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 Shiribeshi Subprefecture,

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 13,210. The total area is 70.64 km².

History

Iwanai is one of the oldest towns in the region. Unlike many Hokkaido towns, it predates the

Meiji Restoration The , referred to at the time as the , and also known as the Meiji Renovation, Revolution, Regeneration, Reform, or Renewal, was a political event that restored practical imperial rule to Japan in 1868 under Emperor Meiji. Although there were ...

, having started as a seasonal fishing location c. 1450, and developing into a year-round village in the mid-18th century. (Its official founding date is 1751). Citizens of Iwanai whose families have been native for many generations have a peculiar "fisherman" accent to their Japanese, distinct to others living in the region. (Most Hokkaido citizens speak Kantō, or Tokyo region, dialect; their ancestors emigrated from the

Kantō region The is a geographical area of Honshu, the largest island of Japan. In a common definition, the region includes the Greater Tokyo Area and encompasses seven prefectures: Gunma, Tochigi, Ibaraki, Saitama, Tokyo, Chiba and Kanagawa. Slight ...

in the late 19th century). Unfortunately, a massive fire in 1954 destroyed most of the traditional buildings, as they were mostly wooden structures. Modern Iwanai is much more Western in style, although there are still extensive Shinto shrines and Buddhist temples intact or rebuilt in the traditional fashion. The town also has a large shrine festival held every July. *1897: Iwanai Subprefecture was established. *1900: Iwanai Town became a First Class Town. *1910: Iwanai Subprefecture was abolished and Shiribeshi Subprefecture was established in Kutchan. *1954: A massive fire occurred. *1955: Iwanai Town was merged with Shimano Village to form the new town of Iwanai. *1985: Iwanai Line was abolished.

Geography

Iwanai is located on the western of the

Shakotan Peninsula The in Shiribeshi, on the west coast of Hokkaidō, Japan, is a mountainous peninsula which projects some into the Sea of Japan. The Shakotan Peninsula forms part of the Niseko-Shakotan-Otaru Kaigan Quasi-National Park. Geography The peninsu ...

. A part of the town is in Niseko-Shakotan-Otaru Kaigan Quasi-National Park.

Neighboring towns

* Kyowa * Rankoshi

Economics

Today Iwanai still has a heavy fishing industry, along with farming in the local region. It also has skiing in winter. Although the local slopes are rougher than those of nearby Kutchan, the bay is visible from the slopes. The town is also well known in the region for its sushi restaurants.

Education

* High school ** Hokkaido Iwanai High School * Junior high school ** Iwanai Daiichi Junior High School ** Iwanai Daini Junior High School * Elementary school ** Iwanai Nishi Elementary School ** Iwanai Higashi Elementary School

Culture

Mascot

Iwanai's mascot is , who is an anthropomorphic

Alaska pollack The Alaska pollock or walleye pollock (''Gadus chalcogrammus'') is a marine fish species of the cod genus ''Gadus'' and family Gadidae. It is a semi-pelagic Shoaling and schooling, schooling fish widely distributed in the North Pacific Ocean, N ...

. His marks are "nejiri hachimaki" (a traditional Japanese headband), a "kuroi nagagutsu" (a black boot) and his mouth and always carries an asparagus as a weapon. His birthday is 9 August 1985. His siblings are who is his twin sister and who is his littler brother.

Sister cities

Slavyanka, Primorsky Krai Slavyanka (russian: Славя́нка) is an urban locality (an urban-type settlement) and the administrative center of Khasansky District of Primorsky Krai, Russia, located on the opposite side of the Amur Bay as seen from Vladivostok. Populat ...

Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a List of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia, Northern Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the ...

* Fukaura, Aomori,

Jōetsu, Niigata is a city located in Niigata Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 189,430, in 76,461 households with a population density of 190 persons per km2. The total area of the city was . Jōetsu borders the Sea of Japan and ...

Notable people from Iwanai

* Tetsuo Osawa, cyclist * Chikara Tanabe, wrestler *

Ichiyamamoto Daiki is a Japanese professional sumo wrestler from Iwanai, Hokkaido. A former amateur wrestler at Chuo University, he made his professional debut in January 2017, reaching the top makuuchi division in July 2021. His highest rank has been ''maegashi ...

, professional sumo wrestler

References

External links

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