Hokkaido Places

Town Kamikawa Subprefecture

Kenbuchi 剣淵町

けんぶちちょう

Kenbuchi is a farming town of about 2,650 people in the Nayoro Basin, roughly 50 km north of Asahikawa.12 Tondenhei farmer-soldiers from the system's last intake settled here in 1899.3 Since 1988 it has called itself the "Picture Book Village" (絵本の里けんぶち). Its picture-book museum runs a national award chosen only by visitors' votes.45 The town also has alpacas grazing an old ski slope, quinoa fields, and a winter test course where Mazda trials its cars.678

Population (2020 Census)
2,926
Area
130.99 km²
District
Kamikawa District (上川郡)
Official website
www.town.kembuchi.hokkaido.jp

Known for

  • "Picture Book Village" (絵本の里けんぶち): A town-building movement started by young residents in 1988.4 Its base, the Kenbuchi Picture Book Museum (剣淵町絵本の館), holds about 40,000 picture books.17 Every August and September, visitors vote for the Kenbuchi Picture Book Village Award (けんぶち絵本の里大賞), held since 1991.516
  • The last tondenhei: 337 tondenhei households arrived in 1899, the last settlers under the farmer-soldier system.3 Their story is told at the Kenbuchi Town Museum and in a preserved tondenhei house.3
  • Farming: In 2020, 40.8% of workers were in primary industry.14 The main crops by area are soybeans, wheat, rice and buckwheat.7 Farm output was an estimated ¥3.89 billion in 2024.18 Local groups have grown organic and low-pesticide crops since 1990.414
  • Alpacas and Peru: Viva Alpaca Farm (ビバアルパカ牧場) opened in 2009 on a former ski slope.6 Links with Peru led to a sister-city tie with Tarma and to quinoa growing.14
  • Mazda's winter proving ground: For about four decades, Mazda has tested cars in winter on local roads that are closed to traffic for the season. Temperatures there often fall below −25 °C.8
  • Michi-no-Eki Ehon-no-Sato Kenbuchi: About 40 kinds of bread are baked there every morning, and the station has a farm stand and a free dog run.1920
  • The film Jinjin (じんじん, 2013): Actor Daichi Yasuo (大地康雄) conceived the film after visiting the museum. It was shot in Kenbuchi in 2012.4
  • Lake Sakuraoka: The lake has an onsen hotel, a lakeside campground, and wakasagi (smelt) ice fishing in winter.2122

Sights & activities

Nature & scenery

  • Sakuraoka Park and Lake Sakuraoka (桜岡公園・桜岡湖), Higashimachi: The town's outdoor hub.3029
    • A walking path of about 4 km circles the lake.
    • Canoeing in summer and ice fishing in winter.
    • The park also has a water playground and a multi-purpose field.
  • Pioneer Memorial Tree (開拓記念木ヤチダモ): A Manchurian ash thought to be more than 650 years old. The settlers found it already towering over the land in 1899.142
    • It became a town cultural property on 1 September 1956 and was named one of Hokkaido's 100 notable trees in 1968.2
    • It was treated in FY1999 to keep it healthy, and successor trees are being raised.14
  • Other viewpoints: The grass "heart" on the alpaca farm's slope is mowed every summer and trampled into the snow every winter.47 The town's tourist facilities also include a viewing hill (眺望の丘).14

Onsen

  • Kenbuchi Onsen Lakeside Sakuraoka (剣淵温泉レークサイド桜岡), Higashimachi 5141:5354
    • Spring: a weakly alkaline simple spring, 25 °C at the source, pH 7.8.
    • Baths: two tubs, a cold plunge and a sauna, with windows onto a Japanese garden.27
    • Day bathing: adults ¥600, children ¥300. Open 10:00–21:00 (last entry 20:00); on Fridays, 17:00–21:00 only.
    • Rooms: 28, including a step-free barrier-free room. There is also a karaoke lounge called "Viva Karasu".
    • The bath closed briefly after a pipe burst on 22 September 2026 and reopened at 17:00 on 23 September.55

