Kamisunagawa, Hokkaido

Kamisunagawa (上砂川町) is a town located in Sorachi Subprefecture, Hokkaido, Japan.

As of 1 October 2020, the town has an estimated population of 3,278. The total area is 39.91 km2. There is a microgravity test facility located in Kamisunagawa used for astronomic purposes.

Since 1980, Kamisunagawa has been the sister city of Sparwood in British Columbia, Canada.

History

 * 1949 – Kamisunagawa Town split off from the towns of Sunagawa and Utashinai (partial).
 * 2009 – Kamisunagawa Town, more specifically its microgravity test facility, becomes the namesake of a crater on 25143 Itokawa, an asteroid visited by Japanese uncrewed spacecraft Hayabusa.

Mascot
Kamisunagawa's mascot is Shi-tan (し～たん). He is a shiitake mushroom. His name is unknown but his name come the either "shiitake town", "see town" or "town of shiitake and coal".

Notable people from Kamisunagawa

 * Junichi Watanabe, writer
 * Ryoko Yamagishi, manga artist
 * Ikuro Takahashi, drummer