Seiyo 西予市 | |
|---|---|
 Seiwa City Hall | |
 Flag  Seal | |
 Location of Seiyo in Ehime Prefecture | |
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  Seiyo Location in Japan | |
| Coordinates:33°21′46″N132°30′39″E / 33.36278°N 132.51083°E /33.36278; 132.51083 | |
| Country | Japan |
| Region | Shikoku |
| Prefecture | Ehime |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | Kazuo Kanke (since May 2016) |
| Area | |
• Total | 514.34 km2 (198.59 sq mi) |
| Population (August 31, 2022) | |
• Total | 35,456 |
| • Density | 68.935/km2 (178.54/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC+09:00 (JST) |
| City hall address | 3-434-1 Unomachi, Uwachō, Seiyo-shi, Ehime-ken 797-8501 |
| Website | Official website |
| Symbols | |
| Bird | Japanese bush warbler (鶯,uguisu) |
| Flower | Chinesemilkvetch (蓮華草,rengesō) |
| Tree | Japanese beech (山毛欅,buna) |
Seiyo (西予市,Seiyo-shi) is acity located inEhime Prefecture,Japan. As of 31 August 2022[update], the city had an estimatedpopulation of 35,456 in 17627 households and apopulation density of 69 persons per km².[1] The total area of the city is 514.34 square kilometres (198.59 sq mi).
Seiyo is located in southeastern Ehime Prefecture, with Uwa Bay on theSeto Inland Sea to the west, and with theShikoku Mountains to the east, with a difference in elevation of 1403 meters. The city area is long from east to west and due to its diverse topography, it was certified as a Japanese Geopark (Shikoku Seiyo Geopark) by the Japan Geoparks Committee on September 24, 2013. Onogahara, which is part of the Shikoku Karst, one of Japan's three majorkarst landscape, is very beautiful with its green grassland and white limestone. Komatsu is home to Rakan Cave, one of the largest caves in Shikoku, which is open to the public as ashow cave with a length of 700 meters.
Ehime Prefecture
Kōchi Prefecture
Seiyo has a diverse climate, from the inland mountain plateau (Onogahara), where more than 2 meters of snow accumulates in winter, to the warm coastal area, and the basin with a lot of fog due to the influence of two dams. During thetyphoon season, coastal areas are often damaged by high tides and high waves, and mountainous areas are often damaged by landslides caused by heavy rain. The temperature can differ by more than 10 degrees between the coastal area and Onogahara. In general, Seiyo has ahumid subtropical climate (KöppenCfa) characterized by warm summers and cool winters with light snowfall. The average annual temperature in Seiyo is 15.3 °C. The average annual rainfall is 1663 mm with September as the wettest month. The temperatures are highest on average in January, at around 26.1 °C, and lowest in January, at around 4.7 °C.[2]
| Climate data for Uwa, Ehime (1991−2020 normals, extremes 1978−present) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 19.7 (67.5) | 22.3 (72.1) | 25.5 (77.9) | 29.0 (84.2) | 33.2 (91.8) | 34.9 (94.8) | 36.6 (97.9) | 38.2 (100.8) | 35.4 (95.7) | 32.5 (90.5) | 26.3 (79.3) | 22.3 (72.1) | 38.2 (100.8) |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 8.8 (47.8) | 10.2 (50.4) | 14.0 (57.2) | 19.4 (66.9) | 24.1 (75.4) | 26.7 (80.1) | 30.7 (87.3) | 32.0 (89.6) | 28.4 (83.1) | 22.9 (73.2) | 17.1 (62.8) | 11.3 (52.3) | 20.5 (68.8) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | 4.3 (39.7) | 5.2 (41.4) | 8.5 (47.3) | 13.5 (56.3) | 18.2 (64.8) | 21.8 (71.2) | 25.8 (78.4) | 26.6 (79.9) | 23.0 (73.4) | 17.2 (63.0) | 11.6 (52.9) | 6.3 (43.3) | 15.2 (59.3) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 0.1 (32.2) | 0.5 (32.9) | 3.1 (37.6) | 7.6 (45.7) | 12.8 (55.0) | 17.9 (64.2) | 22.1 (71.8) | 22.6 (72.7) | 18.9 (66.0) | 12.5 (54.5) | 6.8 (44.2) | 2.0 (35.6) | 10.6 (51.0) |
| Record low °C (°F) | −9.1 (15.6) | −12.0 (10.4) | −5.9 (21.4) | −2.2 (28.0) | 1.9 (35.4) | 7.6 (45.7) | 12.4 (54.3) | 14.8 (58.6) | 7.4 (45.3) | 1.0 (33.8) | −2.0 (28.4) | −8.2 (17.2) | −12.0 (10.4) |
