Hamada, Shimane
Encyclopedia
is a city
Cities of Japan
||A is a local administrative unit in Japan. Cities are ranked on the same level as and , with the difference that they are not a component of...

 located in Shimane
Shimane Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan located in the Chūgoku region on Honshū island. The capital is Matsue. It is the second least populous prefecture in Japan, after its eastern neighbor Tottori. The prefecture has an area elongated from east to west facing the Chūgoku Mountain Range on the south side and to...

, Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...

. It is the third largest city in the prefecture
Prefecture
A prefecture is an administrative jurisdiction or subdivision in any of various countries and within some international church structures, and in antiquity a Roman district governed by an appointed prefect.-Antiquity:...

 and is located at the south-western end of the prefecture. It is a coastal city on the Sea of Japan
Sea of Japan
The Sea of Japan is a marginal sea of the western Pacific Ocean, between the Asian mainland, the Japanese archipelago and Sakhalin. It is bordered by Japan, North Korea, Russia and South Korea. Like the Mediterranean Sea, it has almost no tides due to its nearly complete enclosure from the Pacific...

 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 express-way across Chugoku to Hiroshima City with a journey time of about 1 hour 40 minutes.

The city was founded on November 3, 1940. In October 2005, it merged with the surrounding town
Town
A town is a human settlement larger than a village but smaller than a city. The size a settlement must be in order to be called a "town" varies considerably in different parts of the world, so that, for example, many American "small towns" seem to British people to be no more than villages, while...

s of Asahi
Asahi, Shimane
was a town located in Naka District, Shimane, Japan.On October 1, 2005 Asahi, along with the towns of Kanagi and Misumi, and the village of Yasaka, all from Naka District, was merged into the expanded city of Hamada....

, Kanagi
Kanagi, Shimane
was a town located in Naka District, Shimane, Japan.On October 1, 2005 Kanagi, along with the towns of Asahi and Misumi, and the village of Yasaka, all from Naka District, was merged into the expanded city of Hamada....

 and Misumi
Misumi, Shimane
was a town located in Naka District, Shimane, Japan.On October 1, 2005 Misumi, along with the towns of Asahi and Kanagi, and the village of Yasaka, all from Naka District, was merged into the expanded city of Hamada....

, and the village of Yasaka
Yasaka, Shimane
was a village located in Naka District, Shimane, Japan.On October 1, 2005 Yasaka, along with the towns of Asahi, Kanagi and Misumi, all from Naka District, was merged into the expanded city of Hamada....

. As of March 2011 Hamada City, which would generally be referred to as Hamada County in English, has an estimated population
Population
A population is all the organisms that both belong to the same group or species and live in the same geographical area. The area that is used to define a sexual population is such that inter-breeding is possible between any pair within the area and more probable than cross-breeding with individuals...

 of 61,286, with roughly 43,000 people living in the coastal urban 'city' area.

The prefectural university
University
A university is an institution of higher education and research, which grants academic degrees in a variety of subjects. A university is an organisation that provides both undergraduate education and postgraduate education...

 (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
Port
A port is a location on a coast or shore containing one or more harbors where ships can dock and transfer people or cargo to or from land....

. The Hamada Commercial Port can accept vessles up to a maximum of .1

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
JET Programme
or is a Japanese government initiative that brings college graduates—mostly native speakers of English—to Japan as Assistant Language Teachers and Sports Education Advisors in Japanese kindergartens, elementary, junior high and high schools, or as Coordinators for International Relations in...

 and Interac
Interac
Interac Association is a Canadian organization linking enterprises that have proprietary networks so that they may communicate with each other for the purpose of exchanging electronic financial transactions. The Association was founded in 1984 as a cooperative venture between five financial...

) 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 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 degrees Celsius (100.4 degrees Fahrenheit) with a high humidity and in winter it can drop to -5 degrees Celsius (23 degrees Fahrenheit). 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 earthquakes in Shimane is highly rare.

Sights

  • Aquas is on the outskirts of the city. It is the largest aquarium
    Aquarium
    An aquarium is a vivarium consisting of at least one transparent side in which water-dwelling plants or animals are kept. Fishkeepers use aquaria to keep fish, invertebrates, amphibians, marine mammals, turtles, and aquatic plants...

     in western Honshū
    Honshu
    is the largest island of Japan. The nation's main island, it is south of Hokkaido across the Tsugaru Strait, north of Shikoku across the Inland Sea, and northeast of Kyushu across the Kanmon Strait...

    .2
  • The Hamada Museum of Children's Art is located about one mile from the city center. It's 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
    Tokugawa shogunate
    The Tokugawa shogunate, also known as the and the , was a feudal regime of Japan established by Tokugawa Ieyasu and ruled by the shoguns of the Tokugawa family. This period is known as the Edo period and gets its name from the capital city, Edo, which is now called Tokyo, after the name was...

    .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
    Barbecue
    Barbecue or barbeque , used chiefly in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, New Zealand and Australia is a method and apparatus for cooking meat, poultry and occasionally fish with the heat and hot smoke of a fire, smoking wood, or hot coals of...

    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.

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.

External links

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