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

Tokachi Subprefecture is a subprefecture of Hokkaido Prefecture, Japan corresponding to the old province of Tokachi.Rowthorn, Chris. (2009) ''Japan,'' p. 641 As of 2004, its estimated population is 360,802 and its area is 10,830.99 km2. Tokachi-Obihiro Airpo ...

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. 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 7,150 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 5.1 persons per km². The total area is 1,408.09 km². It was the largest municipality in Japan until the merger of Takayama City, Gifu Prefecture on February 1, 2005. Main industries of the town include

dairying A dairy is a business enterprise established for the harvesting or processing (or both) of animal milk – mostly from cows or buffaloes, but also from goats, sheep, horses, or camels – for human consumption. A dairy is typically located on ...

and

farming Agriculture or farming is the practice of cultivating plants and livestock. Agriculture was the key development in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that enabled peopl ...

of sugar beet and

wheat Wheat is a grass widely cultivated for its seed, a cereal grain that is a worldwide staple food. The many species of wheat together make up the genus ''Triticum'' ; the most widely grown is common wheat (''T. aestivum''). The archaeologi ...

. Lake Onnetō is a major attraction of the town and is a part of

Akan National Park is a national park located on the island of Hokkaidō, Japan. Along with Daisetsuzan National Park, these are the two oldest national parks in Hokkaidō. The park was established December 4, 1934. Akan is an area of volcanic craters and for ...

Population

As of January 31, 2015, the total population of The Town of Ashoro is 7,339, with a total of 3,540 men and 3,799 women. The Town of Ashoro's population density is 5.09 people per square kilometer. The county of Ashoro's, Ashoro-gun, population is 9,692 with a population density of 4.81per square km. Like many communities in the Tokachi prefecture, the Town of Ashoro has seen a decline in population. The 1999 census concluded there were 9,409 people living in Ashoro. The total area is 1,408.09 km²http://town.ashoro.hokkaido.jp/

Geography

Ashoro is located in the northeastern part of the Tokachi.

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 ...

and Shiranuka is to the east and to the south are Honebestu and

Obihiro is a city in Tokachi Subprefecture, Hokkaido, Japan. Obihiro is the only designated city in the Tokachi area. As of February 29, 2020, the city has an estimated population of 165,851. The next most populous municipality in Tokachi is the ...

. Kamishiro is to the west and to the north is Oketo, Rikubestu and Tsubetsu. Ashoro is Ashoro consists of rolling foothills and is nestled at the base of Mount Meakan. Ashoro-gun is 66.5 km wide and 48.2 km long and is 1,408.09K m². Ashoro is considered a wide town. 83 percent of the town's land is forested.Town of Ashoro Outline 2011

Climate

Ashoro is influenced by the Tokachi inland climate; temperature differences are large with less precipitation but have many sunny days. On average Ashoro receives 846.5 mm of rain with August being the wettest month, 151 mm of precipitation and February being the dries, 4.5 mm of precipitation. On average temperatures vary from 23.2 degrees Celsius in August and dropping to -8 in January.

Economy

Agriculture and forestry are the key industries in Ashoro. Wheat, sugar beets and beans are the representative crops. As of 2011 there are approximately 30,000 beef and dairy cows in Ashoro. That is over three times the population of Ashoro. Dairy cows make up 32% of all cattle and

Wagyu Wagyu ( ja, 和牛, Hepburn: ''wagyū'', ) is the collective name for the four principal Japanese breeds of beef cattle. All wagyū cattle derive from cross-breeding in the early twentieth century of native Japanese cattle with imported sto ...

cattle 37% respectively. In 2004 Ashoro issued the "Declaration of a Town that Promotes Pasture-Based Dairy Farming" to utilize the large expanses of grassland which can be found in the hilly and mountainous areas. 83% of the towns land is forested and the local Japanese larch wood is used for new public buildings. This beautiful wood can be seen in the Town Hall and the Ashoro Junior High. Biomass Ashoro values the environment and has started the "Ashoro Biomass Town Plan" The plan is to build a local system that provides biomass resources and ways to use them. Ashoro produces wood pellets from untapped wood and promotes

biogas plants Anaerobic digestion is a sequence of processes by which microorganisms break down biodegradable material in the absence of oxygen. The process is used for industrial or domestic purposes to manage waste or to produce fuels. Much of the ferment ...

that use livestock manure.

Transportation

The main way around Ashoro is by vehicle but at comprehensive bus system does exist. A bus runs from Ashoro to Obihiro nine times a day. Ashoro has two national highways that meet in Ashoro, Highway 241 runs east/west, and Highway 242 runs north/south. In 2003 the Dotto Expressway opened in Ashoro, connecting it to major centers such as Obihiro and Sapporo. In 1910 the first railway between Ikeda and Ashoro opened. The railway was extended and eventually connected Ashoro to

and

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 cit ...

. The rail way station recently closed. The old rail station has now become a tourist landmark celebrating the town's history and significant figures.

