Hokkaido Places
Toma (当麻町), June 2026

Town Kamikawa Subprefecture

Toma 当麻町

とうまちょう

Toma is a rice-farming town on the eastern edge of the Kamikawa Basin, about 15 km northeast of Asahikawa. It was founded by 400 households of soldier-settlers in 1893. It is famous for the jet-black Densuke watermelon, which has sold for ¥750,000 at its first auction of the season. A small limestone cave, said to hold "two sleeping dragons", gave the town its festival, its drum troupe and a sake aged underground.123

Population (2020 Census)
6,319
Area
204.9 km²
District
Kamikawa District (上川郡)
Official website
www.town.tohma.hokkaido.jp

Known for

  • Densuke watermelon (でんすけすいか): a stripeless, near-black watermelon of 6–8 kg, grown one fruit per vine since 1984.24 First-auction fruit fetched ¥650,000 in Asahikawa in 200711 and ¥750,000 in 2019.4
  • Rice: Rice brought in ¥4.94 billion of an estimated ¥6.9 billion farm output in 2024.12 The Imazuri-mai (今摺米) brand is stored in the husk and hulled just before shipping.13 Japanese Wikipedia says the town's rice has topped the Hokkaido JA rice task force's (北海道農協米対策本部) ranking 12 years running; English Wikipedia gives an older "7 years in a row".49
  • Toma Limestone Cave (当麻鍾乳洞): a 135 m cave found in 1957 while limestone was being quarried. It was designated a Hokkaido Natural Monument in 1961 and is known for its rare "macaroni" (soda-straw) stalactites.14
  • The Banryu dragon legend (蟠龍伝説): the cave's shape suggested two dragons lying side by side. The idea gave the town its Banryu Taiko drums, its dragon-dance troupe and its summer Banryu Matsuri.3
  • Summer roses and chrysanthemums: roses sold as "Daisetsu no Bara" (大雪の薔薇) are billed as "Japan's best summer roses".15 The chrysanthemum is the town flower, and Toma is a major growing area.16
  • A tondenhei town: 400 soldier-settler households arrived in May 1893.1
  • Food, wood and flower education (食育・木育・花育): this is the town's development theme. Its showpieces are the Kurumina facilities at the foot of Mount Toma, built from 100% Toma timber.7
  • Cave-aged sake "Ryu no Izumi" (龍乃泉): a junmai daiginjo sake that spends about two winter months inside the limestone cave.17

Sights & activities

Nature & scenery

  • Toma Limestone Cave (当麻鍾乳洞), Kaimei 4-ku: a 135 m cave in Jurassic limestone,14 with five chambers joined by narrow passages and ceilings 7–8 m high.25 Open from the fourth Saturday of April to the fourth