Minami, Tokushima
Minami (美波町, Minami-chō) is a town located in Kaifu District, Tokushima Prefecture, Japan.
Minami
美波町 | |
|---|---|
Town | |
 Top:Yakuo Temple in Okukawachi, 2nd left:Hiwasa Castle, 2nd right:Ohama Beach, Bottom left:Panorama vies of Mount Myojin, from Izari area, Bottom right:Panorama view of Hiwasa area, from Yakuo Temple | |
 Flag | |
 Location of Minami in Tokushima Prefecture | |
  Minami Location in Japan | |
| Coordinates: 33°44′N 134°32′E | |
| Country | Japan |
| Region | Shikoku |
| Prefecture | Tokushima Prefecture |
| District | Kaifu |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | Nobuyoshi Kageji (since August 2009) |
| Area | |
| • Total | 140.80 km2 (54.36 sq mi) |
| Population (June 1, 2019) | |
| • Total | 6,433 |
| • Density | 46/km2 (120/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC+09:00 (JST) |
| Climate | Cfa |
| Website | www |
| Symbols | |
| Bird | Delichon urbica |
| Flower | Quercus phillyraeoldes |
| Tree | Cherry blossom |
It was founded on March 31, 2006 from the merger of the towns of Hiwasa and Yuki, both from Kaifu District.
Located 50 km south of prefecture's capital, Tokushima city, Minami is over 33 km from east to west, and covers an area of approximately 140 km². It is bordered on the southwest by the Kaifu mountains and on the east by the Pacific Ocean, making Minami a scenic town surrounded by mountains and sea. As of June 1, 2019, the town has an estimated population of 6,433 and a density of 45.7 persons per km². The total area is 140.80 km².
In 2009/2010 Minami Town was one of the locations for NHK's TV drama 'Welkame' (ウェルかめ), which featured some of the towns beaches, its Autumn festival, and Minami's sea turtle museum. As a result, the town experienced an increase in domestic tourism.
Geography
Climate
Minami has a humid subtropical climate (Köppen climate classification Cfa) with hot summers and cool winters. Precipitation is high, but there is a pronounced difference between the wetter summers and drier winters. The average annual temperature in Minami is 16.9 °C (62.4 °F). The average annual rainfall is 2,604.1 mm (102.52 in) with June as the wettest month. The temperatures are highest on average in August, at around 27.4 °C (81.3 °F), and lowest in January, at around 6.9 °C (44.4 °F).[1] The highest temperature ever recorded in Minami was 37.6 °C (99.7 °F) on 11 August 2013; the coldest temperature ever recorded was −8.3 °C (17.1 °F) on 27 February 1981.[2]
| Climate data for Minami (1991−2020 normals, extremes 1976−present) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 21.1 (70.0) |
23.3 (73.9) |
23.9 (75.0) |
27.8 (82.0) |
31.1 (88.0) |
33.3 (91.9) |
37.4 (99.3) |
37.6 (99.7) |
35.5 (95.9) |
31.8 (89.2) |
26.6 (79.9) |
23.4 (74.1) |
37.6 (99.7) |
| Average high °C (°F) | 12.0 (53.6) |
12.6 (54.7) |
15.5 (59.9) |
20.1 (68.2) |
24.0 (75.2) |
26.5 (79.7) |
30.2 (86.4) |
32.0 (89.6) |
29.2 (84.6) |
24.4 (75.9) |
19.3 (66.7) |
14.4 (57.9) |
21.7 (71.0) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | 6.9 (44.4) |
7.5 (45.5) |
10.5 (50.9) |
15.1 (59.2) |
19.2 (66.6) |
22.4 (72.3) |
26.1 (79.0) |
27.4 (81.3) |
24.7 (76.5) |
19.8 (67.6) |
14.4 (57.9) |
9.3 (48.7) |
16.9 (62.5) |
| Average low °C (°F) | 2.8 (37.0) |
3.2 (37.8) |
5.9 (42.6) |
10.3 (50.5) |
14.9 (58.8) |
