Hamada, Shimane
Hamada .mw-parser-output .noboldfont-weight:normal 浜田市 | |||
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City | |||
 Iwami Tatami-ga-ura | |||
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 Location of Hamada in Shimane Prefecture | |||
  Hamada Location in Japan | |||
| Coordinates: 34°54′N 132°5′E / 34.900°N 132.083°E / 34.900; 132.083Coordinates: 34°54′N 132°5′E / 34.900°N 132.083°E / 34.900; 132.083 | |||
| Country | Japan | ||
| Region | Chūgoku (San'in) | ||
| Prefecture | Shimane Prefecture | ||
| Government | |||
| • Mayor | Tetsuo Uzu | ||
| Area | |||
| • Total | 689.60 km2 (266.26 sq mi) | ||
| Population (March 1, 2017) | |||
| • Total | 57,142 | ||
| • Density | 83/km2 (210/sq mi) | ||
| Symbols | |||
| • Tree | Cherry | ||
| • Flower | Azalea | ||
| • Fish | Righteye flounder | ||
| Time zone | UTC+9 (JST) | ||
| City hall address | 1 Tonomachi, Hamada-shi, Shimane-ken 697-8501 | ||
| Website | www.city.hamada.shimane.jp | ||
Hamada (浜田市, Hamada-shi) is a city located in Shimane Prefecture, Japan. It is the third largest city in the prefecture and is located at the southwestern end of the prefecture. It is a coastal city on the Sea of Japan and possesses beautiful white sand beaches, which make the city a popular destination for local tourists in the summer. Hamada is a small city around 1 hour 40 minutes by expressway to Hiroshima. The city was founded on November 3, 1940.
On October 1, 2005, the towns of Asahi, Kanagi and Misumi, and the village of Yasaka (all from Naka District) were merged into Hamada. Therefore, Naka District was dissolved as a result of this merger.
As of March 2017, Hamada City has an estimated population of 57,142, with roughly 43,000 people living in the coastal urban 'city' area.
The prefectural university (The University of Shimane) is located in Hamada, as is the Institute for Northeast Asian Research.
Hamada is one of the few cities in the region to possess a heavy tonnage shipping port. The Hamada commercial port can accept vesse;s up to a maximum of 50,000 tonnes deadweight (DWT).1
Contents
1 Education
2 Climate
3 Sights
4 Yearly festivals
5 International relations
5.1 Twin towns — Sister cities
6 References
7 External links
Education
DownTown of Hamada city
Hamada Station
Hamada has 26 elementary schools, 9 junior high schools and 3 senior high schools throughout the city area. Currently there are 9 ALTs (under the JET Programme and Interac) involved in English education in Hamada; 1 at solely elementary level, 6 at JHS and elementary level and 2 at high school level.
Climate
Approx. 600-year-old cherry tree in Misumi. An area of western Hamada.
Hamada has a humid subtropical climate (Köppen climate classification Cfa). It experiences a wide range in temperature between summer and winter but due to its location it is saved from the extreme winter cold in the north and prolonged summer heat in the south. In summer the temperature gets as high as 38 °C (100 °F) with high humidity and in winter it can drop to −5 °C (23 °F). The coastal main city of Hamada occasionally gets snowfall in the winter. The mountainous areas of Hamada inland to the east receive high levels of snowfall and are home to some of the best ski resorts in the area. Late spring/early summer is the rainy season with frequent light showers throughout the day. Spring and Autumn in Hamada provide warm, sunny weather with a very comfortable temperature.
Due to its location on the eastern seaboard of Japan, Hamada is relatively free from weather extremes such as typhoons or flooding. Hamada is also not located near a fault line and the occurrence of strong earthquakes in Shimane is rare.
