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
is a subprefecture of Hokkaido Prefecture, Japan. The subprefecture's capital is Kutchan. As of July 31, 2004, the estimated population was 256,184 and the area was 4,305.65 km2.
Geography Municipalities
Mergers
History
*18 ...
,
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 ...
. Kutchan lies slightly north of the volcano
Mount Yōtei
is an active stratovolcano located in Shikotsu-Toya National Park, Hokkaidō, Japan. It is also called , "Ezo" being an old name for the island of Hokkaido, because it resembles Mount Fuji. The mountain is also known as and . It is one of the ...
, and is approximately 50 kilometers west of
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 ...
. The subprefecture government offices are located in this town, making it the capital of the subprefecture.
As of April 30, 2017, 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 15,573 and a
population density
Population density (in agriculture: standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geographical term.Matt RosenberPopul ...
of 60 persons per km². The total area is .
Throughout Hokkaido, Kutchan is known for its proximity to the world famous
Niseko
Niseko ( ja, ニセコ町, , ) is a town located in Shiribeshi Subprefecture, Hokkaido, Japan. To Japanese people, Niseko principally refers to a mountain range and a municipal area. However, overseas the name has come to refer to a wider area o ...
powder snow region and for its production of quality potatoes and potato products. Among these products, Kutchan is most famous for manufacturing ''gosetsu-udon'', a Japanese noodle made from
potato flour
Flour is a powder made by grinding raw grains, roots, beans, nuts, or seeds. Flours are used to make many different foods. Cereal flour, particularly wheat flour, is the main ingredient of bread, which is a staple food for many cult ...
. Jagata-kun, the skiing potato that is the cartoon mascot of Kutchan, indicates Kutchan's two most celebrated aspects. Jagata-kun roughly translates as, "little, fat potato boy".
Geography
*Located approximately west of Sapporo. Kutchan lies in a valley surrounded by mountains, notably Niseko Annupuri and
Mount Yōtei
is an active stratovolcano located in Shikotsu-Toya National Park, Hokkaidō, Japan. It is also called , "Ezo" being an old name for the island of Hokkaido, because it resembles Mount Fuji. The mountain is also known as and . It is one of the ...
.
*Mountains:
Yōtei (Shiribeshi Mountain) (Makkari-Nupuri in Ainu) (active volcano, 1898 m), Niseko Iwaonupuri (active volcano, 1116 m), Niseko Annupuri (1308 m)
*Rivers: Shiribetsu, Kutōzan
Climate
Kutchan has the distinction of being one of the snowiest towns on earth with average annual snowfalls in excess of . At only above sea level the town receives greater amounts of snow than the world's leading ski areas such as Whistler, Aspen or Chamonix. Wintery weather lasts from early November through to early April with the snowiest month being January which averages . January is also the coldest month averaging .
Kutchan has 4 very distinct seasons with reasonably short spring and autumn periods. The summer is mild with temperatures rarely getting above and the humidity that afflicts much of Asia at this time is only felt for a short period, usually in August.
Neighboring municipalities
;
Shiribeshi
*
Abuta District:
Kyōgoku,
Niseko
Niseko ( ja, ニセコ町, , ) is a town located in Shiribeshi Subprefecture, Hokkaido, Japan. To Japanese people, Niseko principally refers to a mountain range and a municipal area. However, overseas the name has come to refer to a wider area o ...
*
Isoya District:
Rankoshi
*
Iwanai District:
Kyōwa
was a after '' Kansei'' and before ''Bunka.'' This period spanned the years from February 1801 through February 1804.Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005). "''Kyōwa''" ; n.b., Louis-Frédéric is pseudonym of Louis-Frédéric Nussbaum, ''see'Deu ...
*
Yoichi District:
Niki __NOTOC__
Niki may refer to:
People
* Niki (given name)
* NIKI (singer), Indonesian singer and songwriter
* Niki DeMar, American singer
* Niki Etsuko (1928–1986), Japanese author of mystery fiction
Places
* Niki, Hokkaido, a town in Japan
* Ni ...
,
Akaigawa
*
Kimobetsu and
Makkari of the
Abuta District lie on the southern side of
Mount Yōtei
is an active stratovolcano located in Shikotsu-Toya National Park, Hokkaidō, Japan. It is also called , "Ezo" being an old name for the island of Hokkaido, because it resembles Mount Fuji. The mountain is also known as and . It is one of the ...
.
History
*Kutchan's name comes from the
language
Language is a structured system of communication. The structure of a language is its grammar and the free components are its vocabulary. Languages are the primary means by which humans communicate, and may be conveyed through a variety of met ...
of the Hokkaido's native
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 ...
