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
Rumoi Subprefecture
is a subprefecture of Hokkaido Prefecture, Japan. As of 2011, it had a population of 52,627 and an area of . The population density of the subprefecture, 13 people per km2, is very low compared to the rest of Japan. The population of Rumoi Subpr ...
,
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 lar ...
,
Japan. It is typical of the small coastal towns that line the western coast of Hokkaido.
Demographics
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 3,261 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 7.2 persons per km
2. The total area is 454.50 km
2.
Tourism
Tomamae is famous for its
windmill
A windmill is a structure that converts wind power into rotational energy using vanes called sails or blades, specifically to mill grain (gristmills), but the term is also extended to windpumps, wind turbines, and other applications, in some ...
s which dot the countryside. It is also famous for its
brown bear
The brown bear (''Ursus arctos'') is a large bear species found across Eurasia and North America. In North America, the populations of brown bears are called grizzly bears, while the subspecies that inhabits the Kodiak Islands of Alaska is ...
. In 1915, a huge bear attacked the village and killed 7 people. The Bear Museum, just off route 232 has many interesting exhibits and a 40-minute film reconstructing the attack.
The town festival is at the beginning of July, and at the end of February they have a
kite
A kite is a tethered heavier-than-air or lighter-than-air craft with wing surfaces that react against the air to create lift and drag forces. A kite consists of wings, tethers and anchors. Kites often have a bridle and tail to guide the fac ...
competition and festival (though it is usually very cold).
Mascot
Tomamae's mascot is , better known as . He is a 7-year-old brown bear cub. He wears a hat that has two badges (a windmill badge and a badge dedciated to agricultural and seafood products).
See also
*
Sankebetsu brown bear incident
The , also known as the or the , was the most brutal bear attack in Japanese history. It took place from December 9-14, 1915, when a Ussuri brown bear woke from hibernation and repeatedly attacked several houses in Hokkaidō, Japan, killing seve ...
References
External links
*
Official Website
Towns in Hokkaido
{{Hokkaido-geo-stub