Yuasa is located on the coast in north-central Wakayama Prefecture, facing the Kii Channel. The coastline is a ria coast and the climate is mild due to the effects of the offshore Kuroshio Current.
Yuasa has a Humid subtropical climate (Köppen Cfa) characterized by warm summers and cool winters with light to no snowfall. The average annual temperature in Yuasa is 15.7 °C. The average annual rainfall is 1878 mm with September as the wettest month. The temperatures are highest on average in August, at around 26.0 °C, and lowest in January, at around 5.8 °C.[3] The area is subject to typhoons in summer.
Demographics
Per Japanese census data,[4] the population of Yuasa has been slowly declining over the past 40 years.
Historical population
Year
Pop.
±%
1920
12,119
—
1930
13,611
+12.3%
1940
13,868
+1.9%
1950
17,127
+23.5%
1960
17,094
−0.2%
1970
16,833
−1.5%
1980
17,037
+1.2%
1990
16,525
−3.0%
2000
15,410
−6.7%
2010
13,215
−14.2%
History
The area of the modern town of Yuasa was within ancient Kii Province. The name "Yuasa" appears in Heian period documents in conjunction with Yuasa Shōen, a landed estate in the area which existed into the Nanboku-chō period. During the Edo period, it was the location of a daikansho which administered the surrounding area for Kishū Domain. The village of Yuasa was established with the creation of the modern municipalities system on April 1, 1889. It was elevated to town status on June 22, 1896. The neighboring village of Tasukawa was annexed on March 31, 1956.
Yuasa is famous for its soy sauce industry, which has flourished since the Edo period. Commercial fishing, especially for whitebait, agriculture and tourism are all-important contributors to the local economy.
Education
Yuasa has four public elementary schools and one public middle schools operated by the town government, and one public high school operated by the Wakayama Prefectural Board of Education.