Population 4,390 (30 Sep 2016) | Area 187.2 km² Local time Saturday 5:35 PM | |
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Time zone Japan Standard Time (UTC+9) Weather 4°C, Wind NW at 18 km/h, 73% Humidity District Matsumae District, Hokkaido | ||
Fukushima (福島町, Fukushima-chō) is a town located in Matsumae District, Oshima Subprefecture, Hokkaido, Japan.
Contents
- Map of Fukushima Matsumae District Hokkaido Prefecture Japan
- Economics
- History
- Transportation
- Education
- Sister cities
- References
Map of Fukushima, Matsumae District, Hokkaido Prefecture, Japan
As of March 2016, the town has an estimated population of 4,390 and a density of 23 persons per km². The total area is 187.23 km².
Economics
Industries in the town include squid fishing and tourism. The main tourist attractions are the Seikan Tunnel Museum and the sumo museum (Yokozuna Chiyonoyama Chiyonofuji Kinenkan).
Two former Sumo Grand Champions (Yokozuna) were born and lived in Fukushima and their careers are celebrated in the sumo museum. The first is Chiyonoyama (千代の山 雅信) followed by Chiyonofuji (千代の富士貢). The latter is one of the most successful sumo wrestlers of all time and won 31 top division titles in his career before retiring in 1991.
A new tourist attraction opened in July, 2011. The Kaikyo Yokozuna Beach opened after several years of planning and building and has been named after the two famous Yokozuna from the town.
History
Transportation
Yoshioka, a part of the town, has access tunnels to the Seikan Tunnel and Yoshioka-Kaitei Station. This station, along with Tappi-Kaitei Station on the Aomori side of the tunnel, were the world's first undersea stations. They were closed because of the construction of Hokkaido Shinkansen.
The Seikan Tunnel travels beneath the Tsugaru Strait — connecting the island of Hokkaido and Aomori Prefecture on the Japanese island of Honshū — as part of the Japan Railways Kaikyō Line. The access tunnels from Yoshioka serve as emergency access and escape points and were important during the tunnel's construction phase.