Yurihonjo



Yurihonjo (由利本荘市 Yurihonjō-shi) is a city in southern Akita Prefecture. It was formed in 2005 by the merger of many towns: Chokai, Higashi Yuri, Nishime, Iwaki, Honjo, Yashima, and Yuri.

Understand
Yurihonjo was formed by a merger of several towns, yet those towns are still largely oriented around themselves. And since Yurihonjo is very large, in terms of area, people living in the SE may know nothing about people living in the NW, for example. Honjo (本荘) is in the west of Yurihonjo. To the south of Honjo is Nishime (西目). To the north of Honjo are Matsugasaki (松ヶ崎), Kameda (亀田), and Iwaki (岩城). Ouchi (大内) is NE of Honjo. Higashi Yuri (東由利) is east of Honjo. In the SE are Yuri (由利), Yashima (矢島), and Chokai (鳥海). Chokai is composed of three villages, Kawauchi (川内), Hitane, (直根), and Jinego (笹子).

History
Honjo, located at the heart of Yurihonjo, is a city surrounded by hills ("Dewa-kyuryo"), plateaus ("Yuri-hara") and the sea. It is believed that the area of Honjo was under the sea about 1,000,000 years ago and that its higher zones started gradually emerging some 500,000 years later. By 3000 B.C., some large villages had been formed at the foot of the Dewa-kyuryo.

The name Yuri appeared for the first time in "Azumakagami", a book written around 1200. The Yuri clan was a powerful family who governed Nikaho, Yashima, Koyoshi and other neighboring districts. Their territories, however, were confiscated by the government in 1213, and for the following 400 years up to 12 clans ruled over the area together. In the early 17th century, the area was disputed between the government and the local clans. It finally became the property of the Rokugo clan from Ibaraki in 1623 and remained so for about 250 years.

There once was a castle in Honjo, located on the site of today's Honjo Park. As a matter of fact, the old way of writing Honjo, 本城, means "main castle". However this castle can no longer be seen as it was burnt down in 1868 by the members of the Rokugo clan themselves at the end of their reign.

On April 1, 1889, the district officially gained the name "Honjo Town". On March 31, 1954, the town merged with the villages of Koyoshi, Otomo, Ishizawa, Minami-utetsu, Kita-utetsu and Matsugazaki. Then, on March 22, 2005, Honjo Town merged again with 7 other small towns of the area to become "Yurihonjo City".

Climate
July is the rainy season, with regular afternoon showers. The spring and summer before and after that have less rain, and are therefore good for outdoor activities. In November, cold weather thunder storms are said to mark the end of fall and the beginning of hatahata (a local fish) season. In the winter, the coastal areas of Yurihonjo get a little snow, and the inland areas get a lot, which makes for good skiing and snowboarding.

Tourist information site
The local tourist association has a Japanese-only guide site.

Get in
Depending where you're going, a car is probably your best bet.

By car
Within Akita, cars are the most convenient way to get around. Highway 7 connects Honjo with Akita to the north, by way of Iwaki, and Nikaho to the south, by way of Nishime. Highway 105 connects Honjo to Daisen in the NE, by way of Ouchi. Highway 107 connects Honjo to Ugo and Yokote in the east, by way of Higashi Yuri. Highway 108 connects Honjo to Yuzawa in the SE, by way of Yuri, Yashima and Chokai. There are several small highways through the mountains, but some of them are seasonal or are closed for long-term repairs, so ask someone locally and check. In the winter, the roads can be snowy and icy, and the mountain areas &mdash; Chokai, for example &mdash; get tons of snow.

By train
From Ugohonjo Station in Honjo, the Akebono night train goes direct to Tokyo, and the Nihonkai night train goes direct to Kyoto. The nearest shinkansen stations are the Komachi Shinkansen in Akita or Omagari, and the Tsubasa Shinkansen in Shinjo, northern Yamagata. Both of these shinkansen lines go to Tokyo. There are many daily trains going north and south out of Honjo. There is also a private train line that goes from Ugohonjo Station to Yashima, by way of Yuri.



By bus
Night buses go from Tokyo to Yurihonjo. Several bus companies offer this service. Check the websites or ask at the bus station for more information.



Get around
In Honjo, biking and walking are feasible. There are a few buses each day connecting outlying towns. Iwaki, Nishime, Yuri, and Yashima can be reached by train from Honjo. Taxis and daiko are available, but they're very expensive for outlying areas. Traveling by car is convenient, and parking is rarely a problem.

By bus
There are several daily buses connecting Honjo to Higashi-Yuri. Buses also go from Honjo to Yashima several times a day, continuing to Kawauchi and Jinego in Chokai. Though there are buses going from Honjo to Iwaki and Nikaho, the train is probably more convenient. The train station has timetables for local buses.

See




Buy
The best shopping in Yurihonjo is in Honjo itself. If Honjo doesn't have what you want, go to Akita. If you're shopping in one of the outlying areas, there are often interesting gifts at the rest area shops.

Eat


Akita Prefecture is famous for kiritanpo, a sort of grilled rice cake. In October and November, the local hatahata fish is quite popular. Though unfortunately these foods are only served at a few restaurants around town, they can be purchased at many gift shops. Yurihonjo itself is known for several brands of sake (Japanese rice wine), such as Dewanofuji (出羽の富士) and Tenju (天寿). Sake is served at bars and sold at many convenience and grocery stores.

Yashima
Yashima is known for toranokonomanju, a striped red bean pastry, which is sold at dessert shops and grocery stores.



Drink
In Honjo, there are many small snack bars. The outlying communities have fewer bars. There are no real dance clubs in Yurihonjo &mdash; try Akita for dancing.

Sleep


Business hotels are best found in Honjo. Ryokans can be found throughout Yurihonjo, though for a ryokan you'll want to have reservations or arrive early in the day. In a pinch, a car traveler could sleep in the car at any of the rest areas &mdash; this is quite common in northern Japan. If you're thinking of sleeping in your car after a night of drinking, please make sure you're completely alcohol-free in the morning, because the police may see your car in the evening and watch for it in the morning. Additionally, there are a few love hotels that could be used, but regular hotels are comparable in price, so it's not a great option.

Connect
Finding free wireless internet can be a challenge. Aquapal, Yashima Station, and the Yashima Nishinkan have public use computers with free internet access.

When making local telephone calls, only the last six digits are necessary. For example, "+81 184 53-2055" becomes "53-2055".

Go next

 * Check out Akita, an hour by train to the north.
 * Within the prefecture, Lake Tazawa and the Oga Peninsula are both two hours' drive from Honjo.
 * Tsuruoka
 * Yuzawa
 * Yokote
 * Nikaho
 * Ugo
 * Yuza
 * Sakata