is a

town A town is a type of a human settlement, generally larger than a village but smaller than a city. The criteria for distinguishing a town vary globally, often depending on factors such as population size, economic character, administrative stat ...

located in

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 ...

Hokkaido is the list of islands of Japan by area, second-largest island of Japan and comprises the largest and northernmost prefectures of Japan, prefecture, making up its own list of regions of Japan, region. The Tsugaru Strait separates Hokkaidō fr ...

, Japan. As of 30 September 2016, the town has an estimated population of 8,323.

Geography

Located in the north-east of Iburi Subprefecture, and is a hilly area extending from the Yufutsu Plain to the

Yūbari Mountains is a mountain range of Hokkaido, Japan. Part of this range is protected by the . Geology The Yūbari Mountains continue the north–south line begun by the Teshio Mountains. The mountains are the result of the collision between the Kurile Isl ...

and the Maoi Hills. Abira is surrounded by

Tomakomai is a city and port in Iburi Subprefecture, Hokkaido, Japan. It is the largest city in the Iburi Subprefecture, and the fourth largest city in Hokkaido. As of 31 July 2023, it had an estimated population of 167,372, with 83,836 households, an ...

in the south-west, Chitose in the north-west, Yuni in from the north to the east, and Atsuma in the south-east. The Toasa River flows through Abira and Tomakomai, and Abira River flows through the center of Abira. The Pacific Ocean is close to the southern areas of Abira. So those areas' weather is mild year-round because of the

oceanic climate An oceanic climate, also known as a marine climate or maritime climate, is the temperate climate sub-type in Köppen climate classification, Köppen classification represented as ''Cfb'', typical of west coasts in higher middle latitudes of co ...

. The northern areas have an inland climate, so the temperatures are high in the summer and a harsh cold in the winter. All together, the yearly snowfall is low. * Mountains: Kumanoatama Yama (155m), Shiabiranupuri (364m) * Rivers: Abira River * Bodies of water: Mizuho Reservoir

Neighboring municipalities

, Atsuma *

Ishikari Subprefecture is a subprefecture of Hokkaido Prefecture, Japan, located in the western part of the island. The subprefecture covers and on July 31, 2023 had a population of 2,379,802. The subprefecture takes its name from the Ishikari River, the third longe ...

: Chitose *

Sorachi Subprefecture is a Subprefectures of Hokkaido, subprefecture of Hokkaido, Hokkaido Prefecture, Japan. As of 2004, its estimated population is 373,736 and its area is 6,558.26 km2. Geography Cities 10 cities are located in Sorachi Subprefecture: Town ...

: Yuni

Origin of the town's name

The name "Abira" comes from the

Ainu language Ainu (, ), or more precisely Hokkaido Ainu (), is a language spoken by a few elderly members of the Ainu people on the northern Japanese island of Hokkaido. It is a member of the Ainu language family, itself considered a language family isola ...

. However, there are various opinions as to what Ainu words does it come from. Possible words include: * "ar-pira-pet" (pronounced arapirape in Japanese) eaning the surface of a cliff's riverref name="bunken2008">書籍『北海道鉄道駅大図鑑』（著：本久公洋、

Hokkaido Shimbun The , which is often abbreviated as , is a Japanese language daily newspaper published mainly in Hokkaidō, Japan by . As of January 2025, its morning edition has a circulation of 730,000. It was first published in Sapporo in 1887. See also *Lib ...

、2008August発行）117ページより。 * "ar-pira" (pronounced arapira in Japanese) ne side of a cliffref name=":02">

History

Abira Town Hall Oiwake Government building 1

* 1900 (33rd year of the

Meiji Era The was an Japanese era name, era of History of Japan, Japanese history that extended from October 23, 1868, to July 30, 1912. The Meiji era was the first half of the Empire of Japan, when the Japanese people moved from being an isolated feu ...

