Yawatahama 4.47

Yawatahama is a city located in the southwestern part of Ehime Prefecture, Japan, and has the largest fish market on Shikoku. The Mikan is the featured agricultural product.As of March 31, 2012, the city has an estimated population of 38,307, with 16,885 households and a population density of 287.96 persons per km². The total area is 133.03 km².On March 28, 2005, Yawatahama absorbed the town of Honai (from Nishiuwa District) to create the new and expanded city of Yawatahama. Regular bus service connects Honai and Yawatahama.HistoryIt is said that name "Yawatahama" comes from long ago when debris from a festival at the main Hachiman shrine in Usa, Ōita, floated up on the beach in what is now Yawatahama. In 1889, during the Meiji Period the Yawatahama became a city under the new municipal system.Around that time, Yawatahama was referred to as the Manchester of Shikoku due to rapidly increasing industry. As an industrial center for Ehime, the first bank in Ehime was opened in Yawatahama in 1878. In addition, in 1889, Yawatahama was the first city in Shikoku to burn an electric light.