Museums & heritage

  • Kenbuchi Picture Book Museum (剣淵町絵本の館), Midorimachi 15-3:
    • Access: 10 minutes' walk from JR Kenbuchi Station.56
    • Hours and fees: 10:00–17:00. Closed Wednesdays and over New Year; in August 2026 it opened every day. Free entry; some special exhibitions charge.5746
    • Building: an oval, single-story ring about 90 m around, entered in socks, with underfloor heating.4
    • Books: about 40,000 picture books and about 30,000 general books.17
    • Children's areas: the "egg room" holds a wooden sandbox of about 100,000 wooden balls.17
    • Exhibitions: Hall A (about 200 m²) and Hall B (about 100 m²).17
    • Café Rakugaki (喫茶らくがき) serves snacks and juice made with Kenbuchi vegetables.17
  • Kenbuchi Town Museum (剣淵町資料館), Midorimachi 15-4, next to the Picture Book Museum:3
    • Built in 1977. It shows bell stones (鈴石) and fossils, pioneer farm tools and household goods, and old documents.
    • Tondenhei items include issued equipment, soldiers' handbooks and settler rosters.
    • Beside it stands the preserved Kenbuchi tondenhei house (剣淵屯田兵屋), a town tangible cultural property built entirely of wood.
    • Admission: adults ¥100, free for high-school students and younger.
  • Other cultural properties: The former tondenhei shooting range (元屯田兵射的場) is a designated historic site. Three local fish forms (緋鮒・銀鮒・鉄魚, red and silver crucian carp and "tetsugyo") are designated natural monuments.149

Outdoor & seasonal activities

  • Viva Alpaca Farm (ビバアルパカ牧場), Higashimachi 3733, on the former Viva Karasu ski slope:
    • Hours: 10:00–16:00, open every day.
    • Admission: adults ¥800, children ¥400, infants free.47 The town's tourism page still lists ¥700 and ¥300.27
    • Activities: airboarding in winter, drives to the summit, fleece workshops, and a summit café called "Otona no Himitsu Kichi".47
    • River trips on the Kenbuchi River need booking. They restarted in 2026 after about three years.47
    • Access: 15 km north of Wassamu IC on Route 40, then 500 m from the signposted junction.58
  • Ehon-no-Sato Family Travel Village campground (絵本の里家族旅行村キャンプ場), Higashimachi 5173 in Sakuraoka Park:22
    • Season: early May to 31 October.
    • Sites: 19 car sites overlooking the lake, plus free tent sites. Car sites must be booked through Lakeside Sakuraoka (0165-34-3100).
    • Check-in 13:00, check-out 11:00. Pets are allowed.
    • Facilities: coin laundry, a dog run, and Wi-Fi near the office.
    • The park-golf courses (hilltop and lakeside) are currently closed.
  • Cycling: The Gurutto Ride takes place every June.44 Free rental bicycles are available.14

Food experiences

  • At the Michi-no-Eki: fresh bread and Indian curry (see below).1959
  • At the Picture Book Museum: vegetable dishes at Café Rakugaki.17
  • Seasonal events: anko sweets in autumn,48 and quinoa dishes on 23 September at the alpaca farm.47

Roadside stations (Michi-no-Eki)

Ehon-no-Sato Kenbuchi (道の駅絵本の里けんぶち)

  • Location:
    • Address: Higashimachi 2420, Kenbuchi, beside National Route 40, about 50 km north of Asahikawa.6029
    • It serves as the gateway to the town.60 The Picture Book Museum is 5 minutes away by car.29
    • Coming from Sapporo or Asahikawa, leave the expressway at Wassamu IC and head north on Route 40.60
    • The reservation-only Kōsoku Nayoro-gō bus from Sapporo stops here.61
  • Hours:
    • 9:00–17:00 from May to September and 9:00–16:00 from October to April. Closed only over New Year. Toilets are open 24 hours.6229
    • In 2026 the 17:00 closing began in April.63 In autumn 2025 the station closed at 16:30 in November before switching to 16:00 from 1 December.6465
    • (As of September 2026 — check before visiting.)
  • Shops & products:
    • Souvenir corner:38
      • Kenbuchi quinoa (20 g, 80 g and 1 kg)
      • Fukuyūkai miso and pickles
      • Tonden sanshoku-men and organic vegetable noodles
      • Gotō smoked chicken
      • handmade tableware from Nishihara Gakuen
      • drinks and snacks for the road
    • Other goods: picture books and picture-book goods,20 tableware with the station logo,29 and Ezo deer jerky for dogs.66
    • Farm stand: Kenbuchi farmers stock it early each morning. It is in the annex in summer and inside the main building in winter.39
      • spring: flower seedlings and asparagus
      • summer: many kinds of tomato, cucumbers and sweet corn
      • autumn: potatoes of many varieties, pumpkins (including decorative ones) and new rice
      • winter: snow-stored cabbage
      • all year: flowers from Kenbuchi High School and several kinds of Kenbuchi rice, including Yumepirika
    • Morning-picked Kenbuchi strawberries appeared in April 2026.67
  • Food:
    • Bakery Pan Kōbō Muunya (パン工房ムーニャ):6819
      • About 40 kinds of bread, baked daily from early morning in a glass-walled kitchen. Average price about ¥140.
      • Favorites: butter melon-pan (the top seller), apple bread, baked curry bread, and doughnuts filled with smooth bean paste.
    • SANDI NIVAS VADAKKU:6959
      • An Indian curry restaurant, a Kenbuchi branch of a popular café in Naganuma.
      • It opened on 28 April 2025, replacing Restaurant Muunya, which had been closed since 2024. The station's notices also spell the name "SHANDI NIVAS VADAKKU".
      • Example: a two-curry set of chicken masala and shrimp-and-coconut curry.
    • Takeout corner:
      • Kenbuchi vegetable juice and croquettes made with Hokkaido pumpkin and potato.20
      • Shiso-flavored soft-serve and sandwiches made with locally processed chicken, according to the Hokkaido Michi-no-Eki site.29
      • "A2A2" ice cream, promoted as easy on the stomach.29
      • Fries from Kenbuchi "Red Moon" potatoes, ¥200.40
  • Facilities:
    • Parking: 12 large and 42 standard spaces.29
    • Toilets, open 24 hours: men's with 4 stalls and 6 urinals, women's with 8 stalls, plus an accessible toilet with an ostomate fitting and baby seat, and warm-water bidet seats.20
    • Nursing room and diaper-changing table.29
    • EV charging: one quick charger and one disaster-use charger, available 24 hours. Users must register with the Eco-Q-Den (エコQ電) service.20
    • Free Wi-Fi.20
    • For children: a picture-book corner, a wooden ball pool, a wooden sandbox, and a park with fruit trees and a jungle gym.2029
    • Dog run "Muunya Park" (ムーニャパーク), free.19 Dogs need vaccinations within the past year.66 The 2026 season was scheduled to open on 25 April.62
    • Outdoor event space.20
    • Credit cards and other cashless payments accepted.29
    • An information and stamp corner with pamphlets.20
  • Notes:
    • It was Hokkaido's 93rd Michi-no-Eki, registered on 10 August 2006 (registration no. 93),2927 and opened in September 2006.27
    • A Hokkaido Shimbun headline cited by Japanese Wikipedia reported more than 360,000 users in its first year.9 In 2024 it had 403,000.26
    • The stamp can be used during opening hours only.29
    • Collectible cards: the "Kakehashi" (bridge) card is handed out all year. A dam card is given out here on weekends and holidays.70
    • Wooden figures greet visitors at the entrance.29
    • On 31 January and 1 February 2026, during "MAZDA TOWN FESTA 2026 IN KEMBUCHI", the station held a Hiroshima products fair.68