): Abira's own government office is established. * 1902 (Meiji 35): Shika Park is opened. * 1908 (Meiji 41): The village of Abira received a 2nd grade town/village rating from the Japanese government. * 1923 (12th year of the Taishō Era): Abira received a 1st grade town/village rating. * 1952 (27th year of the

Shōwa Era The was a historical period of History of Japan, Japanese history corresponding to the reign of Emperor Shōwa (Hirohito) from December 25, 1926, until Death and state funeral of Hirohito, his death on January 7, 1989. It was preceded by the T ...

): The village of Oiwake separated from the village of Abira. * 1953 (Shōwa 28): The village of Oiwake became a town. * 1954 (Shōwa 29): The village of Abira changed its name to Hayakita. * 1957 (Shōwa 32): The village of Hayakita became a town. * 1994 (6th year of the

Heisei The was the period of Japanese history corresponding to the reign of Emperor Akihito from 8 January 1989 until his abdication on 30 April 2019. The Heisei era started on 8 January 1989, the day after the death of the Emperor Hirohito, when hi ...

Era): Northern Farm, a horse-breeding ranch, was opened. * 2006 (Heisei 18): The towns of Hayakita and Oiwake merged and became the town of Abira. * 2018 (Heisei 30): The

2018 Hokkaido Eastern Iburi earthquake An earthquake measuring 6.6 on the moment magnitude scale struck Iburi Subprefecture in southern Hokkaido, Japan, on 6 September 2018 at 3:08 a.m. JST. The earthquake's epicenter was near Tomakomai and occurred at a depth of . The Japan ...

occurred. Abira experienced a JMA seismic intensity of 6 higher.。

Demographics

Per Japanese census data, the population of Abira has declined in recent decades.

Economy

Industry

Agriculture is the main industry for Abira. Abira's Toasa area is especially famous for its breeding of dairy cattle, which are then sent all over Japan. Another specialty is

cantaloupe The cantaloupe ( ) is a type of true melon (''Cucumis melo'') with sweet, aromatic, and usually orange flesh. Originally, ''cantaloupe'' refers to the true cantaloupe or European cantaloupe with non- to slightly netted and often ribbed rind. ...

. Asahi Melon is a well known brand from the area. Horse breeding is also a thriving industry in Abira, such as Yoshida Bokujo (Yoshida Ranch) in the Hayakita-Tomioka area and Northern Farm in the Hayakita-genbu area. The local horse breeding industry actively participates in the JRA Central Horse Racing. Many offsprings of famous

stallion A stallion is an adult male horse that has not been gelded ( castrated). Stallions follow the conformation and phenotype of their breed, but within that standard, the presence of hormones such as testosterone may give stallions a thicker, "cre ...

s, such as Marzensky and 2005's Japanese

Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing The Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing, often shortened to Triple Crown, is a series of horse racing, horse races for Thoroughbreds, often restricted to three-year-olds. Winning all three of these Thoroughbred racing, Thoroughbred horse races i ...

winner Deep Impact, are bred here. *

New Chitose Airport is an international airport located south-southeast of Chitose, Hokkaidō, 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 ...

and

's eastern industrial area are close to Abira, so it is also active in attracting industry. * There are many golf courses. * Since 1986, has been selling a Snowman Packaging through the

Japan Post Service , is a Japanese post, logistics and courier headquartered in Tokyo. It is part of the Japan Post Holdings group. History Japan Post was formed on 1 October 2007 after the privatisation of its predecessor, Japan Post. On October 1, 2012, Japan ...

Local Companies

* The Hokkaido factory of Iris Ohyama * SoftBank Tomatoh Abira Solar Park * The Hayakita factory for Saveur Ss Inc (previously the Hokkaido factory for Snow Brand Foods).

Agricultural cooperative

* The Hayakita branch and Oiwake branch of the Tomakomai wide-area of the

Japan Agricultural Cooperatives , also known as or JA Group, refers to the national group of 694 regional co-ops in Japan that supply members with input for production, undertake packaging, transportation, and marketing of agricultural products, and provide financial services. A ...

