Ōma, Aomori

Ōma 大間町
—  Town  —
Sunrise in Ōma
Location of Ōma in Aomori
Ōma
Coordinates: 41°31′N 140°54′E / 41.517°N 140.9°E / 41.517; 140.9Coordinates: 41°31′N 140°54′E / 41.517°N 140.9°E / 41.517; 140.9
Country	Japan
Region	Tōhoku
Prefecture	Aomori
District	Shimokita
Area
– Total	52.06 km2 (20.1 sq mi)
Population (September 2009)
– Total	5,950
– Density	114/km2 (295.3/sq mi)
Time zone	Japan Standard Time (UTC+9)
City symbols
- Tree	Japanese black pine
- Flower	Rosa rugosa
- Bird	Common Gull
Phone number	0175-37-2111
Address	Ōma 104 039-4692
Website	Ōma Town

The most northerly point of Honshū

Ōma (大間町, Ōma-machi^?) is a town located in northeastern Aomori in Tōhoku region of Japan. As of 2009, the town had an estimated population of 5,950 and a density of 114 persons per km². Its total area was 52.06 km².

Geography

Ōma occupies the northwestern coastline of Shimokita Peninsula, facing the Tsugaru Strait. The town has a cold maritime climate characterized by cool short summers and long cold winters with strong winds. Much of the village is within the limits of the Shimokita Hanto Quasi-National Park. Ōmazaki (大間崎^?) cape is the northernmost point on Honshū island.

Neighbouring municipalities

• Mutsu
• Sai
• Kazamaura

History

The area around Ōma was inhabited by the Emishi people until the historical period. During the Edo period, it was controlled by the Nambu clan of Morioka Domain. During the cadastral reform of 1889, Ōoku Village was proclaimed from the merger of Ōma hamlet with neighboring Okudo hamlet. It was renamed Ōma Town on November 3, 1942. Ōma has been a popular location setting for movies and television dramas. It was the setting for the 1983 movie Gyōei no mure (魚影の群れ^?) starring Ken Ogata. In 2000, Ōma was the setting for an NHK television series Watashi no Aoi Sora (私の青空^?) starring Tabata Tomoko. This was followed by another fictional series Maguro (マグロ^?) on TV Asahi starring Tetsuya Watari in 2007.

Economy

The economy of Ōma was traditionally heavily dependent on commercial fishing. The town was famous for its tuna, which was caught in the traditional manner by hand in two-person boats, and sold under the “Ōma” registered trademark. Other seafood products include sea urchin roe, konbu and squid.^[1] The town is also the site of a nuclear power plant, the Ōma Nuclear Power Plant, which will be unique in its use of MOX fuel when it comes on line.^[2]

Transportation

Highway

• Route 279 (Japan)
• Route 338 (Japan)

Tourist attractions

• Ōmazaki, northernmost point of Honshū
• Ōmazaki Lighthouse, one of the “50 Lighthouses of Japan”
• Ōma Onsen, hot spring resort
• Akaishi Beach

Sister cities

In Japan

• Hakodate, Hokkaidō

Overseas

• Huwei, Yunlin, Taiwan

Noted people from Ōma

• Hiroshi Izumi – silver medalist in Judo during 2004 Summer Olympics

References

1. ^ [1]
2. ^ Watanabe, Chisaki, and Stuart Biggs, Bloomberg L.P., "Rejecting ¥160 million, nuke holdout left with reactor view", Japan Times, 15 July 2011, p. 3.

External links

• (Japanese) Oma official website
• (Japanese) Oma Chamber of Commerce