Furano, Hokkaido

Geography

The Furano Valley is nestled between the Tokachi Volcanic Mountain Range (part of the Daisetsuzan National Park) and the Yuubari cluster of summits, including Ashibetsu Peak. The Sorachi and Furano Rivers, both tributaries of the Ishikari River, meet within the city limits. Furano is located at the exact geographic center of Hokkaido, earning it the nickname "Heso no Machi" or "Navel Town." A monument positioned at the center is located on the grounds of Furano Nishi Junior High School at 43°20′56″N 142°23′04″E.

Roughly 70% of the city is mountain and forest. In 1899, the Tokyo University Forest in Hokkaido was established for research purposes in the southeast sector of the city. Nearby lies Rokugo Forest, the setting for the well-known Japanese television drama Kita no Kuni Kara.

History

The city takes its name from the Ainu word "Fura-nui," which means "Stinky Flame" or "Foul-Smelling Place," in the language of the indigenous people of Hokkaido. This is most likely because the valley was associated with sulfuric fumaroles near Tokachi Peak. In 1897 the first homesteaders arrived from Mie Prefecture and settled in what is now the Ogiyama area of the city. The Village of Furano was established as a satellite settlement of the then-preeminent Utashinai Village. In 1899 the settlement was transferred from under the jurisdiction of Sorachi County to Kamikawa County, an official town hall was raised, and Furano Village, Sorachi County was officially established.

Mass transportation soon followed when a railway link to Asahikawa, what is now the second largest city in Hokkaido, was opened in 1900. Three years later, Furano was divided into the upper Kamifurano Village (the present-day town of Kamifurano) and the lower Shitafurano Village (present-day Furano and Minamifurano.) In 1908, Minamifurano Village (now a town) established itself as an autonomous municipality. On April 1, 1915 Yamabe Village was created as a separate municipality, and Shimofurano, Sorachi County gained Second Class Village Status in the Hokkaido Village System. Following rapid development, on April 1, 1919, Shitafurano Village achieved town status and was renamed Furano Town. It gained First Class Town Status exactly two years later. On September 30, 1956, Furano annexed the village of Higashiyama. Ten years later, Furano annexed the town of Yamabe and the population boost was enough for it to become a full-fledged city. Furano officially changed its name to Furano City on May 1, 1966.

Industry

The keystone industry is agriculture, centered on onions and carrots. Furano notably produces more carrots than anywhere else in Japan. Watermelon and the Akaniku-brand "Furano Melon" are also produced in large numbers.

Industry also includes tourism, particularly to its lavender fields and ski slopes, as well as the cultivation of grapes, including a municipally-managed winery, and dairy products such as milk and cheese. Furano Delice, made famous for being the first candy factory to put pudding in a milk bottle, is well known for its Furano Milk Pudding.

Agricultural co-op

Furano Agricultural Cooperative (JA Furano)

Local business

Daisy Food Production Industries, Inc. - Furano Factory (デイジー食品工業株式会社富良野工場)

Financial institutions

North Pacific Bank, Ltd., Furano Office

Hokkaido Bank, Ltd., Furano Office

Asahikawa Credit Union, Furano Office (formerly Furano Credit Union)

Hokkaido Workers Credit Union, Furano Office

Sorachi Commercial Credit Association, Furano Office

Postal services

Furano Post Office (the Furano Office of Japan Post Service Company, Ltd. is located within the same building.)

Furano Wakaba Post Office (includes ATM service)

Kitanomine Post Depot (postal service only)

Rokugo Post Office

Police

Furano Police Station

Domestic

Furano partnered with Nishiwaki City, Hyogo Prefecture on October 20, 1978, becoming Furano's first and only domestic Sister City association.

Nishiwaki（Hyogo Prefecture）

Abroad

Furano has been sister cities with Schladming, Austria since February 23, 1977.

Schladming（Austria）

Education

High School

Public High Schools

Hokkaido Furano High School, Hokkaido Furano Ryokuho High School

Technical Schools

Furano Nursing College

Middle Schools

Furano Higashi, Furano Nishi, Jukai, Yamabe

Elementary Schools

Furano, Ogiyama, Higashi, Torinuma, Furebetsu, Jukai, Yamabe

Elementary/Middle Schools

Rokugo, Nunobe

Airport

Asahikawa Airport is located south of Asahikawa's city center in the outlying town of Higashi Kagura. It is approximately an hour away from Furano by bus or car.

Railways

Hokkaido Railway Company (JR Hokkaido)

Nemuro Line: Shimanoshita - Furano - nunobe - Yamabe

Furano Line: Gakueden - Furano

Bus

Furano Bus - city bus lines, Furano to Asahikawa (the "Lavender Express")

Shimukappu municipally owned and operated Furano to Shimukappu bus line.

Hokkaido Chuo Bus Co., Ltd. - Furano to Sapporo (the high-speed "Furano")

Dohoku Bus Co., Ltd., Hokkaido Takusyoku Bus Co., Ltd., Tokachi Bus Co., Ltd. - Minamifurano to Obihiro (Northliner)

Highways

National Highways

Highway 38

Highway 237

Prefectural Highways

Hokkaido Route 135 - Bibai, Furano

Hokkaido Route 253 - Higashiyama, Furano

Hokkaido Route 298 - Kamifurano, Asahikawa, Nakafurano

Hokkaido Route 544 - Rokugo, Yamabe

Hokkaido Route 706 - Nanyou, Yamabe

Hokkaido Route 759 - Nae, Furano

Hokkaido Route 800 - Kitanomine

Hokkaido Route 985 - Yamabe, Kitanomine

Cultural heritage

Furano Traditional Chinese Lion Dance - The Furano Traditional Chinese Lion Dance Preservation Society is a part of the Furano City Lifelong Learning Center.

A monument marking the exact geographic center of Hokkaido is located in the playground of Furano Nishi Junior High School.

Groundbreaking Memorial for the Hokkaido University Satellite Research Farm No.8, Furano Campus - Tenmangu Shrine Grounds

Groundbreaking Memorial for the Hokkaido University Satellite Research Farm No.8, Yamabe Campus - Yamabe Shrine Grounds

Tourism destinations

Downtown District

北の国から (Kita no Kuni kara) Museum is located almost directly adjacent to the Furano Station area.

護国山富良野寺 - Gokokuzanfurano-ji (Eighteenth Hokkaido Sanjuusan Sacred Grounds of Kannon Fudasho (北海道三十三観音霊場十八番札所)). Since Furano is Hokkaido's Navel Town, they proudly display a duplicate of the Buddha Nyoirinkannon Heso Ishi (Navel Stone) from Kyoto's famous temple Choho-ji.

Kitanomine District

The Kitanomine Area is centered on ski resorts and pensions. Furano Ski Resort, owned and operated by Prince Hotels, is a popular winter destination for people from around the world. Ningle Terrace is a rustic sort of shopping village located just to the side of New Furano Prince Hotel. Open year round, people from all over the area come to browse the handmade trinkets and look for faeries when the snow has not buried them alive. There is also a shop based on the one Takeshita Keiko (竹下景子) worked at in the '北の国から'　(Kita no Kuni kara) television drama.

Furano Cheese Factory

Furano Ice Milk Factory

富良野演劇工場 (Furanoengekikoujou - Furano Theatre Factory), a non-profit organization established and run by the city, Furano Theater Factory is a small-scale theater that strives to meet the creative needs of its citizens, hosting a myriad of events year-round. The Theater Factory was designed by Sou Kuramoto, the famous writer of Kita no Kuni kara.

Rokugo District

The houses used by the characters in the television drama '北の国から'　(Kita no Kuni kara) can still be found in the far-reaches of the Furano city limits in the Rokugo area, separated from Furano Station by a distance of about 15 kilometers. Rokugo Forest was the setting for the drama's early period. Gotaro's Stone House, The Lost and Found House, Jun and Ketsu's House, and Yahataoka, a hilly, back-country setting that came up frequently throughout the series, can all be found perfectly preserved in a memorial-esque open-air museum.

Rokugo Observation Deck

Furano Jam Farm

Anpanman Shop

Furano Music Box

Popuri Village specializes in cultivating late-blooming Lavender, meaning visitors can see the purple flowers in all their glory, even if they have missed the season.

Other districts

Highland Furano is a public spa in Shimanoshita, complete with a mid-sized lavender field.

The city owns and operates a successful wine factory known as the Wine House.

Furano Wine and Juice Factory is a publicly run business located in Shimizuyama.

Torinuma Park is a public park famous for the fact that it never freezes, even though it is located in the heart of snow country, Japan. Camping is not allowed, however visitors are more than encouraged to camp in the nearby Yamabe Village of the Sun Nature Park.

Dramas staged in Furano

Kita no Kuni kara (Fuji Terebi, 1981–2002)

Yasashii Jikan (Fuji Terebi, 2005)

Kaze no Gaaden (Fuji Terebi, 2008)

Festivals and other events

Shoukon Festival - Peace Memorial Festival (June 15, 16th)

Hokkaido Belly Button Festival (July 28, 29th)

Furano Shrine's Annual Festival (August 25, 26th)

Immigration

In May, 2009 Furano City joined hands with various private-sector associations to establish the Furano Chamber for the Promotion of Immigration.

Accent

There is a difference in the way that those living in Hokkaido (citizens of Furano included) and those that live in other parts of Japan pronounce the city's name. Inside Hokkaido, the first syllable in "Furano" is stressed; however in the rest of Japan the typical pattern of equally and weakly stressed syllables is predominant. The latter pronunciation was used in the drama that made Furano famous, even though it was in contradiction to the local accent.

Notable people

Tetsuya Kumakawa - ballet dancer

Kazumi Kurigami - professional photographer

Seiji Sugio - singer

Masami Shimoda - anime producer, director

Chika Miura - actress

Isao Fujii - businessman, founder and principal owner of Takaragi Staff Service Co., Ltd.

Cultural references

Furano Milk Pudding is famous for being the first pudding ever to come in a glass bottle.

Television program Kotaete Choudai's King of Reruns, Fukushima Katsushige, relocated to Furano in January 2007. He said that he would not return to Tokyo until he had sold 10,000 units of the DVD he made. He embarked on a journey across the length of Japan, traveling from Kagoshima to Furano on a bicycle selling the DVDs. In Furano, he donned a self-assembled facsimile of the Hokkaido mascot Marimokkori's costume, dubbing himself Shigemokkori, and became the talk of the town by prancing around in green full-body tights complete with a conspicuous bulge (a la Hokkaido's beloved character.) He updates his blog, CD Furano, almost every day.

Niko Niko Pun, a children's television show run by NHK, is shot on location in Furano every Summer and Winter Break.

Mass communications

Daily Furano (newspaper)

Radio Furano (community FM station) 77.1 MHz

Hokkaido Shimbun, Furano (newspaper)