Asahikawa, Hokkaidō
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| Image:Asahikawa in Kamikawa Subprefecture.gif Asahikawa's location in Hokkaidō, Japan. | |
| Location | |
| Country | Japan |
| Region | Hokkaidō |
| Prefecture | Hokkaidō |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Area | 747.6 km² (288.6 sq mi) |
| Population (as of 2004) | |
| Total | 361,488 |
| Location | |
| Symbols | |
| Asahikawa Government Office | |
| Official website: City of Asahikawa | |
Asahikawa (旭川市 Asahikawa-shi?) is a city located in Kamikawa Subprefecture, Hokkaidō, Japan. The city is the capital of the subprefecture and the second-largest city in Hokkaidō, next to Sapporo. It has been a Core city since April 1, 2000. The city is currently well-known for Asahiyama Zoo and Asahikawa Ramen.
As of 2004, the city has an estimated population of 361,488 and a density of 483.53 persons per km². The total area is 747.6 km².
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[edit] Name
The Ainu called the Asahi River Chiu Pet meaning "River of Waves", but it was misunderstood as Chup Pet meaning "Sun River", and so it came to be called Asahi River (Asahi = Morning Sun).
[edit] Overview
On August 1, 1922, Asahikawa was officially founded as Asahikawa City. As the center city in northern Hokkaidō, Asahikawa has been influential in industry and commerce. There are about 130 rivers and streams including the Ishikari River and Chūbetsu River, and over 740 bridges in the city.[1] Asahibashi, a bridge over Ishikari River, has been familiar to people in the city as one of the symbols of Asahikawa since its completion in 1932, and it was also registered as one of the Hokkaidō Heritage sites on October 22, 2001.[2]
Asahikawa thrived as a military city before World War II, when the IJA 7th Division (第7師団) was posted there. Today, the second division of the northern army of the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force is headquartered in Asahikawa.
In winter, the Asahikawa Winter Festival is held annually at the bank of the Ishikari River, making use of Asahikawa's cold climate and snow. On January 25, 1902, a weather station recorded -41°C, the lowest temperature in Japanese history.[3] Due to its climate and location surrounded by mountains, there are some ski resorts in the outskirts of the city.
Asahikawa is served by Asahikawa Airport which stretches over the outskirts of Asahikawa City and Higashikagura, Hokkaidō. It is a second class airport, and also a single-runway regional airport. The airport serves domestic destinations including Tokyo, but some airlines offer destinations in South Korea. Municipal buses also serve the city.
Asahikawa is known as one of Japan's gourmet towns, and contains many restaurants of nearly every description.
[edit] History
- 1890 Kamikawa District set up under Ishikari Province with the villages of Asahikawa, Nagayama and Kamui
- 1900 Asahikawa Village becomes Asahikawa Town
- 1914 Asahikawa Town becomes Asahikawa-ku
- 1922 Asahikawa-ku becomes Asahikawa City
- 1955 Kamui Village and Etanbetsu Village merge with Asahikawa
- 1961 Nagayama Town merged
- 1963 Higashi-asahikawa Town merged
- 1967 Asahiyama Zoo opened
- 1968 Kagura Town merged
- 1971 Higashi-takasu Town merged
- 1972 Japan's first permanent pedestrian mall Heiwadōri Shopping Park opened
- April 1, 2000 Asahikawa becomes a Core city
[edit] Sister Cities & Friendship Cities
[edit] Sister Cities
- Image:Flag of the United States.svg Bloomington, Illinois, United States
- Image:Flag of the United States.svg Normal, Illinois, Unites States
- Image:Flag of South Korea.svg Suwon, South Korea
[edit] Friendship Cities
- Image:Flag of Russia.svg Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk, Russia
- Image:Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg Harbin, China
[edit] Specialties
- Asahikawa Ramen
- Asahikawa furniture (High-class)
- Confectionery
- Sake (Otokoyama, Takasago, Taisetsunokura)
- Cocktail
- Taisetsu Microbrew Beer "Taisetsu ji-beer"
- Asahikawa mutton barbecue "Genghis Khan"
- Pottery / Wooden handiwork (Arashiyama area)
[edit] Sightseeing
- Ski resort (Kamui Ski Links, Santa Present Park, etc)
- Asahiyama Zoo (The most famous zoo in Japan)
- Asahikawa Winter Festival / Illuminations (February)
- Asahikawa Museum of Sculpture in Honor of Teijiro Nakahara
- Otokoyama Sake Brewing Museum
- Asahibashi Bridge
- Arashiyama Pottery village
- Hokkaido Traditional Art Craft Village
- Romantic Road (Tree tunnel and Churches)
- Asahikawa Furniture Center
- Ayako Miura Memorial Literature Center
- Yasushi Inoue Memorial Center
- Asahikawa Youth Science Museum "Saiparu"
[edit] People
- Victor Starffin: baseball player, Russian diaspora
- Miura Ayako: Author
- Yasushi Inoue: Author
- Taizō Sugimura: Politician
- Buichi Terasawa: Mangaka
- Koji Tamaki: Lead vocalist of Anzen Chitai
[edit] References
- ^ Asahikawa 8 Scenes (Japanese)
- ^ Hokkaidō Heritage Website: 6, Asahibashi Bridge (Japanese)
- ^ Asahikawa City 7th General Scheme Gist (Japanese)
[edit] External links
- Asahikawa travel guide from Wikitravel
- (Japanese) Official website
- (English)(Korean) Taisetsu sightseeing navigation
- Asahikawa Tourism(English,Japanese,Korean,Chinese)
| |||
| Subprefectures | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Abashiri | Hidaka | Hiyama | Iburi | Ishikari | Kamikawa | Kushiro | Nemuro | Oshima | Rumoi | Shiribeshi | Sorachi | Sōya | Tokachi | |||
| Cities | |||
| Abashiri | Akabira | Asahikawa | Ashibetsu | Bibai | Chitose | Date | Ebetsu | Eniwa | Fukagawa | Furano | Hakodate | Hokuto | Ishikari | Iwamizawa | Kitahiroshima | Kitami | Kushiro | Mikasa | Monbetsu | Muroran | Nayoro | Nemuro | Noboribetsu | Obihiro | Otaru | Rumoi | Sapporo (capital) | Shibetsu | Sunagawa | Takikawa | Tomakomai | Utashinai | Wakkanai | Yūbari | |||
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