Taiki, Hokkaido

Taiki (大樹町) is a town located in Tokachi Subprefecture, Hokkaido, Japan.



Etymology
The name of the town comes from the Ainu word for "place where many trees grow."

History
Japanese prospectors began searching for gold in Taiki in the 1630s. Tadataka Ino surveyed the surrounding area in 1800, and Takeshiro Matsuura led an exploratory expedition in 1858.

Taiki was initially organized as a county within the newly-created prefecture of Hokkaido in August 1869. Taiki Village was created in October 1928 and elevated to town status in April 1951.

Railway service to Taiki began in 1930 and continued until 1987.

Geography
Taiki has a total area of 815.67 km²; its highest point is 1,794m above sea level. The town is located between the Hidaka Mountains to the west and the Pacific Ocean to the east, with the Rekifune River passing through the town center.

Mascot
Taiki's mascot is Cospy (コスピー). She is a bright and gentle cosmos flower fairy. She usually ends her sentences with "pi" (ぴ). Her dream is to join JAXA. Her birthday is October 1.

Demographics
As of the 2020 census, the town had a population of 5,420, a decline of 318 from the previous census in 2015. The total number of households grew from 2,534 to 2,593 over the same time period.

Economy
The Taiki economy has historically been driven by agriculture, forestry, and fishing.

Taiki is a dairy hub for the Tokachi region, and Megmilk Snow Brand operates a large dairy plant in Taiki.

The town hosts the rocket launch site for Interstellar Technologies, the Taiki Aerospace Research Field (Hokkaido Spaceport), which is a JAXA facility.

Bansei Onsen, a natural hot spring bath facility, operates on the Pacific coast of Taiki.

Infrastructure
Taiki's main transport connections are the Obihiro-Hiroo Expressway, which as of 2023 terminates in Taiki, Japan National Route 336 to Kushiro and Hiroo, and Japan National Route 236 to Obihiro and Urakawa. The closest airport is Tokachi-Obihiro Airport.

Taiki Station was a stop on the JNR Hiroo Line between Obihiro and Hiroo until the closure of the line in 1987. The town currently has no rail service. Tokachi Bus provides bus service to Obihiro and Hiroo.

The Japan Ground Self-Defense Force operates a training facility in Taiki.

Education
Taiki is home to the prefectural Taiki Senior High School, and the town-run Taiki Junior High School and Taiki Elementary School.

Notable people

 * Takafumi Horie, internet entrepreneur, relocated to Taiki in 2015.
 * Momoka Horikawa, Olympic speed skater
 * Teruhiro Sugimori, Olympic speed skater