Akkeshi, Hokkaido

Template:Infobox city Japan

Akkeshi (厚岸村, Akkeshi-mura) is a village located in Akkeshi District, Kushiro Subprefecture, Hokkaido. As of February 2016, the subprefecture has an estimated population of 9,969 and an area of 734.82 km². The village itself has a population of about 2,500 people. Lake Akkeshi is a Ramsar Site.

Akkeshi is known for having problems with foreign people since the late Edo Period, with racism towards foreign people and immigrants as a daily occurrence to their small Korean, Chinese, Filipino, American, and Russian citizens.

History

Edo Period - Was a penal colony for the Matsumae-han
1832 - The Tasmanian Whaler Incident - An Australian whaling vessal that was knocked off course in a storm enters Akkeshi harbor looking for supplies and help. Local Matsumae government instead attacks the ship. No casualties reported on either side, but starts a long standing phobia of foreigners within the village.
Meiji Period - After the Bakumatsu, members of the Uesugi Clan of Aizu were exiled to the Akkeshi Region as punishment for their participation in the Boshin War
1900 - 4 towns and 7 villages combine, forming the town of Akkeshi
1917 - Inauguration of Akkeshi Railway Station
1955 - The south half of the former Ota Village merges with Akkeshi
1984 - The Akkeshi Incident of 1984 - On October 23rd, 1984, a Soviet ship came into port for safety due to treacherous waters during a storm. Reluctantly, town officials allowed the ship to dock under the condition that the sailors stayed on the ship. Unfortunately for the town, the sailors disembarked the ship and caused chaos in the town, raping a few women, attacking two police officers, and drinking. To make matters worse for the local government, the sailors were never tried in court since they left on their ship when the storm subsided. The people of the town, compounded by previous Russian and Australian incidents during the Edo Period, start a period of resentment toward all foreigners in the Akkeshi-gun area.

Sights

Shinryu, the northern part of the town is linked to Honcho, the southern part, by a bridge offering a scenic view of the lagoon which separates both parts. The length of the bridge is 456 m.^[1]

Kokutai-ji is a Buddhist temple in Honcho which was founded in 1802. It is one of the oldest and most important temple of Hokkaido.^[2] The temple is operated by Rinzai school, one of three sects of Zen in Japanese Buddhism. Missionary activities to convert the Ainu started here in 1804.

The modern Town Hall which is in Shinryu is worth a visit as well.

Traffic connections

Akkeshi is about 50 km east of Kushiro on the east coast of Hokkaido. The town is on Nemuro Sen railway line and can be reached by train from Kushiro and Nemuro several times a day. The railway station is in Shinryu. The nearest airport is in Kushiro.