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

Tokachi Subprefecture is a subprefecture of Hokkaido Prefecture, Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from t ...

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 Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

. Tokachi has almost year-round blue skies, which results in warm summers and cold winters. In the summer, temperatures reach 30 degrees Celsius and in winter up to minus 30 degrees Celsius. The clear skies in winter make perfect ice skating conditions, and Ikeda is known for producing world class speed skaters. In the

2010 Winter Olympics The 2010 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XXI Olympic Winter Games () and also known as Vancouver 2010 (), were an international winter multi-sport event held from February 12 to 28, 2010 in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, with ...

in Vancouver, a speed skater from Ikeda won a silver medal for Japan. The main industry in Ikeda is producing Tokachi wine but there are also livestock and vegetable farming industries.

Population

As of April 30, 2017, Ikeda has a population of 6,933. Like many small towns in Hokkaido, Ikeda has a declining population.

Geography

Ikeda is located in central/East Tokachi. It has an area of 371.91 square kilometres. It is mainly flat, but has some small hills to the North of the town. From these hills can be seen the beautiful Hidaka Mountains on clear days. Ikeda is conveniently close to

Obihiro is a Cities of Japan, city in Tokachi Subprefecture, Hokkaido, Japan. Obihiro is the only designated city in the Tokachi Subprefecture, Tokachi area. As of July 31, 2023, the city had an estimated population of 163,084. The next most populou ...

city, which is 25 km to the West. It also has many other nearby towns, Urahoro Cho to the East, and Honbetsu Cho to the North. The Tokachi River runs through Ikeda, separating Ikeda Cho and Toshibetsu ward of Ikeda Cho.

History

Ikeda is said to have been first settled in 1879 but organised cultivation began in 1896. In 1926 small villages came together, gaining town status and Ikeda town began.

Transportation

Ikeda is relatively well connected to the rest of Hokkaido by public transport. The Super Ozora express train between

Sapporo is a Cities designated by government ordinance of Japan, designated city in Hokkaido, Japan. Located in the southwest of Hokkaido, it lies within the alluvial fan of the Toyohira River, a tributary of the Ishikari River. Sapporo is the capital ...

and

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 ...

stops in Ikeda. Therefore, Ikeda has express train links to Sapporo, Chitose, Obihiro and Kushiro. This is especially convenient for accessing

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 ...

. There are also local trains to Obihiro (30 mins) and Kushiro (2 hours). The town is also connected to North East Tokachi by local bus which travels between Obihiro and Rikubetsu. By car route 38 is useful for accessing Obihiro and the highway to Sapporo is useful for longer journeys.

Places to visit

Ikeda has many attractions for visitors, with many locals speaking some levels of English and are very welcoming to visitors. The wine castle houses local Tokachi wines and shows visitors the wine making process. One can also taste the local wines or grape juice produced there. The castle also offers a large shop with many different local foods, drinks and crafts from Tokachi and Hokkaido and a restaurant overlooking the town. Every October Ikeda holds its annual wine festival, drawing visitors from all over Hokkaido. For 4,000 yen, one can sample as much Ikeda wine and beef as they wish. It is a very popular festival and is Ikeda's main event of the year. Near to the wine castle is Happiness Dairy, a local cheese and ice cream producer. One can see the dairy making process here, or taste the delicious ice cream at the end of the process. The dairy farm is so popular it has been renamed by locals as "Happiness Daily". About 2 kilometres from the station is "Makiba no ie" a campsite with log cabins available for rent. It also has an Italian restaurant which uses local Ikeda produce. In the summer there is also an outside cafe, play area for children and sheepdog shows. Near to the high school is "Spinners Farm" a sheep farm where one can learn to spin his or her own wool or take a wool weaving workshop. Spinners Farm sells good quality wool and local crafts and occasionally also holds art exhibitions. Nearby to Spinners Farm is Moonface Cafe, a cafe and art gallery serving coffee and light lunches. There are also often art exhibitions held there.

Winter Activities

As the winter is long in Hokkaido, there are many winter activities to keep the locals busy. As the weather maintains good ice skating conditions, there are local free ice skating rinks in the town. There is also an ice curling rink next to the town's community hall. In nearby Makubetsu (5 km) there is a small ski hill. Larger ski hills such as Sahoro and Tomamu are further away in the Hidaka mountains, but by the expressway they are accessible in under an hour.

International Exchange

Ikeda is the sister city of

Penticton Penticton ( ) is a city in the Okanagan, Okanagan Valley of the British Columbia, Canada, situated between Okanagan Lake, Okanagan and Skaha Lake, Skaha lakes. In the 2021 Canadian Census, its population was 36,885, while its Census geographic un ...

, Canada. Every two years there is a visit from students in Canada to Ikeda. They spend a week with local hosts and go to school with local students. There are also two foreign Assistant Language Teachers in Ikeda, who assist local students' English education and help to promote international awareness in the town.

References

External links

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