Kikonai Town
Southern Hokkaido
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A town with a Shinkansen station and a trolley railway on a former line
Population：3,500
Kikonai is a town in the southwestern part of Hokkaido, located a one-hour drive from Hakodate and Matsumae. It is also home to the first station on the Hokkaido side of the Hokkaido Shinkansen, which opened on March 26, 2016. The town has a population of 3,661 (as of the end of September 2023) and is rich in nature, with the Tsugaru Strait spreading out before it and most of its area covered by forests.
Specialty products include the highly acclaimed "Hakodate Wagyu" beef and "Misogi no Mai" sake, made from local sake rice. Tourist attractions include Saraki Cape, where the Kanrin Maru, a ship active at the end of the Edo period, rests and tens of thousands of tulips bloom in May. Another highlight is the "Donan Torokko Tetsudo," a rail bike experience facility that utilizes the tracks of the former JR Esashi Line.
