Kyōgoku, Hokkaidō

Kyogoku 京極町
—  Town  —
Location of Kyogoku in Hokkaidō
Country	Japan
Region	Hokkaidō
Prefecture	Hokkaidō
District	Abuta District, Shiribeshi Subprefecture
Area
• Total	231.61 km2 (89.4 sq mi)
Population (June 2008)
• Total	3,441
• Density	14.9/km2 (38.6/sq mi)
Time zone	Japan Standard Time (UTC+9)
Phone number	0136-42-2111
Address	527 Kyōgoku, Kyōgoku-chō, Abuta-gun, Hokkaidō 044-0101
Website	Town of Kyōgoku

Kyōgoku (京極町, Kyōgoku-chō^?) is a town located in Abuta District, Shiribeshi, Hokkaidō, Japan, at the foot of Mount Yōtei. The town borders the south ward (Minami-ku) of Sapporo, but car traffic from Kyogoku must drive over an hour through the Nakayama Toge mountain pass due to the terrain of the area.

Tourists visit the town to drink the spring water in Fukidashi Park, where the water from Mount Yōtei bubbles out of the ground.

The town has a sister city relationship with the city of Marugame in Kagawa Prefecture.

Contents 1 Geography 1.1 Neighboring municipalities 2 History 3 Education 4 Annual events 5 Sources 6 External links

Geography

Neighboring municipalities

• Ishikari Subprefecture:
  • Sapporo (Minami-ku)

• Shiribeshi Subprefecture:
  • Yoichi District: Akaigawa
  • Abuta District: Kutchan
  • Abuta District: Kimobetsu
  • The town also borders Niseko and Makkari at a single point at the top of Mount Yōtei.

History

• 1897 - A former noble of the Kyōgoku clan in what is now Kagawa Prefecture is given permission to set up an agricultural operation in the area, as part of Kutchan.^[1][2]
• 1898,1899,1900 - Three waves of settlement from Ishikawa Prefecture and Toyama Prefecture
• 1910 - With a population of 6,783, the new settlement becomes a separate village called Higashikutchan.
• 1940 - The village is renamed Kyōgoku.
• 1962 - Kyōgoku becomes a town.

Education

Elementary schools:

• Kyōgoku Elementary School
• Minami Kyōgoku Elementary School

Junior high school:

• Kyōgoku Junior High School

Annual events

• Town recreation day - summer and winter
• Attakai festival - held in March
• Fukidashi choral singing festival - held in July on the outdoor stage in Fukidashi park
• Shakkoi festival - also held in July in Fukidashi park
• Furusato festival - held during the Obon season in August on the main shopping street

Sources

External links

• Official website in Japanese