Post Offices

* Abira Post Office * Hayakita-Yukidaruma Post Office * Oiwake Post Office * Toasa Post Office File:HayakitaYukidarumaPostoffice.JPG, Hayakita-Yukidaruma Post Office File:OiwakePostoffice.JPG, Oiwake Post Office

Financial institutions

Hokkaido Bank is a Japanese regional bank that is headquartered in Sapporo, Hokkaidō. The Hokkaido Bank is a subsidiary of the Hokuhoku Financial Group as a result of a merger with the Hokuriku Bank on September 1, 2004. The Hokkaido Bank has 134 domesti ...

Hayakita Branch, Oiwake Branch * Hokuo Credit Union Hayakita Branch * Credit Federation of Agricultural Cooperatives AKA JA Hokkaido Shinren AKA Shinren, JA Tomakomai Area Hayakita Branch and Oiwake Branch.

Public institutions

Police Department

* Tomakomai Police's Hayakita

Police Box A police box is a public telephone kiosk or callbox for the use of members of the police, or for members of the public to contact the police. It was used in some countries, most widely in the United Kingdom throughout the 20th century from th ...

Fire Department

* East Iburi Firefighters Union – Abira Substation Fire Department ** Oiwake Branch Fire Department

Region

Schools

* High Schools ** Oiwake High School (Established by Hokkaido Prefecture) * Junior High Schools ** Oiwake Junior High School (Established by the town of Abira) ** Hayakita Junior High School (Established by the town of Abira) * Elementary School ** Oiwake Elementary School (Established by the town of Abira) * Other ** Hayakita Gakuen, Elementary and Junior High school combined (Established by the town of Abira)

Area broadcasting

Abira obtained a general terrestrial broadcast station license and now broadcasts Abira Channel in the local area.

Transportation

Airport

(Chitose) is near.

Rail transport

Hokkaido Railway Company The is one of the constituent companies of the Japan Railways Group (JR Group), and is often referred to by its official abbreviation: . It operates intercity and local rail services in Hokkaido, Japan. The company introduced Kitaca, a smart ...

(JR Hokkaido) **

Muroran Main Line The is a railway line in Hokkaido operated by Hokkaido Railway Company (JR Hokkaido), between Oshamambe Station in Oshamambe, Hokkaido, Oshamambe and Iwamizawa Station in Iwamizawa, Hokkaido, Iwamizawa, approximately paralleling the coast of Ibu ...

: Toasa Station – Hayakita Station – Abira Station – Oiwake Station ** Sekishō Line: Oiwake Station – ( Higashi-Oiwake Signal Station) At one time, a company called Hayakita Railway (now known as Atsuma Bus) had a train line from Hayakita Station to Atsuma.

Bus

* Atsuma Bus * Donan Bus

Taxi

* Hayakita Hire * Oiwake Hire

Roads and highways

Controlled-access highway A controlled-access highway is a type of highway that has been designed for high-speed vehicular traffic, with all traffic flow—ingress and egress—regulated. Common English terms are freeway, motorway, and expressway. Other similar terms ...

** Dōtō Expressway: Oiwake Interchange * National Highway ** National Route 234 *

Prefectural road in Japan are roads usually planned, numbered and maintained by the government of the respective prefecture (-to, -dō, -fu or -ken), independent of other prefectures – as opposed to national roads (kokudō), which in legal terms include ...

** Hokkaido Prefectural Road 10 Chitose Mukawa Route ** Hokkaido Prefectural Road 226 Maizuru Oiwake Route ** Hokkaido Prefectural Road 235 Kamihoronai Hayakita Depot Route ** Hokkaido Prefectural Road 258 Hayakita Chitose Route ** Hokkaido Prefectural Road 290 Oiwake Depot Route ** Hokkaido Prefectural Road 462 Kawabata Oiwake Route ** Hokkaido Prefectural Road 482 Togawa Toasa Depot Route ** Hokkaido Prefectural Road 576 Zuiho Abira Depot Route ** Hokkaido Prefectural Road 933 Hokushin Hiratori Route

