Kurayoshi, Tottori

Kurayoshi 倉吉市
City
Flag of Kurayoshi Flag
Location of Kurayoshi in Tottori Prefecture Location of Kurayoshi in Tottori Prefecture
Kurayoshi Location in Japan
Coordinates:
Country	Japan
Region	Chūgoku (San'in)
Prefecture	Tottori Prefecture
Government
• Mayor	Kotaro Ishida (since April 2010)
Area
• Total	272.15 km2 (105.08 sq mi)
Population (November 1, 2010)
• Total	50,360
• Density	185.05/km2 (479.3/sq mi)
Symbols
• Tree	Camellia
• Flower	Azalea
Time zone	Japan Standard Time (UTC+9)
City Hall Address	722, Aoimachi, Kurayoshi-shi, Tottori-ken 682-8611
Website	www.city.kurayoshi.lg.jp

Kurayoshi (倉吉市, Kurayoshi-shi) is a city located in the central part of Tottori Prefecture, Japan.

As of November 1, 2010, the city has an estimated population of 50,360 and a population density of 185.05 persons per km², making it the third largest city in Tottori. The total area is 272.15 km².

The ancient provincial government of Hoki province was located in this area, and in medieval times Uchikoshiyama (a hill) featured a castle. Today the remnants of the provincial government and two monasteries can still be seen in the city. Kurayoshi was officially founded on October 1, 1953 though historical Kurayoshi predates this foundation and the grid outline of the streets reflects a certain amount of Edo Period planning. Additionally there are many 'soil lacquered' warehouses (dozo, 土蔵) that survive, 'soil lacquering' being a traditional Japanese style of architecture.

On March 22, 2005 the town of Sekigane (from Tōhaku District) was merged into Kurayoshi.

Etymology

The name of Kurayoshi in the Japanese language is formed from two kanji characters. The first, 倉, means "warehouse", a historical feature of the city, and the second, 吉 means "good" or "good fortune".

Geography

Kurayoshi forms a major part of the Kurayoshi Plain (倉吉平野, Kurayoshi Heiya). The plain supports the agriculture of the region, and is a major center of rice and pears, as well as grapes in the sandy areas near the Sea of Japan coast.

Parks

Kurayoshi Park Square, a local development featuring museums, conference rooms, a music hall, restaurants, and park space, remains a popular meeting place. Nearby Utsubuki park is known throughout the prefecture as one of the best places to view cherry blossoms in spring. The park also features sports fields and a small animal zoo.

Transportation

The San'in train line operated by JR West serves the city from Kurayoshi Station and provides a connection to other major cities in Tottori, as well as cities in other regions like Kyoto or Osaka. There are also highway bus connections to Kobe, Osaka, Hiroshima, Fukuoka and Tokyo. Tottori Airport is the nearest airport to Kurayoshi.

Surrounding Municipalities

• Tottori Prefecture
  • Hokuei
  • Yurihama
  • Misasa
  • Kōfu
  • Kotoura
• Okayama Prefecture
  • Maniwa

International relations

See also: List of twin towns and sister cities in Japan

Twin towns — Sister cities

Kurayoshi is twinned with:

• Matsudo, Chiba, Japan (2004)
• Naju, South Korea

Gallery

• 

  Dozo (土蔵) (Utsubuki-tamagawa)

• 

  Kurayoshi Park Square

• Kurayoshi01n4592.jpg

  Traditional weaving

External links

• Kurayoshi City official website (Japanese)