Getting there & around

  • Rail: Kenbuchi Station (剣淵駅, W40) is on the JR Soya Main Line, in the town center at Nakamachi.24
    • Journey times: about 60 minutes from Asahikawa and about 150 minutes from Sapporo, according to the town.61
    • Trains: the rapid Nayoro stops here. Limited expresses do not stop regularly. JR Hokkaido trialed stopping one Soya train each way from 21 August to 3 September 2023.24
    • The station is unstaffed. Its 1988 building houses the town's bus terminal and a tourist and local-products hall.24 Ticket sales at a shop in front of the station ended on 31 December 2024.24
  • Bus:61
    • Hokkaido Chuo Bus's Kōsoku Nayoro-gō from the Sapporo bus terminal takes about 160 minutes. Book ahead; it drops off at the Michi-no-Eki.
    • Dōhoku Bus's Nayoro Line from Asahikawa takes about 80 minutes.
    • In town, municipal buses and a town-center–onsen shuttle bus run (timetables revised on 15 March 2025).
  • Road:
    • Dō-Ō Expressway: Shibetsu-Kenbuchi IC opened on 4 October 2003.28 Wassamu IC is about 15 minutes' drive from the Picture Book Museum.56
    • National Route 40 runs through the town, and National Route 239 also serves it.9
    • Driving times: about 150 minutes from Sapporo by expressway and about 60 minutes from Asahikawa.61
  • Air: The nearest airport is Asahikawa, about 90 minutes away by car according to the town.61 The museum's access page says 1 hour 15 minutes.56

Practical tips

  • When to go:21425
    • Mid-May for cherry blossoms at Sakuraoka.
    • August and September for the award voting and summer festivals.
    • January to early March for ice fishing, the Snow Festa and the Picture Book Festival.
  • Closing days:
    • The Picture Book Museum closes on Wednesdays, including national holidays that fall on a Wednesday, such as 23 September 2026.46
    • The onsen opens only in the evening on Fridays.53
  • Visitor information: The Tourism and Exchange Center "Machi no Eki" (剣淵町観光交流センター まちの駅) is in the Kenbuchi Chamber of Commerce building (剣渕商工会館) at Midorimachi 7-1. It houses the tourism association (tel. 0165-34-3848).2734
    • Since June 2026 the JR station stamp has been kept there permanently.71
    • The Michi-no-Eki also has pamphlets and a stamp.20
  • Collectible cards:70
    • The manhole card is at the Picture Book Museum. On Wednesdays, when the museum is closed, collect it from the town office's construction section.
    • The dam card is at the Michi-no-Eki on weekends and holidays. On weekdays it is at the Shibetsu branch of the subprefecture's Asahikawa construction office.
  • Brown bears:7273
    • The town warns of frequent bear signs near railway protection forests and windbreaks.
    • Carry a bell or radio, especially when gathering wild vegetables.
    • Kenbuchi has adopted a bear-zoning plan under Hokkaido's bear management plan.
  • Winter:
    • Expect heavy snow and severe cold. Neighboring Wassamu has recorded −36.8 °C.33
    • Ice fishers are warned about carbon-monoxide poisoning inside heated tents, and fish at their own risk.42

