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
Kushiro Subprefecture
is a subprefecture of Hokkaido Prefecture, Japan. Kushiro is home to a population of red-crowned cranes, estimated in 2022 to number about 1,900.
Geography
Municipalities
Mergers
History
*November, 1897: Kushiro Subprefecture estab ...
,
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 ...
. As of July 31, 2021, it has a population of 8,922, and an area of 734.82 km2.
Lake Akkeshi
is a brackish lake near Akkeshi in Hokkaidō, Japan. The wetlands of Lake Akkeshi and have been designated a Ramsar site.
Wetlands
Lake Akkeshi, deep at its deepest point, is fed by the and adjoins Akkeshi Bay. It is surrounded by salt mar ...
is a
Ramsar Site
A Ramsar site is a wetland site designated to be of international importance under the Ramsar Convention,8 ha (O)
*** Permanent 8 ha (P)
*** Seasonal Intermittent < 8 ha(Ts)
**
Akira Ifukube
was a Japanese classical and film music composer, best known for his works on the ''Godzilla'' franchise.
Biography Early years in Hokkaido
Akira Ifukube was born on 31 May 1914 in Kushiro, Japan as the third son of a police officer Toshimi ...
received the first prize for his first orchestral work 'Japanese Rhapsody' in an international contest for young composers promoted by
Alexander Tcherepnin
Alexander Nikolayevich Tcherepnin (russian: Алекса́ндр Никола́евич Черепни́н, link=no; 21 January 1899 – 29 September 1977) was a Russian-born composer and pianist. His father, Nikolai Tcherepnin (pupil of Nikol ...
.
*1955 – The south half of the former Ota Village merges with Akkeshi.
Sights
''Shinryu'', the northern part of the town is linked to ''Honcho'', the southern part, by a bridge offering a scenic view of the lagoon which separates both parts. The length of the bridge is 456 m.
Kokutai-ji
, originally , is one of fourteen autonomous branches of the Rinzai school of Japanese Zen, founded in 1300 by the monk Jiun Myoi in Toyama, Japan. In 1327 Emperor Go-Daigo gave the temple the name Kokutai-ji, and Jiun Myoi became Seisen Zenji. ...
is a Buddhist temple in Honcho which was founded in 1802. It is one of the oldest and most important temples of Hokkaido. The temple is operated by
Rinzai school
The Rinzai school ( ja, , Rinzai-shū, zh, t=臨濟宗, s=临济宗, p=Línjì zōng) is one of three sects of Zen in Japanese Buddhism (along with Sōtō and Ōbaku). The Chinese Linji school of Chan was first transmitted to Japan by Myōan E ...
, one of three sects of
Zen
Zen ( zh, t=禪, p=Chán; ja, text= 禅, translit=zen; ko, text=선, translit=Seon; vi, text=Thiền) is a school of Mahayana Buddhism that originated in China during the Tang dynasty, known as the Chan School (''Chánzong'' 禪宗), and ...
in
Japanese Buddhism
Buddhism has been practiced in Japan since about the 6th century CE. Japanese Buddhism () created many new Buddhist schools, and some schools are original to Japan and some are derived from Chinese Buddhist schools. Japanese Buddhism has had a ...
. Missionary activities to convert the Ainu started here in 1804.
Traffic connections
Akkeshi is about 50 km east of
Kushiro
is a city in Kushiro Subprefecture on the island of Hokkaido, Japan. It serves as the subprefecture's capital and it is the most populated city in the eastern part of the island.
Geography
Mountains
* Mount Oakan
* Mount Meakan
* Mount Akan ...
on the east coast of Hokkaido. The town is on Nemuro Sen railway line and can be reached by train from Kushiro and
Nemuro Nemuro may refer to:
* Nemuro Subprefecture, Hokkaido Prefecture, Japan
** Nemuro, Hokkaido, a city
** Nemuro Peninsula
** Nemuro Strait
** Nemuro Bay
* Nemuro Province
was an old province in Japan in what is today Nemuro Subprefecture, Hokkai ...
several times a day. The railway station is in Shinryu. The nearest airport is in Kushiro.
File:AkkeshiEki.jpg, Akkeshi railway station
File:AkkeshiKokutaiji.jpg, Kokutai Ji Shrine
File:AkkeshiTorii.jpg, View from Kokutai Ji Shrine
File:AkkeshiHoncho.jpg, Akkeshi Lagoon
File:Akkeshi Town Hall.jpg, Town Hall
File:AkkeshiHighSt.jpg, Akkeshi High Street
File:AkkeshiMainSt.jpg, Akkeshi High Street
Mascot
Akkeshi's mascot is . He is a yōkai samurai from the sea. His chonmage is stylized like a sea urchin, his eyebrows resembles kelp, his nose is like the Japanese littleneck clam and his ears are like Sakhalin surf clams. His hakama is armored with scallops. The sode (spaulders) on his hakama resembled oysters. His weapon is the saury (when he wields it, it acts like a katana to give a powerful slap to his adversaries).