Hamada, Shimane

Hamada
浜田市
City

Flag

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 2011)
 • Total 61,286
 • Density 89/km2 (230/sq mi)
Symbols
 • Tree Cherry
 • Flower Azalea
 • Fish Righteye flounder
Time zone Japan Standard Time (UTC+9)
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. Although Hamada is a relatively small city, it is conveniently located on the expressway across Chugoku to Hiroshima City with a journey time of about 1 hour 40 minutes. 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 2011, Hamada City has an estimated population of 61,286, 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 vessles up to a maximum of 50,000 tonnes deadweight (DWT).1

Hamada Station
Approx. 600-year-old cherry tree in Misumi. An area of western Hamada.

Education in Hamada

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

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)		 12.2
(54)		 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)		 18.95
(66.11)
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)		 16.8
(62.2)		 12.4
(54.3)		 8.2
(46.8)		 15.06
(59.11)
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)		 22.0
(71.6)		 22.8
(73)		 18.6
(65.5)		 12.7
(54.9)		 8.5
(47.3)		 4.8
(40.6)		 11.32
(52.37)
Average precipitation mm (inches) 109.9
(4.327)		 91.0
(3.583)		 113.4
(4.465)		 130.5
(5.138)		 135.4
(5.331)		 200.3
(7.886)		 264.3
(10.406)		 131.7
(5.185)		 208.5
(8.209)		 123.0
(4.843)		 111.2
(4.378)		 111.5
(4.39)		 1,730.7
(68.141)
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 72.6
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

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.
Nagahama Hassakuhana Festival (Fire Protection Festival).

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:

References

  1. ↑ "Hamada Climate Normals 1961-1990". National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Retrieved January 6, 2013.
  2. ↑ Aquas
  3. ↑ History
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Hamada, Shimane.
This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the 11/5/2015. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.