More about Kenbuchi

At a glance
Field Details
Type Town (町)
Subprefecture Kamikawa (上川総合振興局)
District Kamikawa District (上川郡), the Kamikawa District of the old Teshio Province (天塩国)9
Population 2,926 people in 1,227 households at the 2020 Census.10 The preliminary 2025 Census count was 2,640 people in 1,181 households, a fall of 9.8%.11 The resident register showed 2,647 people in 1,394 households on 31 August 2026.1 The Hokkaido Government's register figure for 1 January 2026 was 2,695.12
Area 130.99 km².13 The town measures 10.8 km east–west and 12.6 km north–south. About 50% is farmland and about 30% forest.14
Density About 20.2 people/km² (August 2026 register figure, calculated). It was 22.3/km² at the 2020 Census.10
Municipal history Kenbuchi Village was created in 1897, one of four villages set up in Kamikawa District, Teshio Province. In 1899, 337 tondenhei households arrived and a village office (戸長役場) opened in Kenbuchi. The village became self-governing under the second-class village system in 1906. It split off present-day Wassamu in April 1915 and Onnebetsu (now part of Shibetsu) in October 1927, and became a town on 1 January 1962.29 It has had no mergers since.
Neighboring municipalities Wassamu to the south; Shibetsu on the other three sides.92
Symbols Tree: Manchurian ash (ヤチダモ). Flower: Ezo gentian (エゾリンドウ). Both were chosen on 11 July 1978 for the town's 80th anniversary. No town bird was found. The emblem, adopted on 20 June 1968, is a stylized "K". Its central triangle stands for Mount Hiranami (平波山), a town landmark in the middle of the basin, and its double ring stands for unity.2
Mascot English Wikipedia describes Puchi-na (ぷっちーな) as the town mascot: a llama character "from Palcamayo, Peru", named mascot on 17 February 2013. Her original profile page is no longer online.15 The town's website uses Muunya (ムーニャ), the hero of the 2001 hometown picture book Muunya to Hoshi no Tane (ムーニャとほしのたね) by Satō Masato.216
Official website https://www.town.kembuchi.hokkaido.jp/ (the town romanizes its name "Kembuchi")

Name origin
  • The name comes from the Ainu name of the place where the Kenbuchi River flows into the Teshio River. The name probably came to cover the whole river, and then the town.239
    • Place-name scholar Yamada Hidezō read it as kene(-pet)-puci (ケネ(ペッ)プチ), "the mouth of the alder (river)". He noted that pet ("river") is often dropped in place names.
    • A railway station-name source gives kene-pet-putu (ケネペップトゥ), "mouth of the alder river".
    • Nagata Hōsei recorded kene-ni-pet (ケネニペッ), "alder river". Yamada commented that the -ni would be superfluous in ordinary Ainu usage.23
  • The Hokkaido Government's Ainu place-name list concludes that "in any case, the name seems to come from the alders (ハンノキ) that grew there."23
  • Spellings and readings:
    • When the railway station opened in 1900, its name was read "Kenufuchi" (けぬふち). The reading changed to "Kenbuchi" in 1905.24
    • The older variant character 渕 still appears in some local names, such as the Kenbuchi Chamber of Commerce (剣渕商工会) and the Kenbuchi Nishihara Gakuen welfare facility (剣渕西原学園).4

