Article

01370 ／いまかねちょう

Hokkaido 瀬棚郡

Imakane Town

A river with 23 fish species recorded.

Shiribeshi-Toshibetsu River

Photo by Highten31 (CC BY-SA 3.0)

01 ／ Pirika Site

From a Paleolithic site,seven beads 4 to 9 mm wide.

The Pirika Site, a national historic site in the upper Shiribeshi-Toshibetsu River basin, yielded about 110,000 stone tools in total. The Agency for Cultural Affairs also notes the oldest beads in Japan, thought to have been brought from Northeast Asia. The 163 finds are a national important cultural property.

National historic site (designated 1994)
110,000 stone tools in total
Seven beads, 4 to 9 mm

02 ／ Former Imakane Station

On the site of a Setana Line station,a windmill-shaped building stands.

The town's pamphlet says De Moolen, a windmill-shaped building, was built as the town's symbol on the site of the former JNR Imakane Station. The JNR Setana Line closed in 1987, and a town document lists the central green park, where track is preserved, among related remains.

Windmill-shaped De Moolen
Site of former JNR Imakane Station
Track preserved in the central green park

03 ／ Pirika sea cow

A sea cow fossil about 1.2 million years oldwas found 120 m above sea level.

The Pirika sea cow fossil was found by chance during construction of Pirika Dam. A town document describes it as about 1.2 million years old, 8 m long and among the largest sea cow fossils in the world. The find spot is now 120 m above sea level.

Town natural monument (33 bone fossils)
About 1.2 million years old
Find spot now 120 m above sea level

Imakane Town from the sky

Now and 1974–78. Tap a photo to zoom in.

Now1974–78

Wide (about 6 km across)

Close (about 1.5 km across)

Now (shot July–October 2022)Shot 1974–78

Source: Geospatial Information Authority of Japan (GSI) GSI Tiles（全国最新写真（シームレス）／国土画像情報（第一期：1974〜1978年撮影））

Open in GSI Maps (now)Open in GSI Maps (1974–78)

Living here

47 minutes by local bus from Kunnui.

about 5,000 people
Rural district town

The town has no railway station. Hakodate Bus Route 721 takes 47 minutes from the Kunnui stop, near JR Kunnui Station, to Imakane Town Office, by the fastest daily service (timetable revised October 20, 2026).

People living here: 5,072people
Area: 568.25km²
Households: 2,192households
Rent (average for rentals): —
Healthcare: 1 hospital ／ 4 clinics

Area and habitable land at the same scalee-Stat B1101 / B1103

Children waiting for childcare: —1 nurseries and similar
Home purchase subsidy: —
Average annual temperature: —

These 3 items are waiting on a nationwide data source. We do not fill them with estimates.

ACCESS

Where you can go from here.

Imakane Town in Japan42.429°N 140.009°E

to KunnuiLocal bus47min

Travel times follow 函館バス 721系統・731系統・310系統の停留所時刻表（map.hakobus.co.jp/sec/timetable/20261020/・令和8年10月20日改正。11月9日改正の版も同じ）と、町公式『今金へのアクセス』 (checked 2026-10-29). They vary by time of day.

Shape

Borders 4 municipalities.

Territory of Imakane Town

Boundaries: National Land Numerical Information (Administrative Area Data), MLIT. Processed by Machigatari.Lakes: National Land Numerical Information (Lake Data), MLIT. Processed by Machigatari. Prepared with the approval of the Director-General of the Geospatial Information Authority of Japan, using its Digital Map 25000 (Spatial Data Framework) and Digital Map 25000 (Place Names and Public Facilities). (承認番号平27情使、第585号)

North to south

38.4km

Setana Town, Oshamambe Town, Yakumo Town, Shimamaki Village

Imakane Town isthis kind of town.

01The Shiribeshi-Toshibetsu River flows through Imakane Town; the town's website says 23 fish species in 10 families have been recorded and introduces it as once ranked Japan's cleanest river in water-quality surveys
02The Pirika Site is a national historic site with about 110,000 stone tools in total and seven beads of 4 to 9 mm. A windmill-shaped building, De Moolen, stands on the site of the former Imakane Station
03The Pirika sea cow fossil, about 1.2 million years old, is a town natural monument. Imakane is 47 minutes by local bus from Kunnui

If something caught your eye, ask the town itself.

Imakane Town official site ↗Wikipedia ↗

From this town's themes