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Biei 美瑛町
Town
Flag Emblem
Location of Biei in Hokkaido (Kamikawa Subprefecture)
Biei Location in Japan
Coordinates: 43°35′N 142°28′E
Country	Japan
Region	Hokkaido
Prefecture	Hokkaido (Kamikawa Subprefecture)
District	Kamikawa (Ishikari)
Government
• Mayor	Satoshi Hamada
Area
• Total	677.16 km2 (261.45 sq mi)
Population  (September 30, 2016)
• Total	10,374
• Density	15/km2 (40/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+09:00 (JST)
City hall address	4-6-1 Motomachi, Biei-chō, Kamikawa-gun, Hokkaidō 071-0292
Website	www.town.biei.hokkaido.jp
Symbols
Flower	Lily of the Valley
Tree	Japanese White Birch

Biei (美瑛町, Biei-chō) is a town located in Kamikawa Subprefecture, Hokkaido, Japan. As of September 2016, the town has an estimated population of 10,374, and a density of 15 persons per km². The total area is 677.16 km².

Overview

Biei is famous for its views of wide fields and hills, and is used as a backdrop for many Japanese commercials and TV programmes. The bright colours of its fields attract thousands of visitors in July and August.

The town also houses the Shinzo Maeda Photo Art Gallery.

Since 1992, Biei has held the "Biei Healthy Marathon", which attracts runners from all around Japan.

Economy

Biei has been developed by upload farming and rice farming with agriculture as the core industry, but there are a lot of multiple farming of rice field and vegetables or field and vegetables by crop rotation of paddy fields, and wheat, feed crops, sugarbeets, paddy rice, potatoes, soybeans etc. are produced. Even in the same field, the change of planting every year creates unique rural landscape in the hills described as "patchwork". About 70% of the city area is occupied by forest in the forestry industry, of which about one-third are owned as private forests and many are planted forests. Commercial industry is based on abundant agricultural products and tourism resources. In 2015, Biei's premium brand "Bieitiful" was born, and began to sell selected local specialities.

Location company

・Calbee Potato

・Biei Foods

Union

・Biei Agricultural Cooperative Association (JA Biei)

・Hokkaido Central Agricultural Mutual Aid Association (NOSAI Central Hokkaido) Biei Livestock Clinic

・Biei Forestry Association

・Bieikaramatsu Cooperative Association

・Biei Shirokane Hot Spring Tourism Association

・Biei Facility Management Cooperative Association

Supermarket

・Dohoku Arcs (Arcs Group)

・Super Chain Fuji Biei

・Hokuren Cooperation

・Hokuren Shop Biei

Financial institution

・Hokkaido Bank Biei Branch

・Asahikawa Shinkin Bank Biei Branch

・JA Bank Hokkaido (Hokkaido Credit Agricultural Cooperative Association) JA Biei Honjo

Post office

・Biei Post Office (general post office)

・Ronenai Post Office

・Bibaushi Post Office

Home delivery

・Yamato Transport: Dohoku Main Branch

・Hokkaido Biei Center

・Sagawa Express: Asahikawa Sales Office (Asahikawa City)

Sightseeing/ Leisure

Patchwork road area

In Biei, fields are spread where largely undulating hills　range over and over again, which is called Patchwork hill, which looks like sewn cloths of different colors. It is famous spot of tourism which has many commercial locations because of beauty of the landscape of Taisets Mountains in the distance. In general, the area of Patchwork road refers to the hills area in the west of Biei, and there are a lot of roads running along the hills, such as wide area farm roads.

The reason why the fields look like patchwork is the purpose of preventing repeated cultivation damage which causes the field to lose weight when the same crop is repeatedly cultivation the same field, so potatoes, wheat, legumes, beets, etc. are replanted with different periods and harvest times.

Since foreign tourists visiting Japan was rapidly increasing, littering of garbage and trumping of the fields have never ceasing, and the problem of overtourism has been prolonged. Until now, tourists have been cautioned by various means, but no solution has been reached. Currently, two means "coexistence" and "reporting ", using smartphones is tried.

・Zerubu no Oka / Atomu no Oka

・Ken and Mary Tree

・Geoff Photo Studio Geoff Gallery

・Northwest Hill Observation Park (Tourist Information Center)

・Haruo Kikuchi Photo Gallery

・Shunichi Abe Gallery

・Mild Seven Hills

・Biei Hokuei experience and exchange center "Hokuei Komugi no Oka"

・Seven stars tree

Central area

・Biei Fruits Selection

・Information Center of Shiki

・Road Station Biei "Oka no Kura"

・"Oka no Machi Kouryuukann" bi.yell

・Biei Town Hall, "Shiki no To"

・Biei Folk Museum "Misora"

・Biei Shrine

・Biei Riverbed walking ski course

Bibaushi Panorama Road Area

・Seibinomori Museum

・Five trees

・Shinei no Oka Observatory Park

・Christmas tree's tree

・Sanai no Oka Observatory Park

・Hashidateyama 4 km walking ski course (part of the panoramic road during the snowy season)

・Biei no Oka no Omochayasan

・Chiyoda no Oka Observatory

・Farms Chiyoda

・Shiki no Kouryukan

・Takushinkan

・Shikisai no Oka

・Shinseikan Suda Kokuta / Tatsuzo Shimaoka Museum (Alpine Plants / Rock Garden)

Biei Shirogane Onsen area

・Road Station Biei "Shirogane Birke"

・Blue pond

・Shirogane Fudo no Taki

・Biei Municipal Shirogane Ranch (Shirogane Model Ranch)

・Biei Shizen no Mura Campsite

・National Shirogane Wild Bird Forest

・Shirogane Onsen

・Shirogane Tourist Center

・Shirahige Waterfall

・National Taisetsu Seisyonen Kouryu no Ie

・Biei Shirogane Nordic Course (Cross Country Course, Nature Walking Course)

・National Shirogane Camp

・Tokachidake Volcano Sabo Information Center

・Tokachidake Bodakedai disaster prevention shelter

・Tokachidake Observatory

Famous person

Original person

・Satoru Abiko (cross-country ski ID class player)

・Yuji Onishi (legal scholar)

・Shonosuke Kimura (31st generation) (Gyoji Sumo)

・Sumie Sakurai (former member of the Hakuba Village, Kitaazumi District, Nagano Prefecture)

・Kenta Niki (volleyball player)

・Satoshi Hamada (Mayor of Biei)

A person with a connection

・Go Ito (Photographer)

・Takaaki Enoki (actor / painter)

・Noriyuki Ebina (Product Designer)

・Tatsuzo Shimaoka (Ceramic artist)

・Suda Kokuta (painter)

・Shinzo Maeda (Landscape photographer. Established Takushinkan. Received the Biei　Town Special Achievement Award)

Gallery

• 
  The Patchwork Road
• 
  Tree of "Ken and Merry"
• 
  Tree of a parent and a child
• 
• 
• 
• 
  tree of philosophy

External links

• Media related to Biei, Hokkaidō at Wikimedia Commons
• Biei travel guide from Wikivoyage
• Official Website (in Japanese)

Category:Towns in Hokkaido