Yoshino is asteroid #5640 and also known as 1989 UR₃. Yoshino was discovered by the Japanese amateur astronomers Mukai Masaru (向井 優) and Takeishi Masanori (武石 正憲) at the YCPM Kagoshima Station. Yoshino’s orbit is characterized by a semi-major axis of 2.65 Astronomical Units, an eccentricity of 0.25, a period of revolution of 1 571 days, and an inclination of 3.1 degrees.

Yoshino is named after the Japanese town Yoshino (吉野). It is the hometown of Mukai Masaru (向井 優), first discoverer of the asteroid, and a part of Kagoshima (鹿児島) City. Yoshino (吉野) would be translatable as lucky rural area.

Because Yoshino (吉野) Town is a part of Kagoshima (鹿児島) City, so the asteroid Kagoshima should be considered as well where the asteroid Yoshino plays a role. Although Yoshino is named after Yoshino (吉野) Town in Kagoshima (鹿児島) City, more prominent places in Japan bear the name Yoshino (吉野) too! At least an area, a city, a river, and a mountain are among them. Yoshino (吉野) also can denote a very fine quality of paper and a special kind of cherry trees (Prunus yedoensis). Yoshino certainly is hinting to all of these possibilities. When interpreting no (野) as a pun as it is usual for at least fictional names, then Yoshino (吉野) could also be interpreted as “of good luck”. Although this isn’t a literal meaning, the astrological force Yoshino would thus be more useful than if it only represents a somehow lucky rural area.