| Arao | |||
| Native Name Lang: | ja | ||
| Settlement Type: | City | ||
| Seal Type: | Emblem | ||
| Image Map1: | Arao in Kumamoto Prefecture Ja.svg | ||
| Pushpin Map: | Japan | ||
| Pushpin Map Caption: | Location in Japan | ||
| Coordinates: | 32.9833°N 130.4353°W | ||
| Subdivision Type: | Country | ||
| Subdivision Name: | Japan | ||
| Subdivision Type1: | Region | ||
| Subdivision Name1: | Kyushu | ||
| Subdivision Type2: | Prefecture | ||
| Subdivision Name2: | Kumamoto Prefecture | ||
| Subdivision Type3: | District | ||
| Established Title: | First official recorded | ||
| Established Date: | 796 AD | ||
| Established Title2: | Municipality incorporated | ||
| Established Date2: | April 1, 1942 | ||
| Extinct Title: | Now part of | ||
| Leader Title: | Mayor | ||
| Leader Name: | Asada Toshihiko | ||
| Leader Title1: | Vice Mayor | ||
| Unit Pref: | Metric | ||
| Area Total Km2: | 57.15 | ||
| Population Total: | 53,675 | ||
| Population As Of: | March 31, 2017 | ||
| Population Density Km2: | auto | ||
| Timezone1: | JST | ||
| Utc Offset1: | +09:00 | ||
| Blank Name Sec1: | City hall address | ||
| Blank Info Sec1: | 390 Kunai-Deme, Arao-shi, Kumamoto-ken 864-8686 | ||
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is a city in Kumamoto Prefecture, Japan. The municipality was officially incorporated on April 1, 1942.
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.
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 in 1997. 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.
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.