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
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 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 ...
. As of April 30, 2024, it has a population of 8,276, and an area of 734.82 km2. Lake Akkeshi 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 composer. He is best known for composing several entries in the Godzilla (franchise), ''Godzilla'' franchise as well as developing the Godzilla, titular monster's roar.
Biography Early years in Hokkaido
Akira Ifukube was born o ...
received the first prize for his first orchestral work 'Japanese Rhapsody' in an international contest for young composers promoted by Alexander Tcherepnin .
*1955 – The south half of the former Ota Village merges with Akkeshi.
Demographics
Per Japanese census data, the population of Akkeshi has declined in recent decades.
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 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 (, zh, t=臨濟宗, s=临济宗, p=Línjì zōng), named after Linji Yixuan (Romaji: Rinzai Gigen, died 866 CE) is one of three sects of Zen in Japanese Buddhism, along with Sōtō and Ōbaku. The Chinese Linji school, Linji s ...
, one of three sects of
Zen
Zen (; from Chinese: ''Chán''; in Korean: ''Sŏn'', and Vietnamese: ''Thiền'') is a Mahayana Buddhist tradition that developed in China during the Tang dynasty by blending Indian Mahayana Buddhism, particularly Yogacara and Madhyamaka phil ...
in
Japanese Buddhism
Buddhism was first established in Japan in the 6th century CE. Most of the Japanese Buddhists belong to new schools of Buddhism which were established in the Kamakura period (1185－1333). During the Edo period (1603–1868), Buddhism was cont ...
. 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. Located along the coast of the North Pacific Ocean, it serves as the subprefecture's capital and it is the most populated city in the eastern part of the island.
History
An ...
on the east coast of Hokkaido. The town is on Nemuro Sen railway line and can be reached by train from Kushiro and Nemuro 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).