Uto, Kumamoto

Uto

宇土市
Uto 宇土市
City
	Uto City Hall
	Flag Emblem
	Location of Uto in Kumamoto Prefecture
	Uto Location in Japan
	Coordinates: 32°41′17″N 130°39′35″E / 32.68806°N 130.65972°E
Country	Japan
Region	Kyushu
Prefecture	Kumamoto
Area
• Total	74.30 km2 (28.69 sq mi)
Population (August 31, 2024)
• Total	36,149
• Density	490/km2 (1,300/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+09:00 (JST)
City hall address	51 Uratacho, Uto-shi, Kumamoto-ken 869-0492
Website	Official website
Symbols
Bird	Warbling white-eye
Flower	Hydrangea macrophylla
Tree	Osmanthus fragrans

Uto (宇土市, Uto-shi) is a city located in Kumamoto Prefecture, Japan. As of 31 July 2024^[update], the city had an estimated population of 36,149 in 16127 households, and a population density of 490 persons per km².^[1] The total area of the city is 74.30 km² (28.69 sq mi).

Geography

Uto occupies the northern half of the Uto Peninsula and is bordered on the northwest by the Ariake Sea.

Neighboring municipalities

Kumamoto Prefecture

Kumamoto
Uki

Climate

Uto has a humid subtropical climate (Köppen Cfa) characterized by warm summers and cool winters with light to no snowfall. The average annual temperature in Uto is 16.0 °C. The average annual rainfall is 2128 mm with September as the wettest month. The temperatures are highest on average in August, at around 26.5 °C, and lowest in January, at around 5.5 °C.^[2]

Demographics

Per Japanese census data, the population of Uto is as shown below

Historical population
Year	Pop.	±%
1950	33,412	—
1960	33,057	−1.1%
1970	31,327	−5.2%
1980	32,954	+5.2%
1990	33,390	+1.3%
2000	37,255	+11.6%
2010	37,727	+1.3%
2020	36,122	−4.3%

History

The area of Uto was part of ancient Higo Province, During the Edo Period it was part of the holdings of Kumamoto Domain. After the Meiji restoration, the town of Uto was established with the creation of the modern municipalities system on April 1, 1889. Uto annexed the neighboring village of Hanazono, Todoroki, Midorikawa, Amizu and Hashiragata in 1954. On October 1, 1958 Uto merged with the village Amida and was raised to city status.

Government

Uto has a mayor-council form of government with a directly elected mayor and a unicameral city council of 18 members. Uto contributes one member to the Kumamoto Prefectural Assembly. In terms of national politics, the city is part of the Kumamoto 4th district of the lower house of the Diet of Japan.

Economy

Agriculture - Fruit cultivation is popular, taking advantage of the warm climate. Navel oranges, dekopon, and Andean melons are local specialties.
Fisheries - Nori farming is popular in the Ariake Sea. Asari clams are also a local speciality.
Manufacturing - In addition to the food processing industry, there are also chemical and steel industries.

Papier-mache is a traditional craft that is a local specialty.

Education

Uto has seven public elementary schools and four public junior high schools operated by the city government and one public high school operated by the Kumamoto Prefectural Board of Education.