is a small

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

Hiyama Subprefecture is a subprefecture of Hokkaido Prefecture, Japan located on the Oshima Peninsula on the Sea of Japan side. It includes Okushiri Island. It was established in 1897. Geography Mergers History *1897: Hiyama Subprefecture was established. *20 ...

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 ...

. Assabu is situated in the

Oshima Peninsula The Oshima Peninsula (渡島半島 ''Oshima-hantō'') is the southernmost part of Hokkaidō, the northernmost of the Japanese islands. Where the peninsula starts is open to interpretation. A more generous interpretation is to draw a line southe ...

of southern Hokkaido near the Japan Sea. Assabu is around an hour's drive by car from

Hakodate is a city and port located in Oshima Subprefecture, Hokkaido, Japan. It is the capital city of Oshima Subprefecture. As of July 31, 2011, the city has an estimated population of 279,851 with 143,221 households, and a population density of 412.8 ...

and 15 minutes to Esashi. Other transport links include a road from Yakumo on the east coast and a bus to Esashi. The bus-rail links from the Esashi (JR Esashi-Line) and Hakodate railway stations closed in 2014 when the Esashi train line closed. The drive to

Sapporo ( ain, サッ・ポロ・ペッ, Satporopet, lit=Dry, Great River) is a city in Japan. It is the largest city north of Tokyo and the largest city on Hokkaido, the northernmost main island of the country. It ranks as the fifth most populous city ...

, Hokkaido's largest city, takes around four and one-half hours on the toll expressway; around six hours on the toll-free highways.

Geography

The municipality is landlocked, comprising several valley basins and is encircled by forest-clad hills, opening out towards the Japan sea to the west. More than 80% of the Assabu municipal area is forested, including Hiba (

Japanese Cypress ''Chamaecyparis obtusa'' (Japanese cypress, hinoki cypress or hinoki; ja, 檜 or , ) is a species of cypress native to central Japan in East Asia, and widely cultivated in the temperate northern hemisphere for its high-quality timber and orname ...

), Goyoumatsu (

Japanese White Pine ''Pinus parviflora'', also known as five-needle pine, Ulleungdo white pine, or Japanese white pine, is a pine in the Pinus classification, white pine group, ''Pinus'' subgenus ''Strobus'', native to Korea and Japan. It is a pinophyta, coniferous ...

) and Todomatsu (

Sakhalin Fir ''Abies sachalinensis'', the Sakhalin fir, is a species of conifer in the family Pinaceae. It is found in Sakhalin island and southern Kurils (Russia), and also in northern Hokkaido ( Japan). The first discovery by a European was by Carl Fri ...

) species.

Nearby cities and towns

* Yakumo to the north * Hokuto to the north east * Otobe to the north west * Kikonai to the south and east * Esashi to the west * Kaminokuni to the south

Mountains

* Mt. (elevation: 147 m) * Mt. (elevation: 1017 m)

Rivers

There are numerous rivers running through the area, the largest of which is the .

Industry

Agriculture, forestry, dairy farming and the local government are Assabu's main sources of employment. The district's leading crop, the May Queen potato, is sold around Japan and is the town mascot. Other crops grown in the Assabu area include

Daikon Daikon or mooli, ''Radish, Raphanus sativus'' Variety (botany), var. ''longipinnatus,'' is a mild-flavored winter radish usually characterized by fast-growing leaves and a long, white, root. Originally native to continental East Asia, daikon ...

(radish), Hikari black

soybeans The soybean, soy bean, or soya bean (''Glycine max'') is a species of legume native to East Asia, widely grown for its edible bean, which has numerous uses. Traditional unfermented food uses of soybeans include soy milk, from which tofu and ...

, Dainagon

Azuki ''Vigna angularis'', also known as the adzuki bean , azuki bean, aduki bean, red bean, or red mung bean, is an annual vine widely cultivated throughout East Asia for its small (approximately long) bean. The cultivars most familiar in East Asia ...

(red beans) and rice. A

shōchū is a Japanese distilled beverage. It is typically distilled from rice, barley, sweet potatoes, buckwheat, or brown sugar, though it is sometimes produced from other ingredients such as chestnut, sesame seeds, potatoes, or even carrots. Ty ...

(white spirit) made from May Queen potatoes is produced in the town. Assabu also makes its own

sake Sake, also spelled saké ( ; also referred to as Japanese rice wine), is an alcoholic beverage of Japanese origin made by fermenting rice that has been polished to remove the bran. Despite the name ''Japanese rice wine'', sake, and indee ...

, while locally grown grapes are blended in a southern Hokkaido wine. Kuromame-cha is a tea blend brewed using Assabu-grown black beans.

Local attractions

The town has a variety of in and outdoor recreational facilities. There are three local

Onsen In Japan, are the country's hot springs and the bathing facilities and traditional inns around them. As a volcanically active country, Japan has many onsens scattered throughout all of its major islands. There are approximately 25,000 hot ...

(Gamushi Onsen in Kamisato, Uzura Onsen and Tate Onsen). Assabu has a public swimming pool (closed in winter) and

Park Golf is a form of golf played in a park that was invented in Makubetsu, Hokkaido, Japan in 1983. Aesthetically, it resembles a sport somewhere between golf and croquet. The competitive object of the game is to hit the ball into a hole with a club in t ...

