Kokonoe, Ōita

Kokonoe (九重町, Kokonoe-machi) is a town located in Kusu District, Ōita Prefecture, Japan. As of 30 November 2023^[update], the town had an estimated population of 8,536 in 3,881 households, and a population density of 31 persons per km². ^[1] The total area of the city is 271.37 km² (104.78 sq mi)

Kokonoe 九重町
Town
View of the Kokonoe Mountain Range from Asahidai on Iida Plateau
Flag Chapter
Location of Kokonoe in Ōita Prefecture
Kokonoe Location in Japan
Coordinates: 33°13′42″N 131°11′20″E
Country	Japan
Region	Kyushu
Prefecture	Ōita
District	Kusu
Area
• Total	271.37 km2 (104.78 sq mi)
Population  (November 30, 2023)
• Total	8,536
• Density	31/km2 (81/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+09:00 (JST)
City hall address	8-1 Gonoue, Kokonoe-cho, Kusu-gun, Ōita-ken 879-4895
Website	Official website
Symbols
Bird	Common cuckoo
Flower	Rhododendron kiusianum
Tree	Quercus acutissima

Kokonoe Town Hall

Geography

Kokonoe is located within the mountainous western part of Oita, with most of the area is covered within the Aso Kujū National Park. Mount Kujū is located here with the Kusu River flowing through Kokonoe.

Neighbouring municipalities

Kumamoto Prefecture

• Minamioguni
• Oguni

Ōita Prefecture

• Kusu
• Taketa
• Yufu

Climate

Kokonoe has a humid subtropical climate (Köppen Cfa) characterized by warm summers and cool winters with light to no snowfall. The average annual temperature in Kokonoe is 12.0 °C. The average annual rainfall is 1795 mm with September as the wettest month. The temperatures are highest on average in August, at around 23.0 °C, and lowest in January, at around 0.7 °C.^[2]

Demographics

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

Historical population

Year	Pop.	±%
1950	15,516	—
1960	20,538	+32.4%
1970	20,275	−1.3%
1980	16,324	−19.5%
1990	14,407	−11.7%
2000	12,848	−10.8%
2010	11,566	−10.0%
2020	10,425	−9.9%

History

The area of Kokonoe was part of ancient Bungo Province. During the Edo period the area was mostly tenryō territory under the direct control of the Tokugawa shogunate. Following the Meiji restoration, the villages of Handa, Higashi-Handa and Minami-Yamada within Kusu District, Ōita were established on May 1, 1889 with the creation of the modern municipalities system. The village of Nogami was established on March 29, 1896 out of portions of Handa and Higashi-Handa, and was raised to town status on January 1, 1951. On February 1, 1955, the town of Nogami and villages of Handa, Higashi-Handa and Minami-Yamada merged to form the town of Kokonoe.

Government

Kokonoe has a mayor-council form of government with a directly elected mayor and a unicameral town council of 13 members. Kokonoe, together with Kusu, contributes one member to the Ōita Prefectural Assembly. In terms of national politics, the town is part of the Ōita 2nd district of the lower house of the Diet of Japan.

Economy

The economy of Kokonoe is centered on agriculture, forestry and electrical energy production. The town power plants, with geothermal power generating a large amount of electricity, and the electricity self-sufficiency rate reaches 2,293%, the highest among municipalities in Japan. The town promotes its nine onsen, which are occasionally closed due to flooding; it is also the summer headquarters of Labo Camp Kujū, part of the LABO language program.

Education

Kokonoe has six public elementary schools and one public junior high school operated by the town government. The town does not have a high school.

Transportation

Railways

JR Kyushu - Kyūdai Main Line

• Era - Hikiji - Bungo-Nakamura - Noya

Highways

• Ōita Expressway
• National Route 210
• National Route 387
• National Route 326
• National Route 388

Gallery

Naruhodo Hot Spring in Kokonoe, not one of the promoted nine

The Kokonoe Yume (Dream) Suspension Bridge