Ōzu, Kumamoto

Ōzu 大津町
Town
Ōzu Town Hall in 2023
Flag Seal
Location of Ōzu in Kumamoto Prefecture
Ōzu Location in Japan
Coordinates: 32°52′44″N 130°52′06″E
Country	Japan
Region	Kyushu
Prefecture	Kumamoto
District	Kikuchi
Area
• Total	99.10 km2 (38.26 sq mi)
Population  (July 31, 2024)
• Total	36,053
• Density	360/km2 (940/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+09:00 (JST)
City hall address	1233 Ozu, Ozu-machi, Kikuchi-gun, Kumamoto-ken 869-1292
Website	Official website
Symbols
Bird	Meadow bunting
Flower	Azalea
Tree	Cryptomeria

National Route 57 Ōzu Town

Ōzu (大津町, Ōzu-machi) is a town located in Kikuchi District, Kumamoto Prefecture, Japan. As of 31 July 2024, the town had an estimated population of 36,053 in 16240 households, and a population density of 520 persons per km². The total area of the town is 99.10 km² (38.26 sq mi).

Geography

Ōzu is located about 19 kilometers east-northeast from the center of Kumamoto City, the prefectural capital, and Mount Aso, and is at the eastern edge of the Kumamoto Plain and the Kumamoto metropolitan area. The eastern part of the town is on the outer rim of Mount Aso. The Shirakawa River flows west through the southern part. The urban center is in the western part of the town's geographic area.

Ōzu was near the epicenter of the 2016 Kumamoto earthquakes.

Neighboring municipalities

Kumamoto Prefecture

• Kikuchi
• Aso
• Kōshi
• Mashiki
• Kikuyō
• Nishihara
• Minamiaso

Climate

Ōzu has a humid subtropical climate (Köppen Cfa) characterized by warm summers and cool winters with light to no snowfall. The average annual temperature in Ōzu is 14.0 °C. The average annual rainfall is 2000 mm with September as the wettest month. The temperatures are highest on average in August, at around 24.9 °C, and lowest in January, at around 3.1 °C.

Demographics

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

Historical population

Year	Pop.	±%
1960	21,885	—
1970	18,322	−16.3%
1980	19,894	+8.6%
1990	23,744	+19.4%
2000	28,021	+18.0%
2010	31,234	+11.5%
2020	35,187	+12.7%

History

The area of Ōzu 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 Ōzu was established with the creation of the modern municipalities system on April 1, 1889.

Government

Ōzu has a mayor-council form of government with a directly elected mayor and a unicameral town council of 16 members. Ōzu, collectively with the other municipalities of Kikuchi District contributes two members to the Kumamoto Prefectural Assembly. In terms of national politics, the town is part of the Kumamoto 3rd district of the lower house of the Diet of Japan.

Economy

Ōzu has an economy dominated b agriculture and manufacturing. Notably, there is a large Honda motorcycle factory located in Ōzu that employs people from around the world. Ozu is also known for its sweet potatoes (karaimo).

Education

Ōzu has seven public elementary schools and two public junior high schools operated by the town government, and two public high schools operated by the Kumamoto Prefectural Board of Education. The prefecture also operates one special education school for the handicapped.

Transportation

Railways

JR Kyushu - Hōhi Main Line

• Seta - Higo-Ōzu

Highways

• National Route 57
• National Route 325
• National Route 443

The town is known for its Azalea (tsutsuji) Festival in the spring. The town also has one of the oldest homes in Kikuchi District that opens twice a year for tourists, a racing track, and is located on the edge of the caldera that surrounds Mount Aso.

External links

• Media related to Ōzu, Kumamoto at Wikimedia Commons
• Ōzu official website (in Japanese)