. It attempts to mimic the pronunciation of the Ainu word ''ku-shan-i'' (which roughly translates as “the place where the channel flows”), but some claim that the name is derived from ''kucha-an-nai'' (“stream of a hunting lodge”).
*1892: Cultivation begins by colonizers from
Tokushima Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan located on the island of Shikoku. Tokushima Prefecture has a population of 728,633 (1 October 2019) and has a geographic area of 4,146 km2 (1,601 sq mi). Tokushima Prefecture borders Kagawa Prefecture to the north, E ...
who had settled in nearby
Yoichi.
*1893: The village of Kutchan is established. It falls under the jurisdiction of the Abuta village town office (present-day
Tōyako).
*1896: The town office of Kutchan opens.
*1899: Changes jurisdiction from Muroran Subprefecture (present-day
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, an ...
) to Iwanai Subprefecture.
*1906: Administered as a second-level municipality.
*1910: On February 8,
Rusutsu
is a village located in Shiribeshi Subprefecture, Hokkaido, Japan.
, the village has an estimated population of 1,940. The total area is 119.92 km2.
Geography
Rusutsu is located on the southern of Shiribeshi Subprefecture. Mount Shiritsu ...
,
Iwanai, and
Otaru
is a city and port in Shiribeshi Subprefecture, Hokkaido, Japan, northwest of Sapporo. The city faces Ishikari Bay and the Sea of Japan, and has long served as the main port of the bay. With its many historical buildings, Otaru is a popular tou ...
’s subprefectures were consolidated into
Abuta District of Muroran Subprefecture.
Shiribeshi Subprefecture
is a subprefecture of Hokkaido Prefecture, Japan. The subprefecture's capital is Kutchan. As of July 31, 2004, the estimated population was 256,184 and the area was 4,305.65 km2.
Geography Municipalities
Mergers
History
*18 ...
is established in Kutchan. On April 5, the satellite village of East Kutchan (present-day
Kyōgoku) is formed. Nisekoan, Higa, and the Fujizan area become part of the Shutai village administration zone (present-day
Niseko
Niseko ( ja, ニセコ町, , ) is a town located in Shiribeshi Subprefecture, Hokkaido, Japan. To Japanese people, Niseko principally refers to a mountain range and a municipal area. However, overseas the name has come to refer to a wider area o ...
)
*1916: Administered as a town-level municipality
*1991: 100-year anniversary is celebrated.
Economy
Agriculture
Along with short grain white rice, much of Kutchan's surrounding area is devoted to potato cultivation.
Hirafu
Kutchan hosts the
Hirafu skiing area. Hirafu is commonly mistaken as a section of Niseko town since it is a part of the greater Niseko skiing region. However, to the financial benefit of Kutchan, Hirafu lies within the confines of Kutchan town. Hirafu's largest ski resort,
Niseko Grand Hirafu, draws the highest number of both domestic and foreign skiers and snowboarders than any other resort in the Niseko region. It is linked to the ski areas of Annupuri, Higashiyama, and Hanazono which together may be skied on one lift pass.
In recent years, an explosively high number of Australians have frequented Hirafu, many of whom have settled in the area and spawned businesses such as pensions, bars, and cafes.
Hirafu is also frequented by a considerable number of tourists from
Hong Kong
Hong Kong ( (US) or (UK); , ), officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China ( abbr. Hong Kong SAR or HKSAR), is a city and special administrative region of China on the eastern Pearl River Delt ...
, as well as tourists coming from within Japan.
Hirafu's expanding tourism industry is often attributed to the steady and copious supply of fresh powder snow, which man
laim is among the best in the entire hemisphere, if not the world.
While Hirafu's economic boom is undoubtedly an asset to Kutchan town, many fear that such rapid development will alter the
Marginal demand, price margin of goods and services offered in the village, and subsequently transform the local flavor of Hirafu. The local community of both Japanese and foreign "backpacker" skiers and snowboarders, who typically operate on a smaller budget than their upscale counterparts, are already being overshadowed by the burgeoning influx of wealthy tourists.
Education
Public High Schools
*Hokkaido Kutchan High School
*Hokkaido Kutchan Agriculture High School
Middle schools
*Kutchan
Elementary schools
*Kutchan, Hokuyo, Higashi, Nishi, Kabayama Branch School
Transportation
Airways
Airport
*
New Chitose Airport
is an international airport located south-southeast of Chitose and Tomakomai, Hokkaidō, Japan, serving the Sapporo metropolitan area. By both traffic and land area, it is the largest airport in Hokkaidō.
