is a city located in Ōita Prefecture, Japan that was founded on December 11, 1940. It is an agricultural and industrial centre that primarily produces lumber, furniture, and pottery. Its attractions and scenic beauty also make it a popular tourist destination. On March 22, 2005, the towns of Amagase and Ōyama, and the villages of Kamitsue, Maetsue and Nakatsue (all from Hita District) were merged into Hita. As of December 31, 2019, Hita has a population of 64,874. Geography Hita is located in the far west of Ōita Prefecture, and borders the neighboring prefectures of Fukuoka and Kumamoto. Surrounding cities include Kurume to the west, Nakatsu to the north, and Kusu to the east. Hita is a natural basin surrounded by mountains, with several rivers that eventually become the Chikugo River. Due to this connection, although Hita is placed within Ōita Prefecture, it shares a historical connection to Fukuoka Prefecture. The dialect used in Hita has characteristics of the Hichiku dialect used in Fukuoka, Nagasaki, and Saga Prefectures. Many rivers that run through Hita join up to the Mikuma River, and later the Chikugo River. These rivers were used to distribute lumber to Kurume and Ōkawa at the end of the Edo Period, but with the completion of the Yoake Dam, the use of this route stopped. The mountains surrounding the Hita basin reach 1000 meters (3,281 ft) above sea level, while some mountains around Nakatsue, Maetsue, and Kamitsue reach 1200 meters (3,937 ft) above sea level. Surronding municipalities Ōita Prefecture Nakatsu Kusu Kumamoto Prefecture Kikuchi Yamaga Aso Oguni Minamioguni Fukuoka Prefecture Yame Asakura Ukiha Soeda Tōhō Climate Hita has a humid subtropical climate (Köppen climate classification Cfa). As a basin, the change in temperature from day to night during summer and winter is steep. Hita has a high annual precipitation rate, with over one third of the rain falling during the rainy season months of June and July. Heavy rainfall is frequent, and severe flood damage has occurred in the past. From spring to autumn, a deep fog known locally as sokogiri (底霧, shallow ground fog) often appears in the morning. Summer gets very hot, with temperatures often rising above , while winter gets notably cold. At times the temperature falls to -5 ℃ (23 °F). Hita gets more snow than average for Ōita Prefecture. While snow inside the main city area accumulates to less than a year, the