Arao 荒尾市
City
The Manda shaft (万田坑) of the Miike coal mine
Flag Emblem
Location of Arao in Kumamoto Prefecture
Arao Location in Japan
Coordinates: 32°59′00″N 130°26′07″E / 32.98333°N 130.43528°E / 32.98333; 130.43528
Country	Japan
Region	Kyushu
Prefecture	Kumamoto Prefecture
First official recorded	796 AD
City Settled	April 1, 1942
Government
• Mayor	Asada Toshihiko
Area
• Total	57.15 km2 (22.07 sq mi)
Population  (March 31, 2017)
• Total	53,675
• Density	940/km2 (2,400/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+09:00 (JST)
City hall address	390 Kunai-Deme, Arao-shi, Kumamoto-ken 864-8686
Website	www.city.arao.lg.jp
Symbols
Flower	Pyraspyrifolia
Tree	Pinus

Arao (荒尾市, Arao-shi) is a city in Kumamoto Prefecture, Japan. The city was founded on April 1, 1942.^{[citation needed]}

As of March 31, 2017, the city has an estimated population of 53,675, with 24,153 households^[1] and a population density of 940 persons per km². The total area is 57.15 km².^{[citation needed]}

History

Arao was once a large coal mining town, but it has since lost a great deal of its population, due to the closing of the mine 11 years ago. Some schools that once housed 1,500 children have now been looking at declining enrollments down 1,000 students or more. Arao's political concentration is on tourism, to try to lure people back to this once heavily populated land. Recent hopes to pull in tourists are in its two big amusement parks, Mitsui Greenland and Ultraman Land.

Economy

One notable aspect of this city includes Shōdai ware, an art form almost completely exclusive to Arao, involving slow kilning and under glazing.

Also, the Arao nashi pear is a fruit product grown widely in this town. The pear is round, brown and about the size of a bowling ball.