Kuroshio, Kōchi

Kuroshio (黒潮町, Kuroshio-chō) is a town located in Hata District, Kōchi Prefecture, Japan.

Kuroshio

黒潮町
Town
Kuroshio Town Office
Flag
Emblem
Location of Kuroshio in Kōchi Prefecture
Kuroshio
Location in Japan
Coordinates: 33°1′N 133°1′E
CountryJapan
RegionShikoku
PrefectureKōchi Prefecture
DistrictHata
Area
 • Total188.38 km2 (72.73 sq mi)
Population
 (March 31, 2017)
 • Total11,559
 • Density61/km2 (160/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+9 (JST)
Websitewww.town.kuroshio.lg.jp

The town was formed on March 20, 2006 from the merger of the towns of Ōgata and Saga, both from Hata District. As of March 31, 2017, the town has an estimated population of 11,559[1] and a density of 61 persons per km². The total area is 188.38 km². The residents speak a distinct dialect of Japanese known as Hata-ben.

Access

From Kochi Airport, take the bus to JR Kochi Station, then the express train to Tosa-Saga Station or Tosa-Irino Station. From Okayama Station on the JR Shikoku Line, it takes about 4 hours by express train to Tosa-Saga Station or Tosa-Irino Station.

Kuroshio is located two hours (by car or train) west of Kōchi City.

Kuroshio is on the Tosa Kuroshio Railway Nakamura Line (中村線 Nakamura-sen) that runs between Shimanto Town and Shimanto City in Kōchi Prefecture.

Climate

Winter (late November through to mid March) can be very dry and chilling with many homes and schools using kerosene heaters to keep warm. Temperatures average 13 ℃ in the daytime and 2 ℃ at night. It occasionally snows in the winter though often does not last the day due to the town's close proximity to the coast.

The summer months (July - September) are hot and humid. The temperature in summer can reach an average of 32 ℃ in the day and about 24 ℃ at night. Rainy season is in June and generally lasts three weeks. Kochi experiences a typhoon season which lasts from July until September.

Spring and autumn are mild months with some wet and windy days.

Education

Kuroshio has one high school, two junior high schools and nine elementary schools. The town participates in the JET Programme, employing two representatives who regularly visit the junior high schools and elementary schools to teach English.

Every year in late August, during the summer vacation, twelve third year students chosen from Kuroshio's two junior high schools travel to Hamilton, New Zealand. There they participate in a homestay with families of students who attend Hamilton's Fairfield Intermediate School. The Kuroshio students are accompanied by a Kuroshio Board of Education representative, two teachers and one of the JET participants (usually a New Zealander). The students participate in school activities and ESL classes while at Fairfield Intermediate. Occasionally Fairfield Intermediate have sent a group of students and teachers to visit Kuroshio. The relationship between the two schools began in 1999.

Tourism

Tourists flock to the area in the summer for camping and surfing.

Irino Beach and Iyoki River are popular places to visit for both locals and tourists alike during the summer months.

Baby turtles can be seen entering the water at sunrise from August through September on Irino Beach. Local volunteers help to protect the nests and the young turtles from birds and the trampling feet of beach goers. The volunteers are happy to include early morning spectators in the task of preparing and protecting the newly hatched turtles for their first experience of the open sea.

Spring sees the hills and coastline dotted in blossom with many areas in the town's seaside park, Saga Koen (accessible by train at the Saga-Kōen Station stop), perfect for Hanami.

During Golden Week (Japan) Kuroshio's Seaside Gallery hosts the annual T-shirt Art Exhibition on Irino beach. Many entries are made from both within Japan and internationally and draw a great number of tourists to the area.

Kuroshio is famous within Kochi and Japan for its skipjack tuna fishing. The prefecture's regional dish, katsuo no tataki, is made by lightly searing and seasoning this tuna. Saga Port is a base for many boats fishing for skipjack tuna and most local izakaya will serve the dish.

Kobushinosata onsen is located on Route 56, ten minutes east of Saga. Many pilgrims (ohenro-san) on the Shikoku Pilgrimage stop at this onsen.

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References
  1. "Official website of Kuroshio Town" (in Japanese). Japan: Kuroshio Town. Retrieved 4 May 2017.
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