is a city located in Kagoshima Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 32,575 in 17252 households, and a population density of 83 persons per km<sup>2</sup>. The total area of the city is .
Soo is located in northeastern Kagoshima Prefecture. The northern part is in the Miyakonojà  Basin, the eastern part is in the Wanizuka Mountains, and the southwestern part is mainly the Shirasu Plateau and rolling hills. The entire city is located in the northern part of the à Âsumi Peninsula, and is one of the few cities in Kagoshima Prefecture that does not have a coastline. Much of the area of the city is mountainous and covered with forest. It rains, but it rarely snows; however, it occasionally receives ash from volcanoes, most notably: Shinmoedake and Sakurajima.
Kagoshima Prefecture
Miyazaki Prefecture
Soo has a humid subtropical climate (Köppen Cfa) characterized by warm summers and cool winters with light to no snowfall.
Soo is one of the many small cities in Japan that have a steadily decreasing population. Per Japanese census data, the population of Yà «sui is as shown below:
The area of Soo was part of ancient à Âsumi Province. During the Edo Period the area was under the control of Kagoshima Domain. After the Meiji restoration, the villages of Takarabe, Sueyoshi, Iwakawa, Tsuneyoshi and Tsukino were established with the creation of the modern municipalities system on April 1, 1897. Sueyoshi was raised to town status in 1922, followed by Iwakawa in 1924 and Takarabe in 1926. Iwakawa, Tsueyoshi and Tsukino merged to form the town of à Âsumi in 1955. The city of Soo was established on July 1, 2005, from the merger of the towns of à Âsumi (Iwagawa), Sueyoshi and Takarabe (all from Soo District).
Soo has a mayor-council form of government with a directly elected mayor and a unicameral city council of 20 members. Soo contributes one member to the Kagoshima Prefectural Assembly. In terms of national politics, the city is part of the Kagoshima 4th district of the lower house of the Diet of Japan.
Sueyoshi is famous throughout Japan for producing Yuzu (a citronella). Ã Âsumi is known for its Chinese cabbage and watermelons. Soo City in general also raises black pork and beef which is the local delicacy. Before it closed, the high school in Takarabe was an agriculture school, reflecting the importance of the agriculture industry in the area.
Soo has 17 public elementary schools and thee public junior high schools operated by the city government and one public high school operated by the Kagoshima Prefectural Board of Education.
There are many points of interest and Festivals that can be visited in Soo City.
In Iwagawa there is the Legend of Yagorou, which is represented by a very tall statue on a hill near the bypass on the way to Kanoya from Miyakonojo. Near the statue is a restaurant, an onsen, and a visitors center. Also near the statue is à Âsumi's Michi no Eki where many locally grown foods and teas can be bought. In spring all of the cherry trees on the hill bloom and it is a popular spot to view them.
Every year on November 3 there are 3 different festivals (Matsuri) dedicated to Yagoroudon. One in Soo (Ã Âsumi), one in Nichinan, and one in Yamanokuchi (both in Miyazaki Prefecture). The town has a smaller statue of Yagorou (just over tall) that is pulled from the through town. This festival is called the Yagorou Festival or the Yagorodon Festival.
The mobile statue of Yagorou pulled through à Âsumi is the second largest of the three Yagorou festivals. The largest is in Nichinan (just over tall), and the smallest is in Yamanokuchi. It is said that there were 3 Yagoroudon brothers, hence the three different locations of festivals (one for each brother).
has campsites and a little village where cabins can be rented. It is in Takarabe, and it hosts a waterfall called Kirihara Falls (æ¡ÂÃ¥ÂÂã®滠"Kirihara-no-taki") that is lit up at night. There are also many scenic ponds at the base of the waterfall with many places to picnic.
One of the eight views of Kannon that can be seen in Soo (according to the sign at the trail head down to the Iwaya Buddha). It was carved hundreds of years ago and is reached by climbing down many stairs to a cliff face above a river.
is located in Takarabe and is a tunnel made long ago through erosion. it is tall and long.
Every year on the Sunday closest to the Buddha's birthday (April 8) the is held at the natural tunnel. At the festival school children dance through the tunnel in traditional costumes.
Every year on November 23 at there is a Yabusame festival. Originally, a student from the local junior high school was selected three months prior to the festival. Then he trained to shoot arrows on horseback for the festival. In many cases he had never touched a horse before he was selected, let alone ridden a horse before. How many shots he made was supposed to show how good the harvest will be for the year.
For at least the past 4 years, however, two girls have been the riders/shooters for the festival. Starting when they were in Jr. High school, they practice riding and shooting a few months before the festival. A third girl, currently a 6th grade student, has been shooting at the past two festivals, and a 5th grade boy began riding, but not shooting, at last year's festival.
In Sueyoshi in Soo every January 7 at there is an . Onioi is a festival or ceremony in which the demons are driven out in order to let good luck in.