Hanamaki 4.83

is a city in Iwate Prefecture, Japan., the city had an estimated population of 97,401, and a population density of 107 persons per km2, in 36,859 households. The total area of the city is 908.39sqkm. Hanamaki is famous as the birthplace of Kenji Miyazawa and for its hot spring resorts.GeographyHanamaki is located in central Iwate Prefecture, in the Kitakami River valley at the conflux of three rivers with the Kitakami River; the Sarugaishi-gawa from the east and the Se-gawa and Toyosawa-gawa from the west. In the west the city rises to the foothills of the Ōu Mountains with the highest peak being Mt. Matsukura at 968 meters. To the east the city rises to the highest peak in the Kitakami Range, Mount Hayachine at 1917 meters. The largest reservoir is Lake Tase on the Sarugaishi River. Lake Hayachine on the Hienuki River is quite spectacular with steep mountains rising above it. Lake Toyosawa is in the western part of the city on the Toyosawa River. Parts of the city are within the borders of the Towada-Hachimantai National Park and the Hayachine Quasi-National Park. A chain of 12 hot springs that lie along the edge of the Ōu Mountains form the Hanamaki Onsenkyo Village.ClimateHanamaki has a humid climate (Köppen climate classification Cfa) characterized by mild summers and cold winters. The average annual temperature in Hanamaki is 10.4 °C. The average annual rainfall is 1324 mm with September as the wettest month. The temperatures are highest on average in August, at around 24.0 °C, and lowest in January, at around -2.3 °C.