History
  • Before settlement: Fossil freshwater and sea clams (しじみ・はまぐり) found near Inushibetsu in the north of the town suggest the basin was once a lake.2 No archaeology or Edo-period trading-post records for Kenbuchi were found in the sources consulted. Ainu place names along the rivers are the main trace of earlier land use (see Ainu heritage).
  • 1897–1906, the tondenhei: Four villages were set up in Kamikawa District, Teshio Province, in 1897: Kenbuchi, Shibetsu, Tayoro and Kami-Nayoro.2 In July 1899 the South Kenbuchi and North Kenbuchi tondenhei villages (南剣淵兵村・北剣淵兵村) were formed, together with the Shibetsu village. Japanese Wikipedia's company table lists 167 households for each Kenbuchi village.25 The town gives a total of 337 households.23 These were the last new tondenhei settlements before the system was abolished in 1904.25 Group migrations followed.3 The sources consulted do not name the settlers' home prefectures.
  • The first farms: Settlers struggled with deep peat soils and a lack of water.14 Kenbuchi Station opened on 5 August 1900, when the government's Teshio Line was extended from Wassamu to Shibetsu.24 Kenbuchi became a self-governing village on 1 April 1906.9
  • Villages split off: Wassamu Village separated on 1 April 1915 and Onnebetsu Village on 1 October 1927.9
  • Peak population: The population reached 9,530 on 1 October 1954. The census peak was 9,334 in 1955.1426
  • Postwar farming: State and prefectural land-improvement projects from the late 1960s raised productivity. The national rice-acreage reduction policy from 1970 reshaped local farming.14 Kenbuchi became a town on 1 January 1962.9
  • 1977–1978: The Kenbuchi Town Museum (剣淵町資料館) opened in 1977 to mark the town's 80th anniversary.327 In 1978 the town chose its tree and flower.2 The same year, local youths revived Kenbuchi kagura and formed the Kenbuchi Tonden Taiko drum group.14
  • Mazda arrives (mid-1980s): Mazda says a mayor who was a Mazda fan invited it to Kenbuchi. It has tested there for 38 years (as of 2024).8 Residents formed a friendship association with Mazda (剣淵・マツダとふれあう会) on 17 January 1988.4
  • 1988–1992, the Picture Book Village begins:
    • In 1988 the chamber of commerce's youth section met Matsui Tomo (松居友), then children's book editor at Fukutake Shoten. He remarked that Kenbuchi's countryside looked European and suggested a museum of picture-book art.416
    • Fourteen residents founded the "Association to Create Kenbuchi Picture Book Village" (けんぶち絵本の里を創ろう会) on 8 June 1988.4
    • Its first international exhibition of original picture-book art was held in 1989, with more than 60 artists from 27 countries.16
    • The town spent half of its ¥100 million furusato sōsei grant on the project. The first Picture Book Museum opened on 1 August 1991 in the old town hall, built in 1944.4
    • The project won the Prime Minister's Prize of the Furusato-zukuri Awards in 1992.16
  • Farming and welfare: The "Kenbuchi Life-Nurturing Earth Association" (剣淵・生命を育てる大地の会), a group of farmers growing safe, low-chemical produce, was founded on 1 February 1990.4 It grew from the movement's contacts with the town's facilities for people with intellectual disabilities.14
  • 2003–2009:
    • The Dō-Ō Expressway reached Shibetsu-Kenbuchi IC on 4 October 2003.28
    • A new Picture Book Museum opened in June 2004.16
    • The Michi-no-Eki was registered on 10 August 2006 and opened in September.2927
    • Two alpacas arrived for a trial in November 2007. Viva Alpaca Farm opened on 25 October 2009.6
  • 2012–2015: Jinjin was filmed in Kenbuchi from May to August 2012 and shown around Japan from April 2013.64 Kenbuchi signed a sister-city agreement with Tarma, Peru, in 2015.14 That year the picture-book work also won a commendation from the Commissioner for Cultural Affairs.16
  • 2020–2026:
    • Kenbuchi and Mazda signed a comprehensive partnership agreement in 2020.14
    • The two stations beside Kenbuchi on the Soya Main Line, Higashi-Rokusen and Kita-Kenbuchi, closed on 13 March 2021.9
    • The preliminary 2025 Census count was 2,640.11 The town's third comprehensive strategy aims to keep about 2,650 residents in 2029.26

Geography & climate
  • Setting: Kenbuchi lies slightly north of center in Kamikawa Subprefecture, about 45 km north of Asahikawa.142
    • It sits in the Nayoro Basin. The Kenbuchi River, a tributary of the Teshio, runs through the middle of the town.2
    • The river's flat valley and the hills on either side are all farmed.14
    • Elevation ranges from 129 m to 440 m.2
  • Boundaries:
    • South (Wassamu): the Panke-Peoppe River and the Rokusen River (6線川).
    • East and west: low north–south ridges.
    • North (Shibetsu): the Inushibetsu River (犬牛別川).2
    • Mount Kenbuchi (剣淵山) and the pass 早田峠 lie in the west.9
  • Lake Sakuraoka (桜岡湖): The lake lies in Higashimachi, east of the town center. A walking path of about 4,000 m circles it.30
  • Forests: Forest covers 3,748 ha (FY2024), and 87.6% of it is private.14 No national, quasi-national or prefectural natural park was found in the town.
  • Climate: Kenbuchi has an inland climate.214
    • Summers are fairly warm and sunny and can pass 30 °C.
    • Late summer and autumn are often cloudy.
    • Spring is dry, and autumn is wetter.
    • Winters are snowy. Temperatures can fall below −30 °C, though this has become rarer.
  • Weather data:
    • JMA's Kenbuchi gauge records precipitation only. Its normal is 1,002.1 mm a year (2006–2020), and August is the wettest month at 159.6 mm.31
    • Temperature and snow data come from the full weather station in neighboring Wassamu, to the south. Its 1991–2020 normals:32
      • annual mean temperature 6.4 °C, with January at −8.3 °C and August at 20.5 °C
      • annual snowfall 745 cm
      • average deepest snow cover 105 cm
    • Wassamu's records are 36.8 °C (7 August 2021), −36.8 °C (25 January 1985) and 161 cm of snow on the ground (18 March 1994).33
  • Why Mazda tests here: Mazda says Kenbuchi's snow is powdery in deep winter and wet in spring. This lets it reproduce snow conditions from Canada to Europe at a single site.8

