is a

town A town is a human settlement. Towns are generally larger than villages and smaller than cities, though the criteria to distinguish between them vary considerably in different parts of the world. Origin and use The word "town" shares an ori ...

located in

Iburi Subprefecture is a subprefecture of Hokkaido Prefecture, Japan. Geography Located in south-central Hokkaido, Iburi stretches East-West and North-South. Iburi covers an area of . Iburi borders Oshima Subprefecture to the West, Shiribeshi, Ishikari, and ...

Hokkaido is Japan's second largest island and comprises the largest and northernmost prefecture, making up its own region. The Tsugaru Strait separates Hokkaidō from Honshu; the two islands are connected by the undersea railway Seikan Tunnel. The la ...

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

. In March 2017, the town had an estimated

population Population typically refers to the number of people in a single area, whether it be a city or town, region, country, continent, or the world. Governments typically quantify the size of the resident population within their jurisdiction using a ...

of 4,659, and a

density Density (volumetric mass density or specific mass) is the substance's mass per unit of volume. The symbol most often used for density is ''ρ'' (the lower case Greek letter rho), although the Latin letter ''D'' can also be used. Mathematical ...

of 12 persons per km². The total area is 404.56 km². The annual town festival is in mid-July, and is called "Inaka Matsuri" or "Country Festival". It is a two-day affair that starts in the main section of town with a parade featuring the Atsuma Dance and continuing the next day with performances at the Atsuma Dam. There is a surfing beach nearby where the annual "Hama Matsuri" or "Beach Festival" in early-August.

Geography

Atsuma has several rivers of which the most prominent is the Atsuma River. It is dammed in the northern area of town and continues down through the center of town and empties into the ocean near the ferry terminal and the Tomato-Atsuma Power Station.

Neighbouring municipalities

Tomakomai is a city and port in Iburi Subprefecture, Hokkaido, Japan. It is the largest city in the Iburi Subprefecture, and the fourth largest city in Hokkaido. As of 29 February 2012, it had an estimated population of 174,216, with 83,836 households, ...

* Yūbari * Abira * Mukawa * Yuni

Climate

History

In the middle of the 12th century,

Northern Fujiwara The Northern Fujiwara (奥州藤原氏 ''Ōshū Fujiwara-shi'') were a Japanese noble family that ruled the Tōhoku region (the northeast of Honshū) of Japan during the 12th century as their own realm.

supposedly had its trading post in Atsuma. On 6 September 2018, Atsuma was the town hardest hit by the

2018 Hokkaido Eastern Iburi earthquake An earthquake measuring 6.6 on the moment magnitude scale struck Iburi Subprefecture in southern Hokkaido, Japan, on 6 September 2018 at 3:08 a.m. JST. The earthquake's epicenter was near Tomakomai and occurred at a depth of . The Japan M ...

. It caused landslides that killed several of the town's residents when their homes were buried. A revitaliation effort orgainzed by the town since 2018 has attracted new residents, leading to an increaes of the town's population.

Education

Atsuma currently has a high school, called the Hokkaido Atsuma High School (北海道厚真高等学校, ''Hokkaidō Atsuma Kōtōgakkō'') The town also has two junior high schools and two elementary schools.

Transportation

Railway

JR Hokkaido The is one of the constituent companies of the Japan Railways Group (JR Group), and is often referred to using its official abbreviation of . It operates intercity and local rail services in Hokkaido, Japan. The company introduced Kitaca, a sm ...

Hidaka Main Line The is a railway line in Hokkaido, Japan, operated by Hokkaido Railway Company (JR Hokkaido), between Tomakomai Station in Tomakomai and Samani Station in Samani, running along the coast of Hidaka Subprefecture. Services on the 116.0 km ...

: Hama-Atsuma

Highways

Hidaka Expressway The is a partially tolled expressway in Iburi Subprefecture and Hidaka Subprefecture, Hokkaido, Japan. The expressway connects Hidaka to the Dō-Ō Expressway. It is owned and operated by partially by the East Nippon Expressway Company and the Mi ...

Seaport

* Tomakomai East Port Shubun Ferry terminal (A

Shin Nihonkai Ferry is a marine transportation company based in Japan. Ships and Routes Highspeed Ferries Conventional Ferries Terminals Shin Nihonkai Ferry operates from six terminals. ;Maizuru ferry terminal :Located in Maizuru, Kyoto () ; Tsuruga fe ...

operates two ferries daily)

References

External links

*
Official Website
Towns in Hokkaido {{Hokkaido-geo-stub