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

Oshima Subprefecture is a Subprefectures of Hokkaido, subprefecture of Hokkaido, Hokkaido Prefecture, Japan. As of 2004 it had a population of 456,621 and an area of 3,715.38 km2. Hakodate Airport is located in the City of Hakodate, Hokkaido, Hakodate. Ge ...

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 ...

. As of September 2016, the town has 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 4,390, 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 23 persons per km². The total area is 187.23 km².

Economics

Industries in the town include squid fishing and tourism. The main tourist attractions are the

Seikan Tunnel The Seikan Tunnel ( ja, 青函トンネル, or , ), is a dual-gauge railway tunnel in Japan, with a portion under the seabed of the Tsugaru Strait, which separates Aomori Prefecture on the main Japanese island of Honshu from the northern isla ...

Museum, and the sumo museum (Yokozuna Chiyonoyama Chiyonofuji Kinenkan). Two former Sumo Grand Champions (

Yokozuna , or , is the top division of the six divisions of professional sumo. Its size is fixed at 42 wrestlers (''rikishi''), ordered into five ranks according to their ability as defined by their performance in previous tournaments. This is the on ...

) were born and lived in Fukushima and their careers are celebrated in the sumo museum. The first is

Chiyonoyama was a Japanese professional sumo wrestler from Fukushima, Hokkaidō. He was the sport's 41st '' yokozuna'' from 1951 until 1959. He is regarded as the first "modern" ''yokozuna'' in that he was promoted by the Japan Sumo Association itself an ...

(千代の山雅信) followed by

Chiyonofuji , born , was a Japanese professional sumo wrestler and the 58th ''yokozuna'' of the sport. Following his retirement as a wrestler, he was the stable master of Kokonoe stable until the time of his death. Chiyonofuji was considered one of the gr ...

(千代の富士貢). The latter is one of the most successful sumo wrestlers of all time and won 31 top division titles in his career before retiring in 1991. A new tourist attraction opened in July, 2011. The Kaikyo Yokozuna Beach opened after several years of planning and building and has been named after the two famous Yokozuna from the town.

History

*1900: Fukushima village was founded. *1944: Fukushima village became Fukushima town. *1955: Fukushima town and Yoshioka village were merged to form Fukushima town.

Transportation

Yoshioka, a part of the town, has access tunnels to the

and

Yoshioka-Kaitei Station was a railway station on the Kaikyo Line in Fukushima, Hokkaido, Japan, operated by Hokkaido Railway Company (JR Hokkaido). The station was underground and was located within the Seikan Tunnel under the Tsugaru Strait linking the main Japanese ...

. This station, along with

Tappi-Kaitei Station was a railway station on the Kaikyo Line in Sotogahama, Aomori, Japan, operated by Hokkaido Railway Company (JR Hokkaido). The station is located within the Seikan Tunnel below the seabed of the Tsugaru Strait linking the main Japanese island o ...

on the Aomori side of the tunnel, were the world's first undersea stations. They were closed because of the construction of

Hokkaido Shinkansen The is a Japanese high-speed Shinkansen rail line that links up with the Tōhoku Shinkansen in northern Aomori Prefecture in Honshu and continues on into the interior of Hokkaido through the undersea Seikan Tunnel. Construction started in May ...

. The Seikan Tunnel travels beneath the

Tsugaru Strait The is a strait between Honshu and Hokkaido in northern Japan connecting the Sea of Japan with the Pacific Ocean. It was named after the western part of Aomori Prefecture. The Seikan Tunnel passes under it at its narrowest point 12.1 miles (1 ...

— connecting the island of Hokkaido and Aomori Prefecture on the Japanese island of Honshū — as part of the Japan Railways

Kaikyō Line The is an 87.8-kilometer long railway line operated mainly by the Hokkaido Railway Company (JR Hokkaido). The line connects Naka-Oguni Station in Sotogahama, Aomori, through the Seikan Tunnel between Honshu and Hokkaido, to Kikonai Station in K ...

. The access tunnels from Yoshioka serve as emergency access and escape points and were important during the tunnel's construction phase.

Education

*Fukushima Commercial High School (Fukushima Shougyou Koukou/福島商業高校) *Fukushima Junior/Middle High School (福島中学校） *Fukushima Elementary School (福島小学校) has about 100 students (first to sixth grade) and about 19 staff, including teachers. (As of Jan. 2018)

Sister cities

* Kiso, Nagano *

Matsuura, Nagasaki is a city located in Nagasaki Prefecture, Japan. Matsuura City is bordered on three sides by mountains. Matsuura Bay, which leads to the Genkai Sea, makes up the fourth side. As of April 1, 2017, the city has an estimated population of 23,566 ...

Notable people

Chiyonofuji Mitsugu , born , was a Japanese professional sumo wrestler and the 58th '' yokozuna'' of the sport. Following his retirement as a wrestler, he was the stable master of Kokonoe stable until the time of his death. Chiyonofuji was considered one of the g ...

, sumo wrestler ''

yokozuna , or , is the top division of the six divisions of professional sumo. Its size is fixed at 42 wrestlers (''rikishi''), ordered into five ranks according to their ability as defined by their performance in previous tournaments. This is the on ...

'' *

Chiyonoyama Masanobu was a Japanese professional sumo wrestler from Fukushima, Hokkaidō. He was the sport's 41st ''yokozuna'' from 1951 until 1959. He is regarded as the first "modern" ''yokozuna'' in that he was promoted by the Japan Sumo Association itself and ...

, Sumo wrestler ''yokozuna''

References

External links

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