was a city located in Kagoshima Prefecture, Japan. It is now part of the city of Isa. The city was founded on April 1, 1954.
As of 2008, the city had an estimated population of 21,643 and the density of 78.02 persons per km<sup>2</sup>. The total area was 291.88 km<sup>2</sup>.
On November 1, 2008, Ã Âkuchi was merged with the town of Hishikari (from Isa District) to create the city of Isa. Isa District was dissolved as a result of this merger.
à Âkuchi was the northernmost city on the mainland part of Kagoshima Prefecture. Only the Nagashima island of Nagashima city extends further north. à Âkuchi is a mountainous area that borders on Kumamoto Prefecture and Miyazaki Prefecture. Part of the southern border of the city is the Sendai River and the artificial lake formed from the Tsuruta dam. It is the only city in Kagoshima Prefecture that is not bordered by the sea.
At one time, à Âkuchi was a prosperous city but has declined for several reasons in recent years. First, there has been a decline in forestry and agriculture in the area, but the aging Japanese population and the flight to larger cities have also been significant factors. For these reasons two Japanese National Railways railway lines that served à Âkuchi were discontinued in the 1987 and 1988. They were the Yamano line that went from Minamata to Kurino and the Miyajo line that went from Sendai to à Âkuchi.
Cities: Izumi, Hitoyoshi (Kumamoto), Minamata (Kumamoto), Ebino (Miyazaki)
Districts: Satsuma District, Isa District, Kuma District (Kumamoto).
Shin-Minamata Station on the Kyushu Shinkansen is 35 km northwest (operated by Kyushu Railway Company)
Kagoshima Airport in Kirishima (35 km SSE of à Âkuchi)
à Âkuchi has two sister cities: