Otoineppu, Hokkaido

Demographics

Per Japanese census data, the population of Otoineppu is as shown below. The village is in a long period of sustained population loss.

History

The name "Otoineppu" first appeared in the 1797 "Matsumae Chi Nami Nishi Ezo Chi Meiseiki", where it was written as "Otoekofu".

In 1857, Matsuura Takeshiro visited the Teshio River basin and stayed with an Ainu elder near the current Osashima neighborhood.

The construction of a road north of Asahikawa, which began in 1896, finally reached the current Otoineppu village area in 1904. At this time, post office manager Nagamura Hide (a Hokkaido government official from Ishikawa Prefecture) moved to the area, and this marked the founding of Otoineppu village. The following year, 32 tenant farming families settled in the area. By the start of the Taisho period, about 200 families had settled in various parts of the village. In 1916, the village of was established. The area developed as a hub for railway construction and water transport. It was renamed Otoineppu in 1963. The name of the village was changed due to the fact that center of the village is in the Otoineppu district, and Otoineppu Station was widely known as a terminus on the JR Sōya Main Line and the Tenpoku Line.

Economy

The economy of Otoineppu is based on agriculture and forestry. Buckwheat is the main crop.

Education

The Otoineppu maintains two schools: Otoineppu Elementary School and Otoineppu Junior High School, operated by the village government. The village also maintains a high school, Hokkaido Otoineppu Arts & Craft High School, operated by the Hokkaido Prefectural Board of Education.

Transportation

thumb|right|Otoineppu Station

Railway

frameless|20x20px JR Hokkaido - Sōya Main Line

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Otoineppu is served by the JR Hokkaido Sōya Main Line. The Sōya Main Line is the northernmost train line in Japan, and runs from Asahikawa Station in Asahikawa in north-central Hokkaido to Wakkanai Station in Wakkanai at the very north of the prefecture.

The defunct JNR Tempoku Line once broke off from the Sōya Main Line at Otoineppu Station and ran north to the coast of the Sea of Okhotsk, and again met the Sōya Main Line at Wakkanai Station. The line was discontinued in 1989 and replaced by bus service.