Takasu ( 鷹栖町 , Takasu-chō ) is a town in Kamikawa Subprefecture in Hokkaido , Japan . Translated into English, Takasu means "hawk's nest," the original Ainu name for the town. As of October 2020, the town has an estimated population of 6,567 people.
25-572: Takasu is located in the central area of Hokkaido, the most northern island in Japan. Takasu has an approximate land area of 139.44 km², and is located near Asahikawa , the second largest city in Hokkaido. Numerous rivers run through the town of Takasu, with the main one being the Osarappe River, which runs from north to south, and is approximately 25.7 km in length. Another major river
50-506: A seal aquarium which includes a vertical tube through which the seals can swim. In August 2004, the monthly number of visitors exceeded 320,000, which surpassed Ueno Zoo in Tokyo . In 2006, the annual number of visitors reached 2 million, and the following year, the number was 3 million, which was surpassed only by the Ueno Zoo (about 3.5 million people in the same year). Over the years,
75-436: A decline in the number of visitors. Since 1997, the zoo has undertaken the construction of unique interactive animal viewing facilities, initiated by chief manager Masao Kosuge. After "Totori no Mura" (Totori's Village), which enables visitors to see birds flying freely in a huge cage, the zoo continued to install new facilities including Polar Bear Aquatic Park, a "walk- through" penguin aquarium, an orangutan trapeze, and
100-417: A decline in visitors, the park erected a steel roller coaster which was dismantled in 2006. As the population of Asahikawa has increased, the number of visitors rose to a peak of 597,000 in 1983. In 1994, when a western lowland gorilla and a ring-tailed lemur in the zoo died of an echinococcus infection, the zoo was closed before the regular season to prevent the disease from spreading. This resulted in
125-466: A hawk, the town's namesake, with wings spread in full flight. The oval in the centre symbolises a grain of rice, which is a major produce in Takasu. Finally, the single line making a circle symbolises the harmony and unity between the citizens, while the twist of the line represents the bright future of Takasu. Takasu has two other official town symbols – the marigold is the town flower, and mountain ash
150-610: A mild and comfortable summer. Overall, Takasu experiences four distinct seasons. Winter brings a heavy blanket of powder snow; in fact, Takasu features the largest snow park in Japan. Spring sees the bloom of cherry blossoms and beach morning glory ; summer provides a landscape filled with green, as harvest prospers; and the autumn brings the crisp red leaves of Japanese maple trees. With an abundance of fertile land, Takasu has developed an agricultural sector centred on rice growing. Rice accounts for 80 per cent of Takasu's total agricultural product. In recent years, Takasu has been one of
175-520: Is 747.66 km (288.67 sq mi). Asahikawa joined UNESCO 's Network of Creative Cities as a Design City on October 31, 2019 on the occasion of World Cities’ Day. On August 1, 1922, Asahikawa was founded as Asahikawa City . As the central city in northern Hokkaido, 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
200-615: Is a second class airport , and also a single-runway regional airport. It serves domestic destinations including Tokyo , but some airlines offer destinations in South Korea . EVA Air added Asahikawa as a destination from Taipei on May 2, 2013. Asahikawa is one of the major rail hubs of Hokkaido. The Hakodate Main Line connects Asahikawa to Hakodate in the south of Hokkaido, and the Sōya Main Line connects Asahikawa with Wakkanai at
225-477: Is a hawk. He carries a flask of Ōkaminomomo ( オオカミの桃 ) "Wolf's Peach" tomato juice in his blue backpack. He sometimes disguises himself as a snowman. He first appeared on 8 August 1995 as an unofficial mascot, before being promoted to official mascot in 2013. Asahikawa, Hokkaido Asahikawa ( 旭川市 , Asahikawa-shi ) is a city in Kamikawa Subprefecture , Hokkaido , Japan . It
250-498: Is noted for its lumber and brewing industries, as well as the production of furniture and paper pulp. Asahikawa is served by Asahikawa Airport which stretches over the outskirts of Asahikawa City and Higashikagura , Hokkaido. The airport was first proposed by the Asahikawa City Council in 1955, opened in 1961, and daily flights to Tokyo started in 1970. The present terminal of Asahikawa Airport opened in 2000. It
275-407: Is the Ishikari River which flows from Mt. Daisetsu , a volcanic peak in central Hokkaido. From late November to mid-April, Takasu experiences a heavy snowfall, with depths reaching 1.3 metres. Mid-January to late February is the coldest period, with minimum temperatures reaching as low as -30 °C. Summer temperatures occasionally exceed 30 °C; however, low humidity means that Takasu enjoys
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#1732793689115300-550: 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 Asahiyama Zoo , the Asahikawa ramen and a Ski resort city. On July 31, 2011, the city had an estimated population of 321,906, with 173,961 households , and a population density of 431 persons per km² (1,100 persons per mi²). The total area
