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01226 ／すながわし

Sunagawa City

An old river course, put to new use.

Sunagawa Retarding Basin

01 ／ Street mochi-pounding

Rooted in a travelling mochi-pounding,it is a beloved year-end sight.

Gaito Mochitsuki is the first item on the city's list of designated intangible folk cultural properties. The city records that it traces back to woodworkers from the Awa region (now Tokushima) who came to Sunagawa in December 1899 and began pounding mochi free of charge around town at year's end, thinking of home. The Sunagawa Mochitsuki Preservation Society keeps it.

City-designated intangible folk property No. 1
Traces back to December 1899
Kept by the Sunagawa Mochitsuki Preservation Society

02 ／ Place name

The city writes that Sunagawa is a freerendering of the Ainu Ota-ushi-nai.

The city records that the name Sunagawa is a free rendering of the Ainu Ota-ushi-nai, with ota meaning sand, ushi meaning many and nai meaning river. Upstream runs the Penke-Otaushinai River, which rises in Utashinai, and downstream the Panke-Otaushinai River flows through the middle of town; the name is thought to come from the place name Otaushinai.

Ota is sand, ushi is many, nai is river
Penke and Panke Otaushinai Rivers
Land cradled by the Ishikari and Sorachi Rivers

03 ／ Snow-melting channel

Part of National Route 12 got a snow channel,bringing comfortable winters.

The city's history, Sunagawa no Kiseki, records that in 1982 a snow-melting channel was installed along part of National Route 12, achieving a comfortable life through the winter. The city's chronology notes that part was completed along the route in 1982 and the whole in 1984.

Partly completed in 1982
Fully completed in 1984
Along National Route 12

Sunagawa City 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 May–June 2007)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

Sapporo to Sunagawa Station, about 50 min by limited express.

about 20,000 people

The city's access page says it takes about 50 minutes by limited express JR train from Sapporo and about 40 minutes from Asahikawa (no date shown; checked October 2026). The gateway is Sunagawa Station.

People living here: 16,486people
Area: 78.68km²
Households: 7,599households
Rent (average for rentals): 34,125yen
Healthcare: 2 hospitals ／ 7 clinics

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

Children waiting for childcare: —3 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 6 municipalities.

Sunagawa City in Japan43.495°N 141.904°E

Territory of Sunagawa City

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

12.7km

Shintotsukawa Town, Takikawa City, Kamisunagawa Town, Utashinai City, Naie Town, Akabira City

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

Sunagawa City isthis kind of town.

01The Sunagawa Retarding Basin, known as Sunagawa Oasis Park, was completed in 1995 as a river facility reusing the old riverbed left by a straightening of the Ishikari River. The city's Sunagawa district riverside project was chosen for the FY2025 Kawamachi Award
02Gaito Mochitsuki is the city's first designated intangible folk cultural property and traces back to a travelling mochi-pounding by woodworkers from Awa in 1899. The city writes that the name Sunagawa is a free rendering of the Ainu Ota-ushi-nai
03A snow-melting channel along part of National Route 12 was completed in 1982 and in full in 1984. In 1984 the city was designated Hokkaido's first Amenity Town by the Environment Agency

If something caught your eye, ask the town itself.

Sunagawa City official site ↗Wikipedia ↗

From this town's themes