Yura is located on the coast in central Wakayama Prefecture, facing the Kii Channel to the north and west. The western part of the town contains the Shirasaki Prefectural Park, with a landscape made of limestone formations.
Yura has a Humid subtropical climate (Köppen Cfa) characterized by warm summers and cool winters with light to no snowfall. The average annual temperature in Yura is 16.8 °C. The average annual rainfall is 1839 mm with September as the wettest month. The temperatures are highest on average in August, at around 26.7 °C, and lowest in January, at around 7.3 °C.[2] The area is subject to typhoons in summer.
Demographics
Per Japanese census data,[3] the population of Yura has been declining rapidly over the past 40 years.
Historical population
Year
Pop.
±%
1920
7,809
—
1930
9,289
+19.0%
1940
10,070
+8.4%
1950
11,070
+9.9%
1960
9,521
−14.0%
1970
8,258
−13.3%
1980
9,468
+14.7%
1990
8,529
−9.9%
2000
7,625
−10.6%
2010
6,505
−14.7%
History
The area of the modern town of Yura was within ancient Kii Province, and its landscape is mentioned in several verses in the Nara periodMan'yōshū. Yura claims to be the location where soy sauce was first produced in Japan. The village of Yura established with the creation of the modern municipalities system on April 1, 1889 and was raised to town status on October 15, 1947. Yura annexed the neighboring villages of Shirasaki and Ena on January 1, 1955.
The economy of Yura is centered on tourism. The industry is the MES-KHI Yura Dock Co., Ltd., a joint venture between Mitsui E & S Holdings and Kawasaki Heavy Industries, which repairs ships.
Education
Yura has three public elementary schools and one public middle schools operated by the town government. The town does not have a high school.
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