Furano, Hokkaido


Furano is a city in the prefecture of Hokkaido, Japan, located in the southern reaches of Kamikawa Subprefecture, under whose jurisdiction it resides. Well known throughout Japan as a tourist destination, it is famous for its lavender fields, the television drama Kita no Kuni kara, and the Furano Ski Resort, which hosted the Snowboarding World Cup in recent years. As of September 2016, the city has an estimated population of 22,715 and a density of 38 persons per km2. The total area is.
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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, with the opening of a railway link to Asahikawa, now the second-largest city in Hokkaido, in 1900. Three years later, Furano was divided into the upper Kamifurano Village and the lower Shitafurano Village In 1908, Minamifurano Village became 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. During the closing stages of World War II, Furano was bombed by American naval aircraft in July 1945. 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 to make it a full-fledged city. Furano officially changed its name to Furano City on May 1, 1966.

Economy

Industry

The keystone industry is agriculture, which is centered on onions and carrots. Furano notably produces more carrots than any other region in Japan. Watermelon and the Akaniku-brand "Furano Melon" are also made in large numbers.
Industry also includes tourism, particularly to its lavender fields and ski slopes, as well as the cultivation of grapes at a municipally managed winery and the production of 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

Local business

  • Daisy Food Production Industries, Inc. – Furano Factory

Financial institutions

  • Asahikawa Credit Union, Furano Office
  • Hokkaido Bank, Ltd., Furano Office
  • Hokkaido Workers Credit Union, Furano Office
  • North Pacific Bank, Ltd., Furano Office
  • Sorachi Commercial Credit Association, Furano Office

Postal services

  • Furano Post Office
  • Furano Wakaba Post Office
  • Kitanomine Post Depot
  • Rokugo Post Office

Public service institutions

Police

  • Furano Police Station

Sister cities

Regional

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

Transportation

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

Bus

Highways

National Highways

*

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

Historic sites, tourism destinations, festivals

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 on the grounds of Furano Elementary 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
  • Kita no Kuni kara Museum is located almost directly adjacent to the Furano Station area.
  • Gokokuzanfurano-ji – or Eighteenth Hokkaido Sanjuusan Sacred Grounds of Kannon Fudasho. Since Furano is Hokkaido's Navel Town, they proudly display a replica of the Buddha Nyoirin Kannon Heso Ishi 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 the New Furano Prince Hotel. The word “Ningle” refers to a 15 cm-tall character known as The Wise Man of the Forest, from a book with the same title that So Kuramoto wrote. The shopping area was created based on the writer's ideas. 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 worked at in the 'Kita no Kuni kara' television drama.
  • Furano Cheese Factory
  • Furano Ice Milk Factory
  • Furanoengekikoujou –, 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. Sou Kuramoto, the famous writer of Kita no Kuni kara, designed the Theater Factory.
; Rokugo District
  • The houses used by the characters in the television drama '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 served as the drama's setting during its 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 strongly encouraged to camp at the nearby Yamabe Village of the Sun Nature Park.

Dramas staged in Furano

  • Kita no Kuni kara
  • Yasashii Jikan
  • Kaze no Gaaden

Festivals and other events

Miscellaneous

Immigration

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

Geography

The Furano Valley is nestled between the Tokachi Volcanic Mountain Range 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.
Roughly 70% of the city is mountain and forest. In 1899, the Tokyo University Forest in Hokkaido was established for research purposes in the city's southeast sector. Nearby lies Rokugo Forest, the setting for the well-known Japanese television drama Kita no Kuni Kara.

Climate

Furano has a humid continental climate with warm, occasionally hot, and humid summers and cold, extremely snowy winters. Given its latitude and its location on an island, Furano's winters are frigid.

Accent

There is a difference in how people in Hokkaido and those in other parts of Japan pronounce the city's name. In 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 contradicted the local accent.

Notable people

Mascot

Furano's mascot is Hesomaru. He is a farmer who likes to see people's navels. He was originally the mascot for the Hokkaido Belly Button Festival before becoming the city's mascot when he debuted on 15 August 1969. His favourite quote is "Isn't it good?".

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 Japan, cycling from Kagoshima to Furano, selling DVDs. In Furano, he donned a self-assembled facsimile of the Hokkaido mascot Marimokkori's costume, dubbing himself Shigemokkori. He became the talk of the town by prancing around in green full-body tights complete with a conspicuous bulge He updates his blog, CD Furano, almost every day.
Niko Niko Pun, a children's television show produced by NHK, is filmed on location in Furano during the Summer and Winter Breaks.

Mass communications

Daily Furano Hokkaido Shimbun, Furano
  • Radio Furano 77.1 MHz