Ōma, Aomori

Ōma
大間町
Town
Sunrise in Ōma

Flag
Seal
]
Location of Ōma in Aomori Prefecture]
Ōma
 
Coordinates: 41°31′36.3″N 140°54′26.4″E / 41.526750°N 140.907333°E / 41.526750; 140.907333Coordinates: 41°31′36.3″N 140°54′26.4″E / 41.526750°N 140.907333°E / 41.526750; 140.907333
Country Japan
Region Tōhoku
Prefecture Aomori
District Shimokita
Area
 • Total 52.06 km2 (20.10 sq mi)
Population (February 28, 2017)
 • Total 5,521
 • Density 98.3/km2 (255/sq mi)
Time zone UTC+9 (Japan Standard Time)
City symbols  
- Tree Japanese black pine
- Flower Rosa rugosa
- Bird Common gull
Phone number 0175-37-2111
Address 104 Ōma, Ōma-machi, Shimokita-gun, Aomori 039-4692
Website http://www.town.ooma.lg.jp/
Ōma town hall
The most northerly point of Honshū

Ōma (大間町, Ōma-machi) is a town located in Aomori, Japan. As of 28 February 2017, the town had an estimated population of 5,581, and a population density of 107.2 persons per km2, in 2542 households.[1] The total area of the town is 52.06 square kilometres (20.10 sq mi).[2]

Geography

Ōma occupies the northwestern coastline of Shimokita Peninsula, facing the Tsugaru Strait. Cape Ōmazaki (大間崎) is the northernmost point on the island of Honshū. The town has a climate characterized by cool short summers and long cold winters with strong winds (Köppen climate classification Cfa). The average annual temperature in Ōma is 9.5 °C. The average annual rainfall is 1205 mm with September as the wettest month.The temperatures are highest on average in August, at around 22.3 °C, and lowest in January, at around -1.8 °C.[3]

Much of the town is within the limits of the Shimokita Hanto Quasi-National Park. In the year 2002, the Ministry of the Environment classified some tidal flats of the Ōma shoreline to be one of the 500 Important Wetlands in Japan particularly for its biodiversity of marine flora, especially several varieties of kelp[4]

Neighbouring municipalities

Demographics

Per Japanese census data,[5] the population of Ōma has declined over the past 40 years.

Census Year Population
1970 7,673
1980 7,624
1990 7,125
2000 6,566
2010 6,340

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 post-Meiji restoration 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.[6]

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.[7]

Education

Ōma has two public elementary schools and two public middle schools operated by the town government, and one public high school operated by the Aomori Prefectural Board of Education.

Transportation

Railway

  • The town has no passenger railway service.

Highway

Local attractions

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

Sister cities

In Japan

Overseas

Noted people from Ōma

References

  1. ↑ Official home page
  2. ↑ "詳細データ 青森県大間町". 市町村の姿 グラフと統計でみる農林水産業 (in Japanese). Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries. 2016. Retrieved 13 July 2017.
  3. ↑ Ōma climate data
  4. ↑ "500 Important Wetlands in Japan". No. 62 Nearshore Waters of Oma-zaki in Shimokita-hanto. The Ministry of the Environment, Japan. 2002. Retrieved 4 March 2017.
  5. ↑ Ōma population statistics
  6. ↑ Fackler, Martin (September 19, 2009). "Tuna Town in Japan Sees Falloff of Its Fish". New York Times. Retrieved 22 November 2015.
  7. ↑ Watanabe, Chisaki, and Stuart Biggs, Bloomberg L.P., "Rejecting ¥160 million, nuke holdout left with reactor view", Japan Times, 15 July 2011, p. 3.
  8. ↑ "International Exchange". List of Affiliation Partners within Prefectures. Council of Local Authorities for International Relations (CLAIR). Retrieved 21 November 2015.

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