It is adjacent to Chitose Air Base ...
is the closest major airport to the town, about 2 hours away by car.
Niseko Mt Resort Grand Hirafu
Railways
* Hokkaido Passenger Railroad Company (JR Hokkaido)
**Hakodate Main Line
The is a railway line connecting the cities of Hakodate and Asahikawa via Sapporo in Hokkaido, Japan. It is one of the trunk lines operated by the Hokkaido Railway Company (JR Hokkaido). The Sawara Line, a 35 km loop line from Ōnuma to Mo ...
: Hirafu Station – Kutchan Station
is a railway station on the Hakodate Main Line in Kutchan, Hokkaido, Japan. It is operated by JR Hokkaido and has the station number "S23". The station is also planned to become a station of the Hokkaido Shinkansen between and that is schedule ...
*Formerly, the Iburi Line served Kutchan from Date's Monbetsu Station of the Muroran Line, but it was discontinued in 1986.
*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 ...
plans to include Kutchan in its planned 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 ...
(bullet train) service, which would connect the town to Honshū
, historically called , is the largest and most populous island of Japan. It is located south of Hokkaidō across the Tsugaru Strait, north of Shikoku across the Inland Sea, and northeast of Kyūshū across the Kanmon Straits. The island separa ...
and, consequently, Tokyo
Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, with an estimated 37.468 ...
.
Roadways
Japan National Route
* Route 5
* Route 276
* Route 393
Prefectural highways
*Hokkaido Route 58 (Kutchan – Niseko)
*Hokkaido Route 271 (Kutchan stop)
*Hokkaido Route 343 (Rankoshi – Niseko – Kutchan)
*Hokkaido Route 478 (Kyogoku – Kutchan)
*Hokkaido Route 631 (Niseko – Takahara – Hirafu)
Culture
As the main regional center of population, Kutchan hosts a variety of cultural institutions and events. The town is home to two museums, the Kutchan Natural History Museum and the Shu Ogawara Art Museum. It also hosts the annual Mt. Niseko Kutchan Jazz Festival every July in the center of town, drawing thousands to enjoy the music of Japanese and Australian musicians.
Jagata-kun
and are Kutchan's mascot cartoon character. Due to the heavy snowfalls in the region, Kutchan hosts several alpine resorts frequented by domestic and international skiers and snowboarders. In the summer, Kutchan is best known for its primary agricultural product: potatoes. The town's two main industries (ski resorts and potato farming) are both reflected in Jagata-kun, a skiing potato.
Places of interest
*Mount Yōtei
is an active stratovolcano located in Shikotsu-Toya National Park, Hokkaidō, Japan. It is also called , "Ezo" being an old name for the island of Hokkaido, because it resembles Mount Fuji. The mountain is also known as and . It is one of the ...
* Niseko Annupuri
* Niseko Mt. Resort Grand Hirafu
Famous persons
* Kokona Hiraki, Olympic skateboarder
*Masami Yuki
, real name Shūji Satō (佐藤修司 ''Satō Shūji'', born December 19, 1957, in Kutchan, Abuta District, Hokkaidō), is a Japanese manga artist.
Yuki graduated from Kutchan High School. He is a member of the artist group known as Headgear. In ...
, a manga artist
A is a comic artist who writes and/or illustrates manga. As of 2006, about 3,000 professional manga artists were working in Japan.
Most manga artists study at an art college or manga school or take on an apprenticeship with another artist be ...
born and raised in Kutchan
Sister cities
* St. Moritz, Switzerland, since March 19, 1964
* Vail
Vail is a home rule municipality in Eagle County, Colorado, United States. The population of the town was 4,835 in 2020. Home to Vail Ski Resort, the largest ski mountain in Colorado, the town is known for its hotels, dining, and for the numero ...
, Colorado, United States
* Zikhron Ya'akov
Zikhron Ya'akov ( he, זִכְרוֹן יַעֲקֹב, ''lit.'' "Jacob's Memorial"; often shortened to just ''Zikhron'') is a town in Israel, south of Haifa, and part of the Haifa District. It is located at the southern end of the Carmel mounta ...
, Israel
* Westerland, Germany
See also
*Niseko, Hokkaido
Niseko ( ja, ニセコ町, , ) is a town located in Shiribeshi Subprefecture, Hokkaido, Japan. To Japanese people, Niseko principally refers to a mountain range and a municipal area. However, overseas the name has come to refer to a wider area o ...
*Hokkaido Railway Company
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 ...
References
External links
Official Website
The Kutchannel
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kutchan, Hokkaido
Towns in Hokkaido
Populated places established in 1893
1893 establishments in Japan