Article

01637 ／めむろちょう

Hokkaido 河西郡

Memuro Town

The charter's preamble names a river.

Bisei River, town charter

Photo by Highten31 (CC BY-SA 3.0)

01 ／ Gateball

For children with few toys after the war,gateball was devised in Memuro in 1947.

The town says Eiji Suzuki (later Kazunobu) devised gateball in 1947, taking a hint from the European sport of croquet. After the postwar turmoil, he wanted a simple, healthy game for children with few toys. The Health Plaza holds his bust and materials, including the sticks he used.

Devised in 1947
Eiji Suzuki (later Kazunobu)
Bust and archive at the Health Plaza

02 ／ Oak trees

Every year, town staff examine145 oaks with trunks over 30 cm thick.

A town council document (fiscal 2022) describes the oak trees of Memuro Park as a town-designated natural monument. Staff examine the 145 oaks with trunks of 30 cm or more every year. Three seedlings, cultured from branches of the hollowed parent tree that was cut down, were planted in 2006.

145 oaks, trunks 30 cm or more
Examined by staff every year
3 seedlings planted in 2006

03 ／ Iris garden

Next to Memuro Park, an iris gardenblooms in early summer.

The tourism association says 440 varieties and about 10,000 plants of Japanese iris (as of June 2024) bloom on about 2.1 hectares next to Memuro Park. The best time is late June to mid-July, and entry is free. It was certified as a Memuro heritage site in March 2006.

About 2.1 hectares
440 varieties, about 10,000 plants (June 2024)
Free entry

Memuro 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 June–August 2016)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

A town about 42% farmland and 49% forest.

about 20,000 people
Rural district town

The town says it measures 22.6 km east to west and 35.4 km north to south, with about 42% farmland and 49% forest. Among the Memuro heritage sites chosen by residents is the Line 10 windbreak, which the tourism association says boasts the longest length in Japan. The town gives the JR ride from Obihiro as about 20 minutes by local train.

People living here: 18,048people
Area: 513.76km²
Households: 7,257households
Rent (average for rentals): 34,009yen
Healthcare: 1 hospital ／ 5 clinics

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

Children waiting for childcare: —6 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.

Shape

Borders 5 municipalities.

Memuro Town in Japan42.912°N 143.051°E

Territory of Memuro 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

34.7km

Obihiro City, Shimizu Town, Hidaka Town, Otofuke Town, Shikaoi Town

Travel times per leg are not published by the municipality, so they are not shown.

Memuro Town isthis kind of town.

01The town lists the Bisei River, with the Tokachi and Memuro rivers, among the rivers that watered Memuro's land, and a Ministry of Agriculture list records it as a first-class river of the Tokachi River system. The preamble of the town charter, set in 1969, says the people are "nurtured by the clear flow of the Bisei"
02The town says gateball was devised in Memuro Town in 1947 by Eiji Suzuki. The oaks of Memuro Park are a town-designated natural monument, and staff examine the 145 with trunks of 30 cm or more every year
03The iris garden lies next to Memuro Park and, the tourism association says, holds 440 varieties and about 10,000 plants. About 42% of the town is farmland and 49% forest. The gateway is Memuro Station on the JR Nemuro Main Line

See the town as it is now.

Facebookmemurotown ↗

Source: Wikidata (P2002, P2003, P2013, P2397)

If something caught your eye, ask the town itself.

Memuro Town official site ↗Wikipedia ↗

From this town's themes