01394 ／ らんこしちょう
Hokkaido 磯谷郡A pond with a geyser until mid-Taisho.
Oyunuma, Niseko Yumoto01 ／ Shell museum
The town's shell museum holds 30,000 shells donated by some 500-odd municipalities and individuals nationwide, with 1,500 species and 5,000 shells always on show. The town says it was particular about its 4 km of coastline, and a giant clam shell weighing 194 kg is among the displays.
02 ／ Town name
The town explains that Rankoshi is a corruption of the Ainu Ranko-ushi, meaning a place of many katsura trees. Minami-Shiribetsu Village split from Shiribetsu Village in 1899. When it became a town in 1954, it was renamed Rankoshi. The town emblem combines an orchid flower with four katakana ko characters.
03 ／ Shiribetsu River
The town calls the Shiribetsu River the largest river in southern Hokkaido. It runs through the middle of Rankoshi for about 30 km from east to west and flows into the Sea of Japan, the town says. The flat land spread along it is fertile and suited to paddy fields.
Now and 1974–78. Tap a photo to zoom in.
Wide (about 6 km across)
Close (about 1.5 km across)
Now (shot May–September 2025)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））
Living here
The town's access page says it is 3 hours on the JR Hakodate Main Line from both Sapporo and Hakodate (checked October 2026). The town's stations on the line are Konbu, Mena and Rankoshi, and the gateway is Rankoshi Station.
−5.7% since 2015
6,450 → 4,568
94.78km² of it habitable
2024
2.2 people per household
2020
8.8 per 10,000 people
2023
These 3 items are waiting on a nationwide data source. We do not fill them with estimates.
Shape
North to south
30.9km
Travel times per leg are not published by the municipality, so they are not shown.
If something caught your eye, ask the town itself.
From this town's themes
Similar towns
A river also named “southwest wind.”
Rekifune RiverIt snows, Hot springs, By the sea
The river here is named for three seeds.
Mitane River, origin of the nameIt snows, Hot springs, By the sea
A Sumida River guest house, moved home.
Zoshunkaku, Okura's villaIt snows, Hot springs, By the sea