Attractions

Designated Cultural Assets

250px, The oldest wooden silo in Japan（torn down in 2015） 250px, Abira Roadside Station D51 Source: List of Designated Municipal Cultural Properties in Hokkaido * Wooden Silo – At risk of collapse due to aging, its Cultural Asset designation was removed and it was torn down. * Within the "Abira Roadside Station D51":Abira Roadside Station D51
(viewed 14 April 2019). **

JNR Class D51 The is a type of 2-8-2 steam locomotive operated by the Japanese Government Railways (JGR) and later by the Japanese National Railways (JNR). Designed by JGR's chief mechanical engineer Hideo Shima, they were built by Kawasaki Heavy Industries ...

-320

steam locomotive A steam locomotive is a locomotive that provides the force to move itself and other vehicles by means of the expansion of steam. It is fuelled by burning combustible material (usually coal, Fuel oil, oil or, rarely, Wood fuel, wood) to heat ...

– Railroad Museum ** JNR Class D51-241 steam locomotive number plate – Railroad Museum ** 1890s railroad track rail – Railroad Museum * Small fire truck from 1955 – Abira Fire Department Substation Oiwake Branch * Manuel firefighting pump – Abira Fire Department Substation Oiwake Branch * Fire alarm bell from 1915 – Abira Fire Department Substation Oiwake Branch * 2 stone storehouses * The remains of the Yufutsu Electric Company * Settlers Monument (Located at the place where Hayakita was founded) – Hayakitatomioka * Location of the town's first rice paddy (monument) – Abira * Settlers Monument – Hayakitamizuho * Settlers Monument – Hayakitamidorioka * Hayakita Junior High School Monument – Hayakitahokushin * The resting place of renowned race horse Ten Point (Monument) * Japan's first cheese factory (Monument) * Irrigation Ditch Monument * Myoshuhen Irrigation Ditch Monument * Location of Abira's first school – 1893 (Meiji 26). Taught by town volunteers and based on the

Terakoya were private educational institutions that taught reading and writing to the children of Japanese commoners during the Edo period. History The first ''terakoya'' made their appearance at the beginning of the 17th century, as a development from ...

system. * Location of Abira's first school building * Hokkaido Colliery and Railway Company's cokeyard (former coke factory) * Former location of the Oiwake

Rail yard A rail yard, railway yard, railroad yard (US) or simply yard, is a series of Track (rail transport), tracks in a rail network for storing, sorting, or loading and unloading rail vehicles and locomotives. Yards have many tracks in parallel for k ...

* First forest in Japan protected under the designation of health and safety forest. (Encompasses Abira's Shika Park) * The location of Abira's first post office – 1896 (Meiji 29), was established near the current JP Oiwake branch post office. * Large

elm Elms are deciduous and semi-deciduous trees comprising the genus ''Ulmus'' in the family Ulmaceae. They are distributed over most of the Northern Hemisphere, inhabiting the temperate and tropical- montane regions of North America and Eurasia, ...

tree – owned by Oiwake Farm * Site of the former Fuji Brewing Company

Sightseeing spots

* Abira Shika Park * Seiko Dome – An athletics institute that was made to honor the activities of

Seiko Hashimoto is a Japanese politician, former speed skater and track cyclist. She has the most Olympic appearances of any Japanese athlete except Noriaki Kasai, representing her native country in four consecutive Winter Olympics from 1984 to 1994 and in ...

. * Tsuru no Yu Onsen * Railroad Museum – closed for winter from November to April * Mizuho Dam

Famous people

* *

– Former

speed skater Speed skating is a competitive form of ice skating in which the competitors racing, race each other in travelling a certain distance on Ice skate, skates. Types of speed skating are long-track speed skating, short-track speed skating, and marath ...

and a current member of the

House of Councillors The is the upper house of the National Diet of Japan. The House of Representatives (Japan), House of Representatives is the lower house. The House of Councillors is the successor to the pre-war House of Peers (Japan), House of Peers. If the t ...

(b. 1964 ) *

References

External links

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