( ain, ピラ・ウトゥル, translit=pira-utur) is a
town located in
Hidaka Subprefecture,
Hokkaido,
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 ...
. The name of the town means 'between the rocky cliffs' in the
Ainu language
Ainu (, ), or more precisely Hokkaido Ainu, is a language spoken by a few elderly members of the Ainu people on the northern Japanese island of Hokkaido. It is a member of the Ainu language family, itself considered a language family isolate ...
.
As of September 2016, the town has an estimated
population of 5,305 and a
density of 7.1 persons per km
2. The total area is 743.16 km
2.
Ainu culture
The
Nibutani Dam was constructed in district on the
Saru River, though there was a strong objection due to a sacred meaning of the place for indigenous
Ainu people
The Ainu are the indigenous people of the lands surrounding the Sea of Okhotsk, including Hokkaido Island, Northeast Honshu Island, Sakhalin Island, the Kuril Islands, the Kamchatka Peninsula and Khabarovsk Krai, before the arrival of the Y ...
. Nibutani is the site of the Ainu Cultural center. Nibutani's best known son is perhaps
Shigeru Kayano, a 20th-century advocate for the Ainu and Ainu language and culture. The cultural landscape along the
Saru River consisting of
Ainu
Ainu or Aynu may refer to:
*Ainu people, an East Asian ethnic group of Japan and the Russian Far East
*Ainu languages, a family of languages
**Ainu language of Hokkaido
**Kuril Ainu language, extinct language of the Kuril Islands
**Sakhalin Ainu la ...
traditions and modern settlement within Biratori has been designated an
Important Cultural Landscape.
Economy
Biratori is primarily an agricultural town, growing many different kinds of fruits and vegetables for people and livestock. Tomatoes are one of the top products of the town. It was also known for its lumber industry.
Tourist attractions
Some noteworthy attractions in Biratori:
* Biratori Onsen Yukara
* Family Land
*
Nibutani and the
Nibutani Ainu Culture Museum
opened in the Nibutani area of Biratori, Hokkaidō, Japan in 1992. The collection includes 919 items relating to the daily life of the local Ainu
Ainu or Aynu may refer to:
*Ainu people, an East Asian ethnic group of Japan and the Russian Far ...
* Suzuran Field in Memu, where
Lily of the Valley (also known as Maybells) bloom from May to June. The field covers 15 hectares and is the largest in Japan. It opened to the public in 1963, but had to be closed in 1975 due to damage from overpicking and trampling. It was able to open again ten years later..
* The UFO park (Set up as a UFO observation platform, it was later closed in the 1970s-1980s.)
Culture
Mascot
Biratori's mascot is . His name is a pun on "be lucky". He is a tomato with a horn and hooves of a bull, a pig's nose and a lily of a valley on his back. His birthday is 12 September.
Notable people
*
Shigeru Kayano (1926–2006), leading figure in the Ainu ethnic movement.
*
Ryo Fukui (1948-2016), jazz pianist.
See also
*
Cultural Landscapes of Japan
Culture () is an umbrella term which encompasses the social behavior, institutions, and norms found in human societies, as well as the knowledge, beliefs, arts, laws, customs, capabilities, and habits of the individuals in these grou ...
References
External links
Official WebsiteBiratori Nibutani Ainu Culture Museum WebsiteNibutani Takumi no Michi website
Towns in Hokkaido
Biratori, Hokkaido
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