Akaigawa, village in Yoichi district, Hokkaidō, Japan
Akaigawa is a village in the Yoichi district of Hokkaido, located inside an old volcano caldera about 60 kilometers from Sapporo. Mountain forests cover most of the area, with farmland stretching toward the caldera basin to the northwest, where the volcanic soil supports agriculture and dairy farming.
The village developed around a volcano that was once active but has not erupted for a very long time, now serving as a landmark with many local stories attached to it. The Ainu people were the original inhabitants of this area, and their language and heritage remain present in the region today.
The name Akaigawa comes from the Ainu language, meaning 'red river,' named after the river that flows through the village and gets its color from volcanic soil. Ainu traditions and local festivals remain part of everyday life here, keeping these customs alive for visitors to experience.
The village has only a few shops and accommodations, so visitors should arrive prepared with supplies and stay in local guesthouses. Roads are often simple and can be snow-covered depending on the season, especially during winter months.
The village sits inside an inactive volcano crater and is crossed by red-colored rivers fed by volcanic soil, which is a rare settlement location in Japan. This geological feature draws visitors interested in how human life adapts to such unusual landscapes.
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