Recreation

Various recreation facilities exist in Ashoro. The first town gymnasium opened in 1990 and was followed with a heated pool in 1994. Various baseball diamonds and soccer fields exist as well in the winter elementary schools create speed skating rinks. Ashoro also boasts many park golf courses that are available to all citizens. Citizens also participate in other cultural activities like

kyūdō ''Kyūdō'' ( ja, 弓道) is the Japanese martial art of archery. Kyūdō is based on '' kyūjutsu'' ("art of archery"), which originated with the samurai class of feudal Japan. In 1919, the name of kyūjutsu was officially changed to kyūdō, a ...

and

taiko are a broad range of Japanese percussion instruments. In Japanese, the term refers to any kind of drum, but outside Japan, it is used specifically to refer to any of the various Japanese drums called and to the form of ensemble drumming ...

. Napal Center Ashoro is home to one of the five Napal Centres (Nature-pal). This center is used for various activities such as English camps, outdoor camps, floor curling and is often used to house sports teams or people from out of town. It promotes nature and community spirit.

Tourism

Ashoro is the gateway to Lake Onneto, Lake Akan and Mount Meakan. Citizens from all over Japan and the world come to visits these sights. Butterbur Ashoro is also known for its large

butterbur ''Petasites'' is a genus of flowering plants in the sunflower family, Asteraceae, that are commonly referred to as butterburs and coltsfoots. Ashoro Museum of Paleontology This museum is located in Ashoro and is dedicated to fossils found around Ashoro and Japan. It has a unique program that allows visitors to excavate a genuine fossil or crystal. It also offers educational programs to the youth of Ashoro.

Mascot

Ashoro's official town mascot character is named , selected to promote the town in 1989. There are two generations of the mascot, and both are used today for town events. The first generation of the mascot was used around 1990. Due to his peculiar appearance, he was unpopular with children. He can be described as a large pink right foot with large toes, and a smiling face on the shortened sole/torso with a concerned looking unibrow. He has arms, long legs, and is wearing dark blue mittens and shoes. He is also holding a giant butterbur (rawan-buki) stalk. Right foot Ayumi-chan was stored in a warehouse when the second generation was created. He was put away in the late 2000's and was brought back out in April 2021 when characters that are creepy/cute characters started gaining popularity in popular culture. Second generation Ayumi-chan is a left foot, and is characterized as cute, friendly, and gentle. Since her appearance in the early 2010's, she has been very popular with children. Her appearance can be described as a large, more proportionate pink foot, with sparkling eyes, a friendly looking smiling face, short legs, and arms. She is wearing green gloves and boots, also holding a giant butterbur stalk. Both versions of Ayumi-chan are considered to be athletic and take part in different town sporting events. They also make an appearance during other cultural town events and have an active role in the town's social media pages. In 2021, the town released Ayumi-chan LINE stickers of both characters for Japan's commonly used messaging app.

Education

Ashoro has various education facilities: Day Cares: 4 centres (Ashoro, Rawan, Meto, and Kamitosibetsu) Elementary Schools 4 schools (Ashoro, Rawan, Meto, and Oyochi) Junior High Schools 1 school (Ashoro Junior High School) High Schools 1 school (Ashoro High School)

Sister City and International Exchange

In 1990, the Municipal Councils in Ashoro and in

Wetaskiwin Wetaskiwin ( ) is a city in the province of Alberta, Canada. The city is located south of the provincial capital of Edmonton. The city name comes from the Cree word ''wītaskiwinihk'', meaning "the hills where peace was made". Wetaskiwin is ...

passed motions to proceed with the formal Sister-Cities Affiliation with the goal being "...to facilitate cross-cultural friendship and good will between the citizen of the city of Wetaskiwin and the citizens of Ashoro, Japan. In so doing, the society will encourage cultural exchanges, will promote and understanding of Japanese culture, and will facilitate the exchange of information and fellowship between groups and individuals in our respective communities." Since 1992, the Town of Ashoro has sent a student study tours to Wetaskiwin every second year but starting in 2013 all grade 10 students attending Ashoro High School have partaken in the exchange. The motive behind sending all grade 10 students was to curb declining enrollments at Ashoro High School. Starting in 1994 Wetaskiwin has sent a student study tour, every second year, to Ashoro with a brief lapse between 2000 and 2009. Ashoro has also hired a Coordinator of International Relations, since 1992, from the City of Wetaskiwin. The Coordinator of International Relations position was created to ease communications between Wetaskiwin and Ashoro. As well responsibilities are; assisting and teaching English to students aged 2–16, facilitating student exchanges, organizing and assisting with after school and weekend programs, editing documents, and acting as a cultural liaison.

Famous Persons

Chiharu Matsuyama Chiharu Matsuyama (松山千春, born December 16, 1955) is a Japanese folk Folk or Folks may refer to: Sociology *Nation *People * Folklore ** Folk art ** Folk dance ** Folk hero ** Folk music *** Folk metal *** Folk punk *** Folk rock ** ...

- singer *

Muneo Suzuki Muneo Suzuki (鈴木宗男 ''Suzuki Muneo'', born 31 January 1948), commonly known simply as "Muneo" due to his common last name, is a Japanese Russophilic politician from Ashoro, Hokkaidō, currently serving as a member of the House of Cou ...

- politician *

Tomohiro Ishikawa is a former member of the House of Representatives elected to the 11th District of Hokkaidō, Japan. He is a former secretary to former Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) Secretary-General Ichirō Ozawa. After Satoshi Arai's candidacy to the 20 ...

- politician * Masazō Nonaka - world's oldest living man, January 2018-January 2019

References

External links

*
Official Website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ashoro, Hokkaido Towns in Hokkaido