, 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 Hidaka 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 lar ...

, Japan. As of April 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 4,482, with 2,242

household A household consists of two or more persons who live in the same dwelling. It may be of a single family or another type of person group. The household is the basic unit of analysis in many social, microeconomic and government models, and is i ...

s, 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 12 persons per km². The total area is 364.33 km². The local economy is dominated by

agriculture 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 people t ...

, including breeding horses for

racing In sport, racing is a competition of speed, in which competitors try to complete a given task in the shortest amount of time. Typically this involves traversing some distance, but it can be any other task involving speed to reach a specific go ...

tourism Tourism is travel for pleasure or business; also the theory and practice of touring, the business of attracting, accommodating, and entertaining tourists, and the business of operating tours. The World Tourism Organization defines tourism mor ...

and the harvesting of wild

konbu ''Konbu'' (from ja, 昆布, konbu or kombu) is edible kelp mostly from the family Laminariaceae and is widely eaten in East Asia. It may also be referred to as ''dasima'' ( ko, 다시마) or ''haidai'' (). Kelp features in the diets of many ...

. Samani is at the end of the

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 ...

Hidaka Main Line that runs from Tomakomai. However, no services have operated between station and station since January 2015, due to storm damage. Plans to repair the suspended section of the line have been abandoned, due to high repair costs and low ridership, and the segment will be formally closed on 1 April 2021. A bus service will replace this section. Stations in Samani: - - Oyako

One of the best known sites in Samani is the that sit just offshore. They are known by this name, meaning ''Parents-and-Child'', because they are a formation of two larger rocks and smaller one. Oya-ko is nesting site for cormorants and other sea birds. is next to the town. An onsen (hot spring resort) is at the base of the mountain, which is a popular climb among tourists and locals.

Culture

Mascots

Samani's mascots are and . *Kanran-kun is a hard willing green peridotite fairy who has a strong sense of justice and will but he is sloppy. He loves to climb mountains and play drums. His favorite food is whelk curry. His quote is "three years on a stone" (石の上にも三年). He is also a huge fan of rock music and can cook dried kelp. *Apoi-chan is a bright and gentle pink flower fairy who veterinarian. She is also a skilled tenipon player. Her favorite food is strawberry ice cream. Her mantra is "10 people, 10 colors" (十人十色). Her favourite song is "

Sekai ni Hitotsu Dake no Hana is a song recorded by Japanese boy band SMAP. The Noriyuki Makihara composed song was released as a single in 2003 and sold more than 2.57 million copies, becoming the third List of best-selling singles in Japan#Best-selling singles in Japan, bes ...

" by

SMAP SMAP was a Japanese boy band, composed of Masahiro Nakai, Takuya Kimura, Goro Inagaki, Tsuyoshi Kusanagi, and Shingo Katori. The group was created in 1988 by music producer Johnny Kitagawa, founder of Johnny & Associates, originally as a six- ...

. She can energizes people.

References

External links

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