(a combination of golf, mini golf and croquet, invented in Japan). Forest walks are available on local hill Taikoyama (drum mountain) and the Reku-no-mori, Tsuchihashi Nature Observation and Education Forest, where there are also camping facilities. The town has its own ski-field, suitable for beginners, which is located on the slopes of Mt. Taiko. Wildlife is abundant in Assabu; two-legs compete with plenty of insects, a paradise of birdlife and one of the biggest populations of Ezo Higuma (brown bears) in Hokkaido. There are several restaurants in Assabu-cho and in the surrounding district. The town centre has three

ramen is a Japanese dish, Japanese noodle dish. It consists of served in a broth; common flavors are soy sauce and miso, with typical toppings including , nori (dried seaweed), menma (bamboo shoots), and scallions. Ramen has its roots in Chinese ...

izakaya An () is a type of informal Japanese bar that serves alcoholic drinks and snacks. are casual places for after-work drinking, similar to a pub, a Spanish tapas bar, or an American saloon or tavern. Etymology The word entered the English la ...

restaurants, three

sushi is a Japanese cuisine, Japanese dish of prepared , usually with some sugar and salt, accompanied by a variety of , such as seafood, often raw, and vegetables. Styles of sushi and its presentation vary widely, but the one key ingredient is " ...

-ya restaurants and two karaoke bars. In the local district, Takino has a soba restaurant where noodles are made on the premises while Uzura and Tate each have one eating place.

Demographics

Population

The population of the Assabu-region has halved over the past 30 years due to agricultural reforms, the migration of the young to cities, especially Sapporo. Public facilities in some areas have been scaled back as a result, including schools. The towns population has been rapidly declining for many years. Assabu has even adopted the slogan "The World's Loveliest Depopulated Town" (世界一素敵な過疎のまち)

Municipalities

As well as the Assabu township itself, which is made up of four areas (Hon-chō, Midori-machi, Shin-machi and ), the municipal area includes several smaller hamlets, including: * * Iwami * * * * * * * * * Tomiei *

Education

Due to the rapidly decreasing population, schools in Assabu have been decreasing rapidly. In 2018, two Junior High Schools, Tate Junior High School (館中学校) and Uzura Junior High School (鶉中学校） were closed, consolidating all Junior High School students in the district into one school.　In April 2019, the three nursery schools, Assabu Nursery School (厚沢部保育園), Tate Nursery School　（館保育園）, and Uzura Nursery School (鶉保育園), were consolidated into a singular Certified Kindergarten (認定こども園） The town does not have a high school. Many students attend high school in nearby Esashi or live in residential facilities while attending high schools in Hakodate.

Junior high school

* Assabu Junior High School (厚沢部町立厚沢部中学校)

Elementary schools

* Assabu Elementary School (厚沢部小学校) * Uzura Elementary School (鶉小学校) * Tate Elementary School (館小学校)

Kindergartens

*Certified Kindergarten (認定こども園）

History

Assabu dates back to the days of the

Matsumae clan The was a Japanese clan that was confirmed in the possession of the area around Matsumae, Hokkaidō as a march fief in 1590 by Toyotomi Hideyoshi, and charged with defending it, and by extension the whole of Japan, from the Ainu "barbarians" ...

feudal clan who gained control over Hokkaido's Oshima Peninsula during the

Sengoku period The was a period in History of Japan, Japanese history of near-constant civil war and social upheaval from 1467 to 1615. The Sengoku period was initiated by the Ōnin War in 1467 which collapsed the Feudalism, feudal system of Japan under the ...

and first settled the town area in 1678. Offering an opening in the mountains accessible from the sea, Assabu was established as a forestry camp. As the area was cleared, agriculture followed and farmers began reclamation of land from the swampy drainage basin of local rivers. Like much of the Oshima Peninsula, armed merchants were in the vanguard of local settlers, and one of the mansion-castles typical of the period was established in the area near Tate - In 1869, Assabu briefly fell under the control of

shogunate , officially , was the title of the military dictators of Japan during most of the period spanning from 1185 to 1868. Nominally appointed by the Emperor, shoguns were usually the de facto rulers of the country, though during part of the Kamakur ...

loyalists during the occupation of Hokkaido by forces loyal to the Tokugawa family led by general

Enomoto Takeaki Viscount was a Japanese samurai and admiral of the Tokugawa navy of Bakumatsu period Japan, who remained faithful to the Tokugawa shogunate and fought against the new Meiji government until the end of the Boshin War. He later served in the Mei ...

. It was returned to the control of the Matsumae feudal clan in the same year after the rebellion in Hokkaido was quashed by the new

Meiji Emperor , also called or , was the 122nd emperor of Japan according to the traditional order of succession. Reigning from 13 February 1867 to his death, he was the first monarch of the Empire of Japan and presided over the Meiji era. He was the figure ...

. During this conflict, Tate castle was assaulted by Meiji forces and destroyed. In 1871, the Matsumae clan's control over their

march March is the third month of the year in both the Julian and Gregorian calendars. It is the second of seven months to have a length of 31 days. In the Northern Hemisphere, the meteorological beginning of spring occurs on the first day of Marc ...

territories in Hokkaido was dissolved and in 1872, Hokkaido was designated for colonisation and the area administered by the colonial office. In 1906, two village districts in the area were merged receiving the official designation of Assabu-chou. The Assabu yakuba (town council organisation) rejected a merger proposal with the neighbouring Esashi municipality in 2005. Esashi is thought to be financially less well off than Assabu. At the end of July 2006, Assabu townsfolk cooked what was locally called the world's largest potato croquette. Measuring 2.1 meters in diameter and 320 kilograms in weight the behemoth emerged from 180 kilograms of potatoes, and vast quantities of fried minced meat and onions covered with wheat flour and eggs. A crane was used to dip the mix into a vat containing 252 litres of cooking oil. Cooking time was just eight minutes. The croquette was divided into 1,300 servings at a local festival. Every year, a similar-sized potato croquette is made at the local festival held at the end of July. In July 2007, Assabu town is planning to make the world's largest slushy-ice alcoholic drink using locally brewed Shochu.

References

External links

*
Official Website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Assabu, Hokkaido Towns in Hokkaido