was a town

Towns of Japan

A town is a local administrative unit in Japan. It is a local public body along with prefecture , city , and village...

 located in Yūfutsu District

Yufutsu District, Hokkaido

is a district divided between Iburi and Kamikawa Subprefectures.-Towns and villages:*Iburi**Abira **Atsuma**Mukawa*Kamikawa**Shimukappu-History:...

, Iburi

Iburi Subprefecture

is a subprefecture of Hokkaidō, Japan.- Geography :Located in south-central Hokkaido, Iburi stretches East-West and North-South. Iburi covers an area of . Iburi borders Oshima subprefecture to the West, Shiribeshi, Ishikari, and Sorachi subprefectures to the North, and Hidaka subprefecture to the...

, Hokkaidō

Hokkaido

, formerly known as Ezo, Yezo, Yeso, or Yesso, is Japan's second largest island; it is also the largest and northernmost of Japan's 47 prefectural-level subdivisions. The Tsugaru Strait separates Hokkaido from Honshu, although the two islands are connected by the underwater railway Seikan Tunnel...

, Japan

Japan

Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...

.

On March 27, 2006 Hobetsu was merged into the expanded town of Mukawa

Mukawa, Hokkaido

is a town located in Yūfutsu District, Iburi, Hokkaidō, Japan.On March 27, 2006 the towns of Hobetsu and Mukawa , both from Yūfutsu District merged to create new town of Mukawa...

 (鵡川町 Mukawa-chō).

As of 2004, the town had an estimated population

Population

A population is all the organisms that both belong to the same group or species and live in the same geographical area. The area that is used to define a sexual population is such that inter-breeding is possible between any pair within the area and more probable than cross-breeding with individuals...

 of 3,727 and a density

Population density

Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...

 of 6.82 persons per km². The total area is 546.48 km².

Train service has been discontinued to this town, although it can be accessed via the public bus system. By car, Hobetsu is located approximately 30 to 40 minutes north of Mukawa along Route 74.

Recreation

The town features a dinosaur museum, Earth Experience Hall, and historic home. A small park near the Mukawa River, a small park off the main road, and larger park in the north of the town feature dinosaur sculptures. Public bathrooms can be accessed at all of the town's parks. However, only the bathroom at the park off the main road can be accessed year-round. A local park golf

Park golf

Park golf , a form of golf played in a park, was invented in Makubetsu, Hokkaidō, Japan in 1983. Esthetically, it resembles a sport somewhere between golf and croquet. The competitive object of the game is to hit the ball into a hole with a club in the fewest number of strokes...

 course is another recreational center available to the public.

A town ski hill and speed skating rink are available for use during the Winter season. Both are free of charge.

Farther along Route 74, Hobetsu's northern area, Inasato, features an onsen

Onsen

An is a term for hot springs in the Japanese language, though the term is often used to describe the bathing facilities and inns around the hot springs. As a volcanically active country, Japan has thousands of onsen scattered along its length and breadth...

and seasonal camp ground.

Population

The overall population of the Hobetsu area has faced a decline in recent years. In 1995 the population was 4,114 people, with a total of 1,557 households. In 2000, the population declined to 3,965, while the number of households remained at 1,557. The 2005 population was 3,837, while the number of households increased to 1,656.

Employment

As of 2006, the workforce in the Hobetsu area totaled 1,981 people. The following figures indicate the different types of employment within the overall workforce, and the number of people employed.

Official Business: 135

Real Estate: 2

Service: 522

Circulation of Money & Insurance: 12

Wholesale Trade & Retail: 217

Transportation & Communication: 80

Electricity, Gas, Thermal Supply & Aqueduct: 4

Production: 100

Construction: 302

Mining: 12

Forestry: 112

Farming: 483

Land Usage

The 2006 Handbook does not distinguish between Hobetsu or Mukawa regarding land usage. The areas of Hobetsu (546.48 km²), and Mukawa (166.43 km²) total to 712.91 km². Of this total area, the land usage is divided into the following categories:

Housing Site: 5.39 km²

Wilderness: 9.75 km²

Mixed-breed Area: 9.93 km²

Ranch: 13.64 km²

Fields with Crops: 18.9 km²

Rice Fields: 38.51 km²

Swamp: 0.09 km²

Forest: 517.81 km²

Other: 98.89 km²

Annual Expenditure

As with the proceeding information, the following comes from the Mukawa 2006 Handbook. The following information regarding the 2005, or Heisei 17, town expenditures does not consider Mukawa and Hobetsu separately. Monetary amounts are expressed in the style of the Mukawa Handbook; 億 equals one hundred million, 万 equals ten thousand, and 円 is the symbol for the Japanese Yen.

Hygienic (衛生費): 9億2,530万円 (10.1%)

Intersection Bond (公債費): 16億399万円 (17.6%)

National Welfare (民生費): 16億5,138万円 (18.2%)

General Affairs (総務費): 14億7,607万円 (16.2%)

Engineering Works (土木費): 8億6,944万円 (9.5%)

Education (教育費): 6億8,774万円 (7.6%)

Commercial (商工費): 2億7,896万円 (3.1%)

Agriculture, Forestry & Marine Products (農林水産費): 3億5,302万円 (9.4%)

Fire Fighting (消防費): 5億8,283万円 (6.4%)

National Assembly (議会費): 1億4,210万円 (1.6%)

Others: 1,988万円 (0.3%)

Total: 90億8,891万円