| Averageprecipitation mm (inches) | 76.1 (3.00) | 94.8 (3.73) | 139.1 (5.48) | 152.1 (5.99) | 189.0 (7.44) | 311.0 (12.24) | 282.7 (11.13) | 140.3 (5.52) | 197.8 (7.79) | 125.0 (4.92) | 101.5 (4.00) | 91.0 (3.58) | 1,927.5 (75.89) |
| Average precipitation days(≥ 1.0 mm) | 10.4 | 10.1 | 11.6 | 10.2 | 9.4 | 13.6 | 10.8 | 8.9 | 10.3 | 8.3 | 8.8 | 11.0 | 123.4 |
| Mean monthlysunshine hours | 107.9 | 126.5 | 162.5 | 186.7 | 200.1 | 136.2 | 188.2 | 215.3 | 159.1 | 166.3 | 130.4 | 104.7 | 1,873.8 |
| Source:Japan Meteorological Agency[3][4] | |||||||||||||
Per Japanese census data,[5] the population of Seiyo has decreased steadily since the 1960s.
| Year | Pop. | ±% |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 79,525 | — |
| 1970 | 61,009 | −23.3% |
| 1980 | 56,175 | −7.9% |
| 1990 | 51,893 | −7.6% |
| 2000 | 47,217 | −9.0% |
| 2010 | 42,080 | −10.9% |
| 2020 | 35,388 | −15.9% |
The area of Seiyo was part of ancientIyo Province. During theEdo period, the area was part of the holdings ofUwajima Domain or its subsidiaryIyo-Yoshida Domain. Following theMeiji restoration, the area was organized into towns and villages withinHigashiuwa District andNishiuwa District in Ehime Prefecture. The city of Seiyo was established on April 1, 2004, from the merger of the towns ofAkehama,Nomura,Shirokawa andUwa (all fromHigashiuwa District), and the town ofMikame (fromNishiuwa District).
Seiyo has amayor-council form of government with a directly elected mayor and aunicameral city council of 18 members. Seiyo contributes one member to the Ehime Prefectural Assembly.
In terms of national politics, Seiyo is part of Ehime 3rd district of thelower house of theDiet of Japan. Prior to 2022, the city was part of Ehime 4th district.[6]
The industrial base of Seiyo is weak and the economy is poor. In the past, the Uwa neighborhood (Unomachi) and the Nomura neighborhood were distribution points for rural goods, but due to poor transportation connection and rural depopulation, commerce has declined. The main economic activity is agriculture, with citrus fruits, rice and chestnuts are mainly cultivated.Animal husbandry (pigs, dairy cows, beef cattle) is also practiced.
Seiyo has 12 public elementary schools and five public middle schools operated by the city government. The city has three public high schools operated by the Ehime Prefectural Board of Education, and the prefecture also operates two special education schools for the handicapped.
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Shikoku Railway Company -Yosan Line
A wealthy eccentric built a castle on the side of a mountain near the Nomura Dam in the former town of Nomura. It was originally a retreat for parties, complete with overnight lodging facilities. It never achieved any measure of popularity, and the owner eventually donated it to the city of Seiyo. It now lies uninhabited and largely unused.
In the former town of Uwa there is a natural spring, the water of which is known as Kannon Spring Water (観音水,Kannon-sui). This water was designated as one of Japan's 100 best water sources (名水百選,meisui hyakusen) by theMinistry of the Environment in March 1985. Hiking trails along the spring's mountain rivers are a popular destination in the summertime. The spring is also used forsōmen nagashi (そうめん流し), a Japanese cuisine where bundles of cold sōmen noodles are set into a stream of water that flows down a track, with hungry patrons waiting alongside.
The former town of Nomura, now a part of Seiyo, holds an annualsumo competition for children and amateur adults known as the Otoi Sumo (乙亥大相撲,Otoi ōzumō) Tournament. It is held after the Kyushubasho and usually attracts a few professional sumo wrestlers.
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