| Climate data for Hamada, Shimane | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Average high °C (°F) | 8.5 (47.3) | 8.9 (48.0) | 12.2 (54.0) | 17.5 (63.5) | 21.4 (70.5) | 24.4 (75.9) | 28.5 (83.3) | 30.2 (86.4) | 26.3 (79.3) | 21.4 (70.5) | 16.6 (61.9) | 11.5 (52.7) | 19.0 (66.1) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | 5.5 (41.9) | 5.5 (41.9) | 8.0 (46.4) | 13.0 (55.4) | 17.0 (62.6) | 20.7 (69.3) | 25.1 (77.2) | 26.3 (79.3) | 22.2 (72.0) | 16.8 (62.2) | 12.4 (54.3) | 8.2 (46.8) | 15.1 (59.1) |
| Average low °C (°F) | 2.3 (36.1) | 2.1 (35.8) | 3.8 (38.8) | 8.3 (46.9) | 12.7 (54.9) | 17.2 (63.0) | 22.0 (71.6) | 22.8 (73.0) | 18.6 (65.5) | 12.7 (54.9) | 8.5 (47.3) | 4.8 (40.6) | 11.3 (52.4) |
| Average precipitation mm (inches) | 109.9 (4.33) | 91.0 (3.58) | 113.4 (4.46) | 130.5 (5.14) | 135.4 (5.33) | 200.3 (7.89) | 264.3 (10.41) | 131.7 (5.19) | 208.5 (8.21) | 123.0 (4.84) | 111.2 (4.38) | 111.5 (4.39) | 1,730.7 (68.15) |
| Average snowfall cm (inches) | 12 (4.7) | 10 (3.9) | 2 (0.8) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | 3 (1.2) | 27 (10.6) |
| Average relative humidity (%) | 65 | 67 | 68 | 71 | 74 | 80 | 82 | 78 | 79 | 74 | 69 | 64 | 73 |
| Mean monthly sunshine hours | 59.5 | 78.7 | 148.2 | 178.4 | 205.2 | 164.2 | 184.7 | 220.4 | 163.6 | 166.8 | 111.4 | 73.2 | 1,754.3 |
| Source: NOAA (1961-1990) [1] | |||||||||||||
Sights
- Aquas is on the outskirts of the city. It is the largest aquarium in western Honshū.[2]
- The Hamada Museum of Children's Art is located about one mile from the city center. Its exhibits include artwork by children from around the world and artwork of interest to children. Their programs include technical art classes and art history workshops for children of all ages.
- The ruins of Hamada castle are situated on the top of a hill near the centre of town. Hamada Castle was built in 1620, and destroyed towards the end of the Tokugawa Shogunate.[3] From the top of the ruins, visitors can see extensive views of Hamada city and the coast.
- Iwami Seaside Park is a large beach located near Aquas with cabins, barbecue areas, and rental facilities.
Yearly festivals
| Month | Festival description |
|---|---|
| January | No events |
| February | Izumo Taisha Iwami-bunshi Setsubun Festival |
| March | Tadaji Hatsuuma Festival (one of the biggest festivals in the Iwami area) |
| April | Hamakko Spring Festival. Daimyo Parade (and many other kinds of parades). |
| May | No events. |
| June | No events. |
| July | Kokubu Kinsai Festival |
| August | Hamakko Summer Festival. The largest event of the year, with a huge fireworks display in the evening at the port. |
| September | No events. |
| October | Nagahama Tenjinreitai Festival (Festival of the God of the Sea). |
| November | Hamada BB Onabe Festival. Iwami Kagura Festival. |
| December | No events |
International relations
Twin towns — Sister cities
Hamada is twinned with:
Shizuishan, China
Pohang, South Korea
References
^ "Hamada Climate Normals 1961-1990". National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Retrieved January 6, 2013..mw-parser-output cite.citationfont-style:inherit.mw-parser-output .citation qquotes:"""""""'""'".mw-parser-output .citation .cs1-lock-free abackground:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/65/Lock-green.svg/9px-Lock-green.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center.mw-parser-output .citation .cs1-lock-limited a,.mw-parser-output .citation .cs1-lock-registration abackground:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d6/Lock-gray-alt-2.svg/9px-Lock-gray-alt-2.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center.mw-parser-output .citation .cs1-lock-subscription abackground:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/aa/Lock-red-alt-2.svg/9px-Lock-red-alt-2.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registrationcolor:#555.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription span,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registration spanborder-bottom:1px dotted;cursor:help.mw-parser-output .cs1-ws-icon abackground:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/4c/Wikisource-logo.svg/12px-Wikisource-logo.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center.mw-parser-output code.cs1-codecolor:inherit;background:inherit;border:inherit;padding:inherit.mw-parser-output .cs1-hidden-errordisplay:none;font-size:100%.mw-parser-output .cs1-visible-errorfont-size:100%.mw-parser-output .cs1-maintdisplay:none;color:#33aa33;margin-left:0.3em.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registration,.mw-parser-output .cs1-formatfont-size:95%.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-left,.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-wl-leftpadding-left:0.2em.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-right,.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-wl-rightpadding-right:0.2em
^ Aquas
^ History Archived 2007-09-28 at the Wayback Machine
External links
 | Wikimedia Commons has media related to Hamada, Shimane. |
Hamada City official website (in Japanese). (There is an English page link from the Japanese page, but it has less information.)
University of Shimane (in Japanese)
Hamada International Association homepage (in English) (slightly out of date)
Hamada Port Authority (in Japanese)
Aquas Aquarium (in Japanese) English version available.
Iwami Seaside Park (in English) About the park and its facilities.
 Shimane Prefecture | ||
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Matsue (capital) | ||
| Core city |
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| Cities |
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| Districts |
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List of mergers in Shimane Prefecture | ||
Authority control  |
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