Nishida Yuka''), Japanese

judoka is an unarmed gendai budō, modern Japanese martial art, combat sport, Olympic sport (since 1964), and the most prominent form of jacket wrestling competed internationally.『日本大百科全書』電子版【柔道】(CD-ROM version of Encyc ...

* Taiga Satoru (Real Name: Satoshi Kawasaki,

: 川崎悟司, ''Kawasaki Satoshi''), Japanese

sumo wrestler A , or, more colloquially, , is a sumo wrestler. Although used to define all wrestlers participating in sumo wrestling matches, the term is more commonly used to refer to professional wrestlers, employed by the Japan Sumo Association, who part ...

Sakura Yokomine is a Japanese professional golfer. She is one of the leading players on the LPGA of Japan Tour and was in the top twenty of the February 2006 debut edition of the Women's World Golf Rankings. She finished T-11 at the LPGA Final Qualifying Tourn ...

(

: 横峯さくら, ''Yokomine Sakura''), Japanese

professional golfer A professional golfer is somebody who receives payments or financial rewards in the sport of golf that are directly related to their skill or reputation. A person who earns money by teaching or playing golf is traditionally considered a "golf pr ...

(

LPGA Tour The Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA) is an American organization for female golfers. The organization is headquartered at LPGA International in Daytona Beach, Florida, and is best known for running the LPGA Tour, a series of weekly ...

and

LPGA of Japan Tour The LPGA of Japan Tour is a professional golf tour for women organised by the Japan Ladies Professional Golfers' Association. The tour was founded in 1968. It is the second richest women's golf tour in the world. The U.S.-based LPGA Tour is the mo ...

)

References

External links

*
Kanoya International Exchange Association
* {{Authority control Kanoya, Kagoshima Cities in Kagoshima Prefecture Populated coastal places in Japan