Yaechol

Kerekkata

Location of Yaechol in Akkala (red)

**Yaechol** (Akkalan: *Yaecholi*) is a city and borough in Akkala prefecture, Yoshiland. At the 2019 census, it had a population of 59,385. It is located 28 kilometres north of Kyosunmida, 8 kilometres south of Yura and 107 kilometres north-east of Nitaikotan. Yaechol is bordered to its east and west by water, the Akkalan Strait to the east and the volcanic Lake Kere to the west, along which the black sand beach Ahutokerexira is located. Although a settlement has existed where Yaechol is since at least the 17th century, due to earthquakes, storms and the 1950 Akkala Tsunami, the Yaechol you see today was primarily constructed in the latter half of the 20th century. The city is home to several well-known attractions, including Happiness Castle, a shopping centre complex opened in 2021, Happiness Square, a nearby commercial district home to the Camanian consulate, and Twotown, a 1970s quasi-brutalist "living concept" which contains 101 homes and various shops and services under one roof.

### History

Humans arrived in the area of what is now called Yaechol in around 1650. The Akkala tribe founded the nearby town of Yura, which quickly became an important city due to its strategic location, bordered by mountains making it difficult to conquer, and on the Akkalan Strait and the River Kimi, ideal for trade.

#### Attempts at Colonisation

Yoshiland's national government, headed by Emperor Sehun Yamane, attempted to conquer the Akkalans in 1719, and then again in 1738, but failed on both occasions. The kingdom of Akkala became rich. In the 1830s, while the rest of Yoshiland was colonised by the British Empire, Akkala held out until 1872. In 1941, it also became the first part of Yoshiland to demand independence, and set up the Free State of Akkala, which was incorporated into the rest of Yoshiland upon its independence in 1942.

#### 20th Century

In the 1950s, the Akkala Tsunami wiped out the small village of Yachor, which the national government subsequently identified as a prime area for redevelopment. The socialist governments of the 1940s-1970s used Yaechol as a testing ground for their architectural concepts, thus Yaechol has an abundance of brutalist and quasi-brutalist buildings. Starting in the 1970s, Yaechol consistently elected Conservative local governments, and the Yaechol Metropolitan Council has often had a Conservative libertarian majority. In 1971, newly-elected mayor Akushir Kokiri introducted the now-famous and sometimes controversial Yaechol Plan to tackle homelessness. Mayor Kokiri identified the problem of developers building a disproportionate number of "luxury" homes and condominiums due to restrictive "minimum space" requirements for homes. While some Conservative mayors relaxed these requirements, Kokiri went a step further and abolished them completely and allowed developers to build homes of whatever size they wanted. This led to the tiny apartments boom which started in 1973, with the construction of Sardine House, so named because people were "packed in like sardines". The Kobayashi Corporation decided to house their Kyosunmida Automotive Plant workers in Yaechol in 1974, as they could build a much smaller and cheaper complex for more workers. The tiny apartments boom died down in the 1990s, but has recently started to gain traction again with the opening of Xira House in 2022, a "capsule living" development.

#### 21st Century

Yaechol is famous in Yoshiland today for its dense population and low cost of living. In 2002, Happiness Square opened, with Yoshiland's only Caroland store and the Camanian consulate. In 2021, the shopping and leisure complex Happiness Castle opened next to Happiness Square. In 2023, a white horse from Yaechol named The Beloved David went viral for standing in the road and refusing to move.

### Governance

Yaechol was designated as a borough in 1953, and elects a borough council every 2 years. It also sends 7 councillors to the Akkala Prefectural Council. Yaechol is a Parliamentary Constituency in Yoshiland, which covers the northern part of the city. The current MP is Maria Keskotan of the Yaino Kaptek party. The southern part of the city, including the Two Town development , is covered by the constituency of Kyosunmida North. The current MP is Ken Rera, also of the Yaino Kaptek party.

### Geography

Yaechol is located in the north-east of Akkala prefecture, 8 kilometres south of Yura, 28 kilometres north of Kyosunmida and 107 kilometres north-east of Nitaikotan. It is located on the shore of Lake Kere, a volcanic lake with a black sand beach, and Akkalan Strait coastline with a white sand beach. Yaechol is bordered to its north, south and west by mountains, including the active volcano Mount Yaikor.

#### Climate

The climate of Yaechol differs significantly from that of the rest of Akkala and from that of Yoshiland as a whole. It is considerably colder, particularly in the winter, with average January temperatures of -1 °C and July temperatures of 20 °C celsius. The cold Hiroyuke-Akkala Stream brings cooler air up the east coast of Yoshiland. Yaechol is known as Yoshiland's hurricane hotspot, with storm season in September-October. Category 5 hurricanes are rare but not unheard of in the region.

### Demographics

Population of Yaechol over time

Yaechol's population increased significantly in the 1960s, and again in the 1980s, due to the new planning laws and the influx of workers from Kyosunmida. At the 2019 census, out of the 59,385 residents; 89.1% were of Yoshi (Akkalan) ancestry, 4.4% European (British/Dutch), 2.3% Camanian, 2.2% Russian and 2.0% Others.

### Popular Culture

Yaechol is known for its tiny apartments and is home to the National Minimalism Convention. In recent years, it has attracted a small but growing "hipster" scene, with some attracted to its rundown appeal. A gastro-pub called The Shed opened in 2022.

#### Notable People from Yaechol

* Yerin Kkaneun (Secretary of State for Finance)
* Xiori Hajena (judge)
* Rowan Yaitekera (TV personality)
* Akushir Kokiri (politician)
* Anri Keskotan (singer)