is 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 Tokoro District

Tokoro District, Hokkaido

is a district located in Okhotsk Subprefecture, Hokkaido, Japan.As of 2005, the district has an estimated population of 16,291 and a population density of 15 persons per km²...

, Okhotsk Subprefecture

Okhotsk Subprefecture

is a subprefecture of Hokkaido, Japan. It was renamed from the earlier Abashiri Subprefecture on April 1, 2010. Abashiri Subprefecture was established in 1897.-Naming:Abashiri Prefecture was named after the subprefectural office in Abashiri...

, Hokkaido

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.

As of 2008, the town has 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 3,527 and a population 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 7.27 persons per km². The total area is 527.54 km².

Oketo was originally a logging community, and is currently involved in farming as well. Popular crops include potatoes, white flower beans and beets. Dairy farming and cattle farming are also practiced. Oketo was the tug-of-war champion of Japan for a number of years in the 1960s. That tradition of showing strength continues today in the Ningen Banba festival which is held in July every year. During the Ningen Bamba, teams of 5 or 7 men pull sleds of logs over man-made hills to the finished line.

As of April 2009, there are two elementary schools in Oketo: Oketo Elementary School, which covers the areas of Oketo, Sakaino, and Akita, and Katsuyama Elementary School. Oketo Junior High School is the only junior high school in town. There is also a prefectural high school located in Oketo, Oketo High School, which offers a social welfare course of study.

Oketo is well known in Japan for its wood crafts, called Oke-Craft. The majority of these crafts are household objects such as plates and bowls. They are usually made from a local white pine.

External links