Economy & industry
  • Jobs: Agriculture is the core industry.14
    • The 2020 Census counted 1,621 workers: 40.8% in primary industry, 10.4% in secondary and 48.8% in tertiary.
    • Primary industry's share was 76.1% in 1960.
    • Tertiary industry's share rose from 16.3% in 1960 to 48.8% in 2020, led by services.14
  • Farm output: MAFF estimates 2024 farm output at ¥3.89 billion.18 The largest items:
    • rice ¥1.27 billion
    • pulses ¥0.79 billion
    • vegetables ¥0.72 billion
    • dairy ¥0.28 billion
    • wheat ¥0.26 billion
    • industrial crops ¥0.23 billion
    • potatoes ¥0.18 billion
  • Land and crops: Cultivated land is 6,440 ha: 3,060 ha of paddy and 3,390 ha of upland fields.18 The town's 2020 crop survey found:7
    • soybeans 1,134 ha
    • autumn-sown wheat 731 ha
    • rice 694 ha
    • buckwheat 650 ha, up from 386 ha in 2015
    • pasture 489 ha
    • kidney and other beans 311 ha
    • sugar beet 208 ha
    • adzuki beans 201 ha
    • potatoes 172 ha
    • pumpkins 94 ha
    • quinoa 8 ha
  • Farms:
    • The 2020 Census of Agriculture counted 278 farm businesses, down from 1,125 farms in 1960.14
    • Dairy cows fell from 958 in 2000 to 517 in 2020.14
    • JA facilities in town include potato storage and sorting, a rice center, and a potato-starch factory.7
    • A farm-branding council set up in 2016 promotes potatoes, adzuki beans and "Kenbuchi quinoa" (けんぶちキヌア).7
  • Farming and welfare: The disability-support facilities Kenbuchi Nishihara Gakuen and Kenbuchi Kita-no-Morisha (剣渕北の杜舎) make products from local crops.1434
  • Mazda: The Kenbuchi proving ground uses public roads that are closed in winter. Engineers from Hiroshima come for about two months each winter.8 Mazda made a corporate furusato-nozei donation to the town in FY2023.35
  • Commerce and industry (2021): 41 retail and wholesale shops with 82 employees. Manufacturing had 5 establishments with 25 workers, mostly in food processing.14
  • Tourism:
    • The Michi-no-Eki had 403,000 users in 2024, and the town targets 450,000 by 2029.26
    • Viva Alpaca Farm had welcomed a cumulative 220,000 visitors by October 2024.6
    • Free rental bicycles help visitors get between the scattered sights.14
  • Population outlook:
    • The aging rate was 40.6% in 2020.14
    • A projection based on national estimates has the population falling to 1,832 by 2040. The town aims for 2,317.26
  • Family and youth support:
    • Since FY2007 every newborn has received a personalized wooden chair, the "Kimi no Isu" (君の椅子), along with a picture book.36
    • Kenbuchi High School (北海道剣淵高等学校) is run by the town (町立). It offers agriculture-international and life-welfare courses. A general "future path" course was added in FY2021, and many students come from outside the town.2637

