is a
town
A town is a type of a human settlement, generally larger than a village but smaller than a city.
The criteria for distinguishing a town vary globally, often depending on factors such as population size, economic character, administrative stat ...
located in
Tokachi Subprefecture
is a subprefecture of Hokkaido Prefecture, Japan
Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from t ...
,
Hokkaido
is the list of islands of Japan by area, second-largest island of Japan and comprises the largest and northernmost prefectures of Japan, prefecture, making up its own list of regions of Japan, region. The Tsugaru Strait separates Hokkaidō fr ...
,
Japan
Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...
. The name "Shikaoi" means "Following (hunting) deer".
Population
As of September 2016, the town has an estimated
population
Population is a set of humans or other organisms in a given region or area. Governments conduct a census to quantify the resident population size within a given jurisdiction. The term is also applied to non-human animals, microorganisms, and pl ...
of 5,570 and a
density
Density (volumetric mass density or specific mass) is the ratio of a substance's mass to its volume. The symbol most often used for density is ''ρ'' (the lower case Greek letter rho), although the Latin letter ''D'' (or ''d'') can also be u ...
of 14 persons per km
2. The total area is 399.69 km
2. There are several towns around Shikaoi including
Shimizu,
Shintoku, and
Shihoro.
History
Shikaoi's beginning can be traced back to 1902, when Mr. Yamada of Tokyo settled into what is now the main street of Shikaoi. By 1913, a train station opened up the flow of settlers from
Honshu
, historically known as , is the largest of the four main islands of Japan. It lies between the Pacific Ocean (east) and the Sea of Japan (west). It is the list of islands by area, seventh-largest island in the world, and the list of islands by ...
. Not long after this, a post office, a police station and several small restaurants opened.
In 1920, the population of Shikaoi was 4,526 people (822 families). In April 1921, it became the Shikaoi village. Kasai Railway was laid in 1923 to aid the transporting of beets from the region. Also, general cargo and passenger transport were permitted in May 1925. A big role was played for industrial development of Shikaoi by the upgrading a network of roads and railway.
The population increased rapidly by the settlement of
Japan Self-Defense Forces
The are the military forces of Japan. Established in 1954, the JSDF comprises the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force, the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force, and the Japan Air Self-Defense Force. They are controlled by the Ministry of Defense ...
Stationing Grounds after the World War. (Population of 10,448 people, 1,970 families in the 1960 census). The Shikaoi region and Shikaoi Town came together in 1959.
After a peak population of 10,778 people in 1961, it decreased gradually by the influence of cold-weather damage to agriculture. But after 1993, it became stable with many efforts, including improved agriculture.
In 1984, Shikaoi began a sister town relationship with
Stony Plain, Alberta
Stony Plain is a town in the Edmonton Metropolitan Region of Alberta, Canada that is surrounded by Parkland County. It is west of Edmonton adjacent to the City of Spruce Grove and sits on Treaty 6 land.
Stony Plain is known for its many painted m ...
, Canada.
Since that time, ongoing exchange programs have kept the relationship strong. The exchange program has also provided Shikaoi the opportunity to advance by visiting ideas gathered during exchanges.
Climate
References
External links
*
Official Website
Towns in Hokkaido
Tokachi Subprefecture
{{Hokkaido-geo-stub