Shiota, Saga

Shiota Town 塩田町
Former municipality
Shiota Town Location in Japan
Coordinates: 33.1268°N 130.0589°E / 33.1268; 130.0589
Country	Japan
Region	Kyushu
Prefecture	Saga Prefecture
District	Fujitsu
Merged	January 1, 2006 (now part of Ureshino)
Area
• Total	46.05 km2 (17.78 sq mi)
Population  (November 30, 2004)
• Total	11,987
• Density	260.30/km2 (674.2/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+09:00 (JST)
Website	www.city.ureshino.lg.jp

Shiota (塩田町, Shiota-chō) was a town located in Fujitsu District, Saga Prefecture, Japan.

On January 1, 2006, Shiota, along with the former town of Ureshino (also from Fujitsu District), was merged to create the city of Ureshino.

Geography

Shiota is located in the southwestern part of Saga, inland of the Ariake Sea. It is surrounded on three sides by mountains.

• Mountains: Mt. Tōsen, Mt. Kishima
• Rivers: Shiota River

Adjoining Municipalities

• Kashima
• Shiroishi
• Takeo
• Ureshino

History

• April 1, 1889 - The modern municipal system is formed and three villages exist in the current area occupied by Shiota: Shiota Village, Kuma Village, and Gochōda Village.
• October 5, 1918 - Shiota Village becomes Shiota Town.
• September 1, 1956 - Kuma Village and Gochōda Village are incorporated into Shiota Town.
• January 1, 2006 - Shiota Town and Ureshino Town merge to form Ureshino City.

Demographics

23.6% of the population of Shiota are 65 or older.

Education

High schools

• Saga Prefectural Industrial High School

Junior high schools

• Shiota Junior High School

Elementary schools

• Gochōda Elementary School
• Shiota Elementary School
• Kuma Elementary School
• Ureshino Associated Ōkusano Elementary School

Notable Places and Festivals

• O-Yama-san Matsuri-hi (お山さん祭り日), April 5
• Shiota Kunchi (塩田くんち), November 2–3
• Hachimangū Reisai, (annual festival for the god of war shrine) November 3
• Tanjō Shrine