Local specialties
Specialty Category Details & where to get it
Tonden sanshoku-men (屯田三色めん) and brown-rice udon/soba Noodles Three-colored noodles made with green asparagus, pumpkin and potato, and noodles kneaded with Kenbuchi brown-rice flour, by Maruwaka Foods (マルワカ食品). From ¥154.34 The noodles were designated a Hokkaido "one village, one product" item. Sold at the Michi-no-Eki.38
Genki Fuku miso (元気福みそ) and pickles Miso, pickles Handmade by Fukuyūkai (福有会), a group of local farm women. The range includes blue- and white-label miso, quinoa miso, nanban miso, shiso miso, sanshō-zuke and otakara-zuke pickles. From ¥380.3438 "Grandma's quinoa miso" (ばあばのキヌアみそ) is the station's featured souvenir.29
Kenbuchi quinoa (剣淵産キヌア) Grain An Andean grain grown in Kenbuchi through its exchange with Peru. Sold by Kenbuchi VIVA Marche from ¥171 for 20 g,34 and in 20 g, 80 g and 1 kg bags at the Michi-no-Eki.38
Gotō Kunsei smoked chicken and eggs (ゴトウくんせい) Smoked foods Chicken, eggs and giblets from iodine-fed chickens, smoked the traditional way without synthetic preservatives or coloring. From ¥486. Gift sets available.3438
Warabi-mochi (剣淵銘菓わらび餅) Sweets A soft bracken-starch cake eaten with a sugar-and-soy sauce, from Okashi no Yamada (お菓子のやまだ). From ¥180.34
Pure honey (純粋はちみつ) Honey Seasonal dandelion, acacia, clover, linden and knotweed honeys from Saotome Apiary (早乙女養蜂園). 240 g and 600 g jars from ¥1,500.34
Vegetable juice, tartary buckwheat tea and imo-dango Welfare-made foods Made by Kenbuchi Kita-no-Morisha from low-pesticide vegetables, tartary buckwheat and local potatoes. Juice from ¥220, tea from ¥750, imo-dango (potato dumplings) from ¥300.34
Alpaca goods Crafts Hand-spun, hand-knitted scarves, gloves, sweaters and soft toys from Viva Alpaca Farm.34 The farm has sold raw fleece online since 2022.6
Pottery and saori weaving Crafts Handmade pottery from Kōbō Utsuwaya (工房うつわや) and freestyle saori weaving from Workshop Kaze (ワークショップ風).34 Tableware made at Nishihara Gakuen is sold at the Michi-no-Eki.38
Farm produce and rice Produce Potatoes, pumpkins, carrots, onions and beans, grown organically or with low or no pesticides by the Life-Nurturing Earth Association.34 The Michi-no-Eki stand also sells Kenbuchi rice, including Yumepirika.39 Fries made from local "Red Moon" potatoes cost ¥200.40
Furusato nozei gifts Gifts Furusato Choice lists about 100 gifts.41 Examples: new-crop Nanatsuboshi rice, 10 kg (¥18,000 donation); a whole Gotō smoked chicken (¥16,000); Kenbuchi potatoes and ready-boiled beets; smoked eggs and smoked nuts; a two-jar honey set; a vegetable set from the Life-Nurturing Earth Association; and a set of 20 picture postcards of Kenbuchi scenery.41 Donors can direct funds to the picture-book village, childcare or Kenbuchi High School.35

Culture & festivals
Event When Highlights
Wakasagi ice fishing on Lake Sakuraoka (わかさぎ釣り) Early January to early March, depending on the ice 7:00–17:00. Fishing is free; parking is ¥1,000 per car. Rentals: rod ¥500, rig ¥400, bait ¥300, auger ¥1,000 per hour. Pay at the Lakeside Sakuraoka front desk.21
VIVA Cup Airboard (VIVAカップ エアボード大会) Early February Head-first sledding on inflatable boards down the old ski slope at Viva Alpaca Farm.42
Akari de Night (あかりde Night) 14 February Candles in milk-carton shades form a giant heart on the snowy slope at the alpaca farm.42
Ehon-no-Sato Kenbuchi Snow Festa (スノーフェスタ) Mid-February Inter-neighborhood tug-of-war on snow, free tonjiru pork soup, a big snow slide and snowmobile banana-boat rides, with an ice-candle walk the night before.2142
Kenbuchi Picture Book Festival (けんぶち絵本まつり) Mid-February to mid-March Award ceremony for the Picture Book Village Award, the winners' original art and talks by visiting authors.2142
Spring festival (春まつり) and cherry-blossom festival (桜まつり・艇庫開き) Mid-May (spring festival: 17 May 2026) Stalls, games and bingo at Fureai Hiroba. Blossom viewing, mochi scattering and canoeing at Sakuraoka Park.4321
Alpaca shearing show (アルパカの毛刈りショー) Early June Raw fleece on sale.42
Gurutto Ride (ぐるっとライド) Late June (8th edition: 27 June 2026) Gourmet cycling on 40, 60 or 100 km courses through Kenbuchi, Shibetsu, Wassamu and Horokanai.44
Kenbuchi Shrine Festival (剣淵神社祭) 12–13 July Mikoshi procession, Kenbuchi kagura and street stalls.2142
Sakuraoka Lake Festival (桜岡湖水まつり) First Sunday of August (29th festival: 2 August 2026) Character shows, Tonden taiko, cheerleading, canoe and SUP rides and food tents. There are usually lakeside fireworks, but in 2026 a big prize draw replaced them.2145
Picture Book Village Award voting and original-art exhibition 1 August – 30 September (36th award: 1 August – 29 September 2026) Visitors choose among about 300 books entered by authors and publishers.5464
Bon-odori contest (盆踊り大会) 4th Saturday of August Bon dancing for prize money around the town office car park, with stalls and food trucks; billed as the last event of summer.42
Michi-no-Eki anniversary festival (周年記念感謝祭) Mid-September Harvest produce and food tents.42
Quinoa Day and Potato Festival (キヌア祭り・じゃがいもフェスティバル) 23 September (at the alpaca farm) and 27 September 2026 (Town Center) Quinoa foods and dishes made with Peruvian-origin crops, for "Kenbuchi Peru Day".47
Anko Festival (あんこフェスティバル) Late October or early November (1 November 2025) Sweets made with newly harvested Kenbuchi adzuki beans, backed by the Japan Anko Association.4842
  • Kenbuchi Shrine and performing arts:
    • Kenbuchi kagura (剣淵神楽) was danced at the shrine festival before and after the war but lapsed around 1955–64 (Shōwa 30s). Local youths revived it in 1978, and today Kenbuchi High School students and alumni (剣龍会) perform it.14
    • Kenbuchi Tonden Taiko (剣淵屯田太鼓) was formed in 1978. It has run a children's troupe, Kenbuchi Koryū Taiko (剣淵子龍太鼓), since FY1985.14
  • Picture-book culture:
    • The award's side prizes include the "Viva Karasu Prize" (びばからす賞) and, since 2011, the "Alpaca Prize".516
    • Since 2013 the museum has used a book caravan truck donated by Kōdansha.4
    • The "Ehon Caravan 179" project, started in FY2021, aims to take a truck with 550 picture books to children in all 179 municipalities of Hokkaido.46
  • Film: Jinjin tells of a father who tries to convey his feelings for his daughter through picture books. Kenbuchi residents took part as extras, supplied food for the crew and volunteered.4 The town publishes a PDF map of the film's locations.49