325-715: Is the northernmost zoo in the country. In August 2004, over 320,000 people had visited the zoo, the second highest number of visitors among all the zoos in Japan. Located in Higashi Asahikawa, on the outskirts of Asahikawa, the Asahiyama Zoo is accredited by the Japanese Association of Zoos and Aquariums (JAZA). The Maruyama Zoo in Sapporo , and the Obihiro Zoo predate the construction of
350-471: Is the town tree. Takasu has a domestic school exchange program with Takashima Town in Nagasaki Prefecture . Since 1996 a delegation of ten students from each town visits the other, and stays with local families. The purpose of this domestic exchange program is to strengthen friendship and understanding between citizens in the two towns. Takasu currently has one sister city relationship with
375-704: The Gold Coast , in Queensland , Australia . This relationship initially commenced in 1991, as a friendly relations agreement with the Albert Shire region of the Gold Coast. Upon the Albert Shire's amalgamation with the Gold Coast City, the relationship between Takasu and the Gold Coast was upgraded to an official Sister City Agreement in 1995. Takasu's mascot is Attakasu-kun ( あったかすくん ) . He
400-532: The Asahiyama Zoo. In 1964, the mayor at the time, Kōzō Igarashi , budgeted for the Asahiyama Zoo project, and chose Mount Asahi as the building site due to its geology and traffic convenience. Construction of the Asahiyama Zoo began in April 1966, and was completed in June 1967, at a total expense of 250 million yen. The zoo was inaugurated on July 1, 1967, with 75 species of animals including 200 common carp . Driven by
425-638: The city. Asahibashi , a bridge over Ishikari River, has been one of the symbols of Asahikawa since its completion in 1932, and it was also registered as one of the Hokkaido Heritage sites on October 22, 2001. Every winter, the Asahikawa Winter Festival is held on 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 (−41.8 °F),
450-887: The closing stages of the war, Asahikawa was bombed by American naval aircraft in July 1945. Today, the 2nd Division of the Northern Army of the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force is headquartered in Asahikawa. The climate is hemiboreal humid continental ( Dfb, according to Köppen classification ). Asahikawa winters are long and cold, with below-freezing average monthly temperatures from December through March. The city also sees an extraordinary amount of snowfall, averaging just under 7.6 m (25 ft) of snow per year. Summers are generally warm and humid in Asahikawa, with average high temperatures in
475-487: The eminent producers of Hokkaido Hoshi no Yume and Kirara 397 rice in terms of quality and harvest. The next biggest industry in Takasu is the production of vegetables, particularly tomatoes. Takasu is the centre of production for a range of Ookami no momo brand tomato products, such as tomato juice and puree. It also ranks in the top 20 cucumber producers in Japan. Takasu is also home to one of Honda's "Proving Grounds". Honda tests new products to see how they stand up to
500-552: The harsh winter conditions found in central Hokkaido. The other Honda development facility is found in Tochigi Prefecture. Honda not only test cars at the Takasu Proving Grounds, but bikes and snowblowers. The Takasu town emblem was established on January 1, 1968, from ideas submitted by the local citizens. The town emblem incorporates four meaningful elements. Firstly, it is a modern representation of
525-533: The lowest temperature in Japanese history. Due to its climate and location surrounded by mountains, there are some ski resorts in the outskirts of the city. 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 in Japanese (Asahi meaning "morning sun"). Asahikawa was populated by
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#1732793689115550-516: The mainland Japanese in the Meiji period (1868 – July 1912) as a tondenhei , or state-sponsored farmer-militia settlement. Kamikawa District set up under Ishikari Province with the villages of Asahikawa, Nagayama and Kamui in 1890. Asahikawa was elevated to city status in 1922. Asahikawa thrived as a military city before World War II , when the IJA 7th Division was posted there. During
575-518: The north of Hokkaido. The Sekihoku Main Line connects the city with Abashiri on the Sea of Okhotsk . The Furano Line connects Abashiri with nearby Biei and Furano . Municipal buses also serve the city. Asahikawa's mascots are Asappy ( あさっぴー , Asappī ) and Yukkirin ( ゆっきりん ) . Asahiyama Zoo The Asahiyama Zoo ( 旭山動物園 , Asahiyama dōbutsuen ) is a municipal zoo that opened in July 1967 in Asahikawa , Hokkaidō , Japan , and
600-466: The temperature did not rise above −22.5 °C (−9 °F), being one of the coldest in history. Some sources consider it the coldest city in Japan . See or edit raw graph data . Per Japanese census data, the population of Asahikawa peaked around the year 2000 and has declined slightly in the decades since. Asahikawa developed as an industrial center in Hokkaido after World War II . The city
625-489: The warmest months hovering around 26 °C (79 °F). Spring and autumn are generally short and transitional in the city. It is one of the coldest Japanese cities as well as one of the most "continental". Japan's lowest temperature ever (−41.0 °C (−41.8 °F)) was recorded in Asahikawa, colder than other cities registered in Hokkaido , but warmer in absolute numbers than Mount Fuji . On January 12, 1909
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