Kamisunagawa (上砂川町, Kamisunagawa-chō) is a town located in Sorachi Subprefecture, Hokkaido, Japan.

As of 1 October 2020, the town has an estimated population of 3,278. The total area is 39.91 km2. There is a microgravity test facility located in Kamisunagawa used for astronomic purposes.

Since 1980, Kamisunagawa has been the sister city of Sparwood in British Columbia, Canada.[1]

History

  • 1949 – Kamisunagawa Town split off from the towns of Sunagawa and Utashinai (partial).
  • 2009 – Kamisunagawa Town, more specifically its microgravity test facility, becomes the namesake of a crater on 25143 Itokawa, an asteroid visited by Japanese uncrewed spacecraft Hayabusa.

Culture

Mascot

Himawari Saki-chan, the town's mascot

Kamisunagawa's mascot is Shi-tan (し～たん). He is a shiitake mushroom. His name is unknown but his name come the either "shiitake town", "see town" or "town of shiitake and coal".[2]

Notable people from Kamisunagawa

References

  1. ^ "Sister City | District of Sparwood". District of Sparwood. Retrieved 2018-08-31.
  2. ^ "し～たんのプロフィール（上砂川町）". Kawaii Hokkaido.

External links