Ainu heritage
  • Place names: Besides the town name (see Name origin), the Hokkaido Government's Ainu place-name list records several names in and around Kenbuchi:
    • Peoppe (辺乙部), with the Panke-Peoppe and Penke-Peoppe rivers ("lower" and "upper" Peoppe). From pe-ot-pe, "river with much water". It is unclear whether this means plentiful flow or many small streams.5051
    • Inushibetsu (犬牛別), the river on the Shibetsu border. From inun-us-pet, "river where people stay (in huts) to fish".522
  • Sites and facilities: No Ainu archaeological sites, cultural facilities or living-tradition groups in Kenbuchi were found in the sources consulted.

Sister & friendship cities
  • Imizu, Toyama Prefecture (射水市):
    • Kenbuchi formed a friendship tie with the former Daimon Town (大門町) on 1 June 1995. It was renewed as a sister-city agreement with the new Imizu City on 11 May 2006.749
    • Delegations visit each other's Sakuraoka Lake Festival and Imizu agriculture and industry festival.14
  • Sanuki, Kagawa Prefecture (さぬき市):
    • The tie was inherited from the former Shido Town (志度町) and dates from 28 September 1996.759
    • The town calls it a friendship city and runs hands-on exchanges for 5th- and 6th-grade pupils.14
  • Tarma, Junín, Peru (タルマ市):
    • Kenbuchi became a sister city of Tarma in 2015, according to the town's plan. A Kenbuchi–Peru friendship association promotes the exchange, which centers on alpacas and potatoes.14
    • The alpaca farm records a 3 June 2012 visit to Palcamayo District, Tarma, to arrange the tie.6
  • Corporate partner: Kenbuchi signed a comprehensive partnership agreement with Mazda Motor Corporation in 2020.14 Mazda also hosts open-day events at its Kenbuchi test site, such as "MAZDA OPEN DAY 2024 IN KEMBUCHI" in February 2024.76

Notable people
  • Kazama Hisashi (風間昶, b. 1947): physician and Komeito politician, born in Kenbuchi. He served three terms in the House of Councillors (1992–2010) and was Senior Vice-Minister of the Environment in the first Koizumi cabinet.77
  • Ōuchi Kakunosuke (大内格之助, 1912–2001): newspaper and broadcasting executive from Kenbuchi. He became the first president of Hokkaido Cultural Broadcasting (UHB) in 1971.78
  • Kamada Rina (鎌田理奈, b. 1974): DJ and radio personality from Kenbuchi, working at FM Hokkaido (AIR-G') since 2004.79
  • Konishi Yūta (小西悠太, b. 1983): bassist and leader of the rock band tacica, from Kenbuchi.80
  • Takai Keisuke (高井佳佑, b. 1992): Kenbuchi-born member of the Yoshimoto comedy duo Girly Record (ガーリィレコード).81 The tourism association calls him a Kenbuchi hometown ambassador.45

Sources

Numbers in the text link to these sources. Figures as of 23 September 2026

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