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 de ...
located in northeastern
Kagoshima Prefecture,
Japan. It is near
Miyakonojō
is a city in Miyazaki Prefecture, Japan. The city was founded on April 1, 1924. As of June 1, 2019, the city has an estimated population of 161,137, with 70,549 households and a population density of 247 per km2. The total area is 653.36 km ...
,
Miyazaki Miyazaki may refer to:
People
* Hayao Miyazaki, Japanese animator
* Hidetaka Miyazaki, video game director
* Gorō Miyazaki, Japanese film director and landscaper, and son of Hayao Miyazaki.
* For others, see Miyazaki (surname)
Places
* Miyaza ...
.
As of April 2017, the 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 ...
of 37,038 and a
population density
Population density (in agriculture: 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 geographical ...
of 95 persons per km². This is down from the 2006 population data, which was an estimated population of 43,752 and a population density of 112 persons per km². The total area is 390.39 km². Soo is one of the many small cities in Japan that have a steadily decreasing population.
Geography
Much of Soo is mountainous and covered with forest. It rains, but it rarely snows. Soo is located in
Kagoshima
, abbreviated to , is the capital city of Kagoshima Prefecture, Japan. Located at the southwestern tip of the island of Kyushu, Kagoshima is the largest city in the prefecture by some margin. It has been nicknamed the "Naples of the Eastern wor ...
so it also receives ash from its volcanoes, most notably:
Shinmoedake and
Sakurajima
Sakurajima ( ja, 桜島, literally "Cherry Blossom Island") is an active stratovolcano, formerly an island and now a peninsula, in Kagoshima Prefecture in Kyushu, Japan. The lava flows of the 1914 eruption connected it with the Ōsumi Penins ...
. Soo is a land-locked city and is in middle of the Ōsumi Peninsula.
History
The modern city of Soo was established on July 1, 2005, from the merger of the towns of
Ōsumi (Iwagawa),
Sueyoshi and
Takarabe (all from
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 ...
).
Transportation
Air
The closest airport is
Kagoshima Airport
is an airport located in Kirishima, Kagoshima Prefecture, Japan, northeast of Kagoshima-Chūō Station[AIS Japan](_blank)
in ...
which is located in Kirishima.
Train
All of Soo had a train system, but due to low use most of it was torn out and paved into a running path. There are three small un-staffed train stations in
Takarabe (Northern Soo) that connect to trains going to Miyazaki Prefecture and to Kagoshima City. They are:
Takarabe Station,
Kitamata Station, and
Ōsumi-Ōkawara Station
Buses
There is one bus that travels from
Miyakonojo through Soo to
Kanoya
is a city in Kagoshima Prefecture, Japan. It is located in the southeastern Kyushu region in the central part of Ōsumi Peninsula.
Kanoya is the most populous city in Japan without any connection to railway services, after the abolition of the ...
, and another one that travels to
Shibushi.
Roads
Like many other places in
Kagoshima Prefecture, Soo is home to many narrow mountain roads and so has a high rate of traffic accidents. There is also a few bus routes through Soo. Due to the sparse public transport most people in Soo drive cars.
Expressways
The Higashi Kyushu Expressway starts at Soo Yagoro in southern Soo. It connects all the way to Expressways in
Kumamoto
is the capital city of Kumamoto Prefecture on the island of Kyushu, Japan. , the city has an estimated population of 738,907 and a population density of 1,893 people per km2. The total area is 390.32 km2.
had a population of 1,461,0 ...
,
Miyazaki Miyazaki may refer to:
People
* Hayao Miyazaki, Japanese animator
* Hidetaka Miyazaki, video game director
* Gorō Miyazaki, Japanese film director and landscaper, and son of Hayao Miyazaki.
* For others, see Miyazaki (surname)
Places
* Miyaza ...
and
Kagoshima City
, abbreviated to , is the capital Cities of Japan, city of Kagoshima Prefecture, Japan. Located at the southwestern tip of the island of Kyushu, Kagoshima is the largest city in the prefecture by some margin. It has been nicknamed the "Naples of ...
. From Iwagawa (Yogoro entrance) to Sueyoshi it is free. From Sueyoshi on it is a
Toll Express Way.
Commerce
Sueyoshi is famous throughout Japan for producing
Yuzu
Yuzu (''Citrus junos'', from Japanese or ) is a citrus fruit and plant in the family Rutaceae of East Asian origin. Yuzu has been cultivated mainly in East Asia, though recently also in New Zealand, Australia, Spain, Italy, and France.
...
