Country signs" are a common sight when driving in Hokkaido. Each of Hokkaido's 179 cities, towns, and villages has its own distinctive design, but the country sign of Muroran City has recently been renewed and has become a topic of conversation.

Country sign updated, expressway up and down.
The design of the country sign was updated last year in order to convey a new image of the city on the occasion of the 150th anniversary of the opening of the port of Muroran and the 100th anniversary of the city's establishment as a municipality.
The update is now complete on this expressway. Thank you to everyone who participated in the public vote last year. pic.twitter.com/UcnriuOjB4

- Muroran City (@Muroran_City) October 24, 2022

The new country sign depicts Muroran's representative gourmet "Muroran Yakitori" and the Shiratori Bridge, the largest suspension bridge in East Japan. Muroran, an industrial city that flourished based on its port, celebrates the 150th anniversary of the opening of its port and the 100th anniversary of its municipal organization in 2022. This redesign was carried out to commemorate such an anniversary year.

By the way, the one below is the previous country sign. This design, loved for about 30 years, depicted "Kujiran," the mascot of Muroran City, and a ball symbolizing soccer, known for the powerful "Muroran Otani" soccer team. Kujiran will continue to represent Muroran as a character. Many professional soccer players have been produced from the Hokkaido Otani Muroran Soccer Club.

Muroran City established the "Town Design Conference" to come up with a design for the new country sign. Junior high school students in the city also participated in this project. The design was also voted on through the city's official website, and the project was carried out while listening to the opinions of a wide range of citizens. The Muroran City brand mark, which was created together with the country sign, also depicts the Shirotori Bridge and yakitori (grilled chicken).

Many of you may have feelings for the old country sign, but we hope that this will be an opportunity for Muroran's charms to reach more people.

<Image courtesy of
Muroran City