19.1 (66.4) |
23.0 (73.4) |
24.0 (75.2) |
21.4 (70.5) |
16.3 (61.3) |
10.5 (50.9) |
5.1 (41.2) |
13.0 (55.5) |
| Record low °C (°F) | −4.9 (23.2) |
−8.3 (17.1) |
−4.0 (24.8) |
0.7 (33.3) |
4.3 (39.7) |
10.5 (50.9) |
15.6 (60.1) |
17.7 (63.9) |
12.9 (55.2) |
5.5 (41.9) |
−0.3 (31.5) |
−4.1 (24.6) |
−8.3 (17.1) |
| Average precipitation mm (inches) | 79.7 (3.14) |
110.8 (4.36) |
186.0 (7.32) |
227.2 (8.94) |
248.7 (9.79) |
340.8 (13.42) |
307.0 (12.09) |
255.7 (10.07) |
337.6 (13.29) |
254.8 (10.03) |
151.4 (5.96) |
104.4 (4.11) |
2,604.1 (102.52) |
| Average precipitation days (≥ 1.0 mm) | 5.4 | 6.7 | 10.2 | 10.0 | 10.6 | 14.1 | 12.3 | 10.1 | 12.2 | 9.1 | 6.8 | 5.3 | 112.8 |
| Mean monthly sunshine hours | 188.7 | 174.6 | 189.3 | 201.4 | 201.1 | 144.0 | 186.8 | 226.1 | 161.1 | 174.3 | 168.2 | 189.9 | 2,205.5 |
| Source: Japan Meteorological Agency[2][1] | |||||||||||||
Demographics
Per Japanese census data, the population of Minami in 2020 is 6,222 people.[3] Minami has been conducting censuses since 1920.
| Year | Pop. | ±% |
|---|---|---|
| 1920 | 14,734 | — |
| 1925 | 13,886 | −5.8% |
| 1930 | 13,731 | −1.1% |
| 1935 | 14,204 | +3.4% |
| 1940 | 13,600 | −4.3% |
| 1945 | 17,480 | +28.5% |
| 1950 | 17,535 | +0.3% |
| 1955 | 16,884 | −3.7% |
| 1960 | 15,353 | −9.1% |
| 1965 | 14,047 | −8.5% |
| 1970 | 12,975 | −7.6% |
| 1975 | 12,337 | −4.9% |
| 1980 | 11,866 | −3.8% |
| 1985 | 11,262 | −5.1% |
| 1990 | 10,507 | −6.7% |
| 1995 | 9,928 | −5.5% |
| 2000 | 9,307 | −6.3% |
| 2005 | 8,726 | −6.2% |
| 2010 | 7,765 | −11.0% |
| 2015 | 7,092 | −8.7% |
| 2020 | 6,222 | −12.3% |
| Minami population statistics[3] | ||
Transportation
Access
Minami is a little over one hour from Tokushima city by car, but can also be reached in one hour by express train from Tokushima Station on the JR Mugi Line. It is a one and a half hour drive from Tokushima Airport.
Culture
Festivals
Hiwasa Hachiman Jinja Autumn Festival
A two-day harvest festival held one weekend early October every year. On the first day of the festival, the eight neighborhoods in Hiwasa parade their portable shrine on wheels through the streets of the town while praying for the safety of the townspeople and success in fishing. On the second day about 50 men from each neighborhood carry the portable shrine onto the beach and finally into the ocean, quite literally, proceeding through the waves to the far end of the beach. Each neighborhood vies with the others to put on the most spectacular display and also to prove their strength and bravery by taking their shrine furthest through the ocean waves. The heavy wooden portable shrines, known as chosa, each weigh about a tonne and four children ride atop the shrine drumming taiko drums.
On the first evening of the festival there is a night bazaar with various refreshments and traditional dancing and taiko drumming, culminating in a spectacular fireworks display.
Records of this festival go back to 1795, but the festival in its current form was started in 1957.
References
- 気象庁 / 平年値（年・月ごとの値）. JMA. Retrieved April 13, 2022.
- 観測史上1～10位の値（年間を通じての値）. JMA. Retrieved April 13, 2022.
- Minami population statistics
External links
Media related to Minami, Tokushima at Wikimedia Commons- Minami official website (in Japanese)
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