(a citronella). Ōsumi is known for its Chinese cabbage and watermelons. Soo City in general also raises black pork and beef which is the local delicacy. Before it closed, the high school in Takarabe was an agriculture school, reflecting the importance of the agriculture industry in the area.
Education
There are 20 Elementary schools, 5 Junior High schools, and 1 High school in Soo City.
Sueyoshi has 9 Elementary schools, 1 Junior High school, and 1 High school.
Ōsumi has 7 Elementary schools and 1 Junior High school.
Takarabe has 4 Elementary schools, 1 Junior High school.
Beginning with the 2012–2013 school year, small Jr High schools will be absorbed into the larger schools, resulting in all areas of Soo City having only one Jr High each (Ōsumi already went through this process 4 years ago).
Takarabe went through this change in 2012.
Currently the Elementary and Jr High schools in the areas of Ōsumi and Takarabe are taught by ALT's (Assistant Language Teacher) hired through th
JET Programme The ALT in Sueyoshi is a direct hire. The high school in Soo City is visited by the same ALT from the JET Programme.
Recreation
There are many points of interest and Festivals that can be visited in Soo City.
Yagorou Statue
In Iwagawa there is the Legend of Yagorou, which is represented by a very tall statue on a hill near the bypass on the way to Kanoya from Miyakonojo. Near the statue is a restaurant, an
onsen
In Japan, are the country's hot springs and the bathing facilities and traditional inns around them. As a volcanically active country, Japan has many onsens scattered throughout all of its major islands. There are approximately 25,000 hot ...
, and a visitors center. Also near the statue is Ōsumi's
Michi no Eki where many locally grown foods and teas can be bought. In spring all of the cherry trees on the hill bloom and it is a popular spot to view them.
Yagorou Festival
Every year on November 3 there are 3 different festivals (
Matsuri
Japanese festivals are traditional festive occasions often celebrated with dance and music in Japan. Many festivals have their roots in traditional Chinese festivals, but have undergone extensive changes over time to have little resemblance to ...
) dedicated to Yagoroudon. One in Soo (Ōsumi), one in Nichinan, and one in Yamanokuchi (both in Miyazaki Prefecture).
The town has a smaller statue of Yagorou (just over 4 meters tall) that is pulled from the through town. This festival is called the Yagorou Festival or the Yagorodon Festival.
The mobile statue of Yagorou pulled through Ōsumi is the second largest of the three Yagorou festivals. The largest is in Nichinan (just over 7 meters tall), and the smallest is in Yamanokuchi. It is said that there were 3 Yagoroudon brothers, hence the three different locations of festivals (one for each brother).
Ookawara Gorge
has campsites and a little village where cabins can be rented. It is in Takarabe, and it hosts a waterfall called Kirihara Falls (桐原の滝 "Kirihara-no-taki") that is lit up at night. There are also many scenic ponds at the base of the waterfall with many places to picnic.
Iwaya Buddha
One of the eight views of Kannon that can be seen in Soo (according to the sign at the trail head down to the Iwaya Buddha). It was carved hundreds of years ago and is reached by climbing down many stairs to a cliff face above a river.
Mizo no Kuchi
is located in Takarabe and is a tunnel made long ago through erosion. it is 13.8 meters tall and 8.6 meters long.
Festival
Every year on the Sunday closest to the
Buddha's birthday
Buddha's Birthday (also known as Buddha Jayanti, also known as his day of enlightenment – Buddha Purnima, Buddha Pournami) is a Buddhist festival that is celebrated in most of East Asia and South Asia commemorating the birth of the Gautama ...
(April 8) the is held at the natural tunnel. At the festival school children dance through the tunnel in traditional costumes.
Yabusame Festival
Every year on November 23 at there is a
Yabusame
is a type of mounted archery in traditional Japanese archery. An archer on a running horse shoots three special "turnip-headed" arrows successively at three wooden targets.
This style of archery has its origins at the beginning of the Kama ...
festival. Originally, a student from the local junior high school was selected three months prior to the festival. Then he trained to shoot arrows on horseback for the festival. In many cases he had never touched a horse before he was selected, let alone ridden a horse before. How many shots he made was supposed to show how good the harvest will be for the year.
For at least the past 4 years, however, two girls have been the riders/shooters for the festival. Starting when they were in Jr. High school, they practice riding and shooting a few months before the festival. A third girl, currently a 6th grade student, has been shooting at the past two festivals, and a 5th grade boy began riding, but not shooting, at last year's festival.
Onioi Festival
In Sueyoshi in Soo every January 7 at there is an . Onioi is a festival or ceremony in which the demons are driven out in order to let good luck in.
References
External links
*
Pamphlet about Soo City
*
*
{{Authority control
Cities in Kagoshima Prefecture