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

Kamikawa Subprefecture is a subprefecture of Hokkaido Prefecture, Japan. The name is derived from Kamikawa no hitobito no Shūraku (Village of the Upstream People), a translation of the Ainu Peni Unguri Kotan. Settlement began in 1867. The sub-prefecture was establi ...

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 la ...

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

. As of December 31, 2017, the town has an estimated population of 3,706, 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 3.53 persons per km². The total area is 1,049.24 km². The town is approximately 30 minutes by bus or car from Sōunkyō Onsen and other tourist attractions which make up

Daisetsuzan National Park , or Taisetsuzan is located in the mountainous center of the northern Japanese island of Hokkaidō. At , Daisetsuzan is the largest national park in Japan, and is approximately the size of Kanagawa Prefecture. Daisetsuzan, meaning "great snowy mo ...

. The

Ishikari River The , at long, is the third longest in Japan and the longest in Hokkaidō. The river drains an area of , making it the second largest in Japan, with a total discharge of around per year. It originates from Mount Ishikari in the Daisetsuzan V ...

, the longest river in

, flows from here. The town also prides itself on "the most delicious

ramen is a Japanese dish, Japanese noodle dish. It consists of served in a broth; common flavors are soy sauce and miso, with typical toppings including , nori (dried seaweed), menma (bamboo shoots), and scallions. Ramen has its roots in Chinese ...

in Japan".ラーメン日本一の町　上川町

Geography

Climate

Economy

Many years ago, Kamikawa's primary industry was

coal mining Coal mining is the process of extracting coal from the ground. Coal is valued for its energy content and since the 1880s has been widely used to generate electricity. Steel and cement industries use coal as a fuel for extraction of iron from ...

. Since then, Japan has adopted higher

environmental standards A biophysical environment is a biotic and abiotic surrounding of an organism or population, and consequently includes the factors that have an influence in their survival, development, and evolution. A biophysical environment can vary in scale f ...

and coal production is no longer economically sound, the townspeople like those in Kamikawa have had to find other means of employment. Beef and other types of farming are common ("

Black Angus The Aberdeen Angus, sometimes simply Angus, is a Scottish breed of small beef cattle. It derives from cattle native to the counties of Aberdeen, Banff, Kincardine and Angus in north-eastern Scotland. In 2018 the breed accounted for over 17 ...

" cattle were originally imported here from

Alberta Alberta ( ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is part of Western Canada and is one of the three prairie provinces. Alberta is bordered by British Columbia to the west, Saskatchewan to the east, the Northwest Ter ...

, Canada in the 1980s), as well as "Purin" (pudding) producers and "Ramen" producers and shops. Kamikawa also capitalizes on its proximity to

as many of its townspeople work with Road Construction and Transportation through the Town Municipal Government, and others work in the tourist haven/onsen heaven that is Sōunkyō Gorge (modeled after

Whistler, British Columbia Whistler ( Lillooet/Ucwalmícwts: Cwitima, ; Squamish/Sḵwx̱wú7mesh: Sḵwiḵw, ) is a resort municipality in Squamish-Lillooet Regional District, British Columbia, Canada. It is located in the southern Pacific Ranges of the Coast Mounta ...

, Canada - site of the

2010 Winter Olympics )'' , nations = 82 , athletes = 2,626 , events = 86 in 7 sports (15 disciplines) , opening = February 12, 2010 , closing = February 28, 2010 , opened_by = Governor General Michaëlle Jean , cauldron = Catriona Le May DoanNancy GreeneWayne Gretz ...

Asiana Airlines Asiana Airlines Inc. ( ) is a South Korean airline headquartered in Seoul.Home
." Asiana Airlines. Retrieved 13 September 2 ...

operates a sales office in Kamikawa, near the Asahigawa Airport grounds.

Culture

Specialties

Kamikawa has many

izakaya An () is a type of informal Japanese bar that serves alcoholic drinks and snacks. are casual places for after-work drinking, similar to a pub, a Spanish tapas bar, or an American saloon or tavern. Etymology The word entered the English la ...

and snack bars. Kamikawa's speciality is "karai ramen" or spicy noodles.

Mascot

Kamikawa's mascot is . He is a brown bear. He wears a helmet which resembles a bell. His favourite food is karai ramen served with rainbow trout sashimi. He loves hot springs and drawing nature. He usually ends his sentences with "powa-ru" (ぽわ～る) and "powan" (ぽわん). He is unveiled in 2014.

Internationalization

Kamikawa broadened its international horizons in 1984 by becoming a

Sister City A sister city or a twin town relationship is a form of legal or social agreement between two geographically and politically distinct localities for the purpose of promoting cultural and commercial ties. While there are early examples of inter ...

with

Rocky Mountain House Rocky Mountain House is a town in west-central Alberta, Canada. It is approximately west of Red Deer at the confluence of the Clearwater and North Saskatchewan Rivers, and at the crossroads of Highway 22 (Cowboy Trail) and Highway 11 (David Th ...

in Alberta, Canada and participating in the

JET Programme The , or , is a Japanese government initiative that brings college (university) graduates—mostly native speakers of English—to Japan as Assistant Language Teachers (ALTs) and Sports Education Advisors (SEAs) in Japanese kindergartens, elementa ...

. Kamikawa boasts a Rotary club (started in the 1980s) with some members that have been to Canada several times. The resident

Assistant Language Teacher An Assistant Language Teacher (ALT) is a foreign national serving as an assistant teacher (paraprofessional educator) in a Japanese classroom, particularly for English. The term was created by the Japanese Ministry of Education at the time of the ...

of Kamikawa is often invited to join the Rotary Club dinner meetings (a.k.a. enkai) where both sides can practice their command of a foreign language. In 2018, the town is expected to hire a second

, bringing the total up to two. This is in response to changes to the English education in Japan taking place between 2018 and 2020.

Transportation

Air

The town has no airport. The nearest international airport is the

New Chitose Airport is an international airport located south-southeast of 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 to Chitose Air Base ...

near

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 city ...

, and the nearest domestic airport is in

Asahikawa is a city in Kamikawa Subprefecture, Hokkaido, Japan. It is the capital of the subprefecture, and the second-largest city in Hokkaido, after Sapporo. It has been a core city since April 1, 2000. The city is currently well known for the Asahiy ...

Rail

Kamikawa is one of the last stops on the main JR line running east from Sapporo, therefore a wide range of rail services are available.

Bus

Kamikawa's bus service is excellent, but limited, so it is wise to check a local schedule. The bus service to Sounkyo Gorge is approximately 1000 yen one way, and the service to Asahikawa is approximately 2100 yen one way (2019 prices).

National road

Kokudou (Route) 39 leaves Asahikawa east to Kamikawa, and Kokudou (Route) 40 leaves from Asahikawa and goes as far east as Aibetsu-chou, going south through Aibetsu-chou will meet up with Kokudou 39 again.

Municipal transit

Kamikawa is very small and almost everything is within walking or bicycle distance. The Dohoku Bus company offers transport in and around Kamikawa's main spots, such as the high school and train station.

Notable people

Sara Takanashi (born 8 October 1996) is a Japanese Ski jumping, ski jumper. She is one of the most successful female ski jumpers to date, as well as one of the most successful athletes in the history of the sport, having won four FIS Ski Jumping World Cup, Wo ...

, ski jumper

References

External links

Official Website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kamikawa, Hokkaido Towns in Hokkaido