Hanawa (塙町, Hanawa-machi) is a town located in Fukushima Prefecture, Japan. As of 1 January 2020, the town had an estimated population of 8,369 in 3301 households,[1] and a population density of 40 persons per km2. The total area of the town was 211.41 square kilometres (81.6 sq mi).

Hanawa
塙町
Hanawa Town Hall
Hanawa Town Hall
Flag of Hanawa
Official seal of Hanawa
Location of Hanawa in Fukushima Prefecture
Location of Hanawa in Fukushima Prefecture
Hanawa is located in Japan
Hanawa
Hanawa
 
Coordinates: 36°57′26″N 140°24′34.9″E / 36.95722°N 140.409694°E / 36.95722; 140.409694
CountryJapan
RegionTōhoku
PrefectureFukushima
DistrictHigashishirakawa
Area
 • Total
211.41 km2 (81.63 sq mi)
Population
 (January 2020)
 • Total
8,369
 • Density40/km2 (100/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+9 (Japan Standard Time)
Phone number0247-43-2111
Address3-21 Hanawa Omachi, Hanawa-machi, Higashishirakawa-gun, Fukushima-ken 963-5405
ClimateCfa
WebsiteOfficial website
Symbols
BirdGreen pheasant
FlowerRhododendron, dahlia
TreeCryptomeria
Tsurushi-Hina in Hanawa

Geography

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Hanawa is located in the southernmost portion of Fukushima prefecture, bordering on Ibaraki Prefecture to the south.

  • Mountains: Yamizozan (1021.8m), Yoneyama
  • Rivers: Kuji River

Climate

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Hanawa has a humid climate (Köppen climate classification Cfa). The average annual temperature in Hanawa is 12.0 °C (53.6 °F). The average annual rainfall is 1,420 mm (56 in) with September as the wettest month. The temperatures are highest on average in August, at around 23.9 °C (75.0 °F), and lowest in January, at around 1.1 °C (34.0 °F).[2]

Climate data for Hanawa (1991−2020 normals, extremes 1976−present)
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °C (°F) 16.9
(62.4)
20.7
(69.3)
24.6
(76.3)
30.7
(87.3)
33.6
(92.5)
34.8
(94.6)
35.7
(96.3)
36.5
(97.7)
34.1
(93.4)
30.0
(86.0)
23.3
(73.9)
21.7
(71.1)
36.5
(97.7)
Mean daily maximum °C (°F) 6.2
(43.2)
7.2
(45.0)
11.1
(52.0)
17.0
(62.6)
22.0
(71.6)
24.9
(76.8)
28.4
(83.1)
29.7
(85.5)
25.6
(78.1)
19.9
(67.8)
14.3
(57.7)
8.8
(47.8)
17.9
(64.3)
Daily mean °C (°F) 0.2
(32.4)
1.1
(34.0)
4.6
(40.3)
10.3
(50.5)
15.7
(60.3)
19.5
(67.1)
23.2
(73.8)
24.1
(75.4)
20.2
(68.4)
14.1
(57.4)
7.8
(46.0)
2.5
(36.5)
11.9
(53.5)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F) −4.8
(23.4)
−4.1
(24.6)
−1.2
(29.8)
3.8
(38.8)
9.9
(49.8)
15.1
(59.2)
19.4
(66.9)
20.3
(68.5)
16.2
(61.2)
9.5
(49.1)
2.6
(36.7)
−2.4
(27.7)
7.0
(44.6)
Record low °C (°F) −14.7
(5.5)
−16.2
(2.8)
−14.2
(6.4)
−6.3
(20.7)
−0.7
(30.7)
4.2
(39.6)
10.0
(50.0)
11.6
(52.9)
4.4
(39.9)
−1.8
(28.8)
−6.6
(20.1)
−11.6
(11.1)
−16.2
(2.8)
Average precipitation mm (inches) 37.7
(1.48)
34.9
(1.37)
86.3
(3.40)
108.0
(4.25)
123.5
(4.86)
145.5
(5.73)
215.4
(8.48)
179.5
(7.07)
199.7
(7.86)
159.2
(6.27)
72.5
(2.85)
43.0
(1.69)
1,405.1
(55.32)
Average precipitation days (≥ 1.0 mm) 4.6 5.0 8.6 10.1 11.2 13.1 15.0 12.2 12.8 10.0 7.1 5.3 115
Mean monthly sunshine hours 182.8 170.3 188.7 189.0 188.6 138.5 137.7 163.3 126.7 136.0 153.5 165.7 1,940.8
Source: Japan Meteorological Agency[3][4]

Neighboring municipalities

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Demographics

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Per Japanese census data,[5] the population of Hanawa has been declining over the past 60 years.

Historical population
YearPop.±%
1960 15,830—    
1970 13,592−14.1%
1980 12,060−11.3%
1990 11,926−1.1%
2000 11,296−5.3%
2010 9,884−12.5%
2020 8,302−16.0%

History

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The area of present-day Hanawa was part of ancient Mutsu Province. Part of the area formed part of the holdings of Tanagura Domain, and part was tenryō territory under direct control of the Tokugawa Shogunate during the Edo period. After the Meiji Restoration, it was organized as part of Higashishirakawa District within the Nakadōri region of Iwaki Province.

Tsunetoyo Village was formed on April 1, 1889 with the creation of the modern municipalities system. It was elevated to town status on November 3, 1948, changing its name to Hanawa at that time. Hanawa annexed the neighboring villages of Sasahara, Ishii and Takagi in March 1955.

Economy

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The economy of Hanawa is primarily agricultural. A major crop is Konjac.

Education

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Hanawa has three public elementary schools and one combined public middle/high school operated by the town government.

Transportation

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Railway

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Highway

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Local attractions

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  • Abukumo Kogen Art Museum

References

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  1. ^ Hanawa Town official statistics(in Japanese)
  2. ^ Hanawa climate data
  3. ^ 観測史上1~10位の値(年間を通じての値). JMA. Retrieved March 20, 2022.
  4. ^ 気象庁 / 平年値(年・月ごとの値). JMA. Retrieved March 20, 2022.
  5. ^ Hanawa population statistics
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