01 ／ Mine
The Meishin line, joining the Akenobe mine to Mikobata, began issuing one-yen tickets in 1952 and carried people for that fare until 1985, thirty-three years. The ride took 30 minutes one way, two carriages, about 40 seats. Even when the mine closed in 1987, 90 percent of the tin produced in Japan still came out of it.
02 ／ Mountain
Hyonosen rises in the west of the city, 1,510 metres, the highest peak in the prefecture. Every stone lying on the summit is andesite, which is how we know it is a volcano. On top you can see slabs of platy jointing, each about five centimetres thick, stacked one on another.
03 ／ Special zone
In 2014 Yabu was designated a National Strategic Special Zone as a base for reforming agriculture in hilly and mountainous areas: designated on 28 March, with the area fixed by cabinet order on 1 May. The city applies the zone's provisions to abandoned farmland, the shortage of successors, and the making of jobs.
Living here
Yoka on the JR San-in Line is the gateway. Limited expresses take about 2 hours 10 minutes from Osaka, the same from Kobe, and about 2 hours from Kyoto. By car, the Yoka-Hyonosen interchange on the Kita-Kinki Toyooka Expressway is close by.
−8.9% since 2015
28,306 → 22,129
67.28km² of it habitable
2024
2.6 people per household
2020
National average 60,630 yen
2023
9.0 per 10,000 people
2023
These 3 items are waiting on a nationwide data source. We do not fill them with estimates.
ACCESS
Travel times follow 市公式「養父市へのアクセス」に載る値 (checked 2026-09-23). They vary by time of day.
Shape
North to south
23.3km
If something caught your eye, ask the town itself.
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