Erimo, Hokkaidō

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Erimo (えりも町; -chō) is a town located in Horoizumi District, Hidaka, Hokkaidō, Japan.

As of 2004, the town has an estimated population of 5,872 and a density of 20.68 persons per km². The total area is 283.93 km².

Erimo is famous for its strong winds, kelp (konbu), and its scenic cape, Cape Erimo erimo-misaki. The cape was made famous by an Enka song. It is supposed to be a romantic place to visit. The cape hosts a population of Kurile seals, as well as a museum dedicated to wind (kaze-no-yakata). Winds in Erimo are strong enough that in addition to two windmills on the cape, Erimo Elementary School (built in 2000) is completely powered by electricity generated by its own windmill. This is a popular location in Hokkaido to view the first sunrise of the year, and hundreds of people from all over Japan brave the strong cold wind to watch.

While the main industry is fishing (salmon and squid in particular) Erimo's most famous harvest is kelp which is harvested by most of the native residents during the summer months. The kelp is sold in Japan as Hidaka konbu, and Erimo has a museum in the main part of town dedicated to kelp and fishery.

The Hidaka Mountains come right down to the ocean at Erimo. For that reason the road north to Hiroo had to be carved out of the rock. The road is known as Kindoro or the Golden Road, because it cost so much to build. In March of 2006, due to steady population decline, Erimo's two Junior High Schools along this road were closed, and students began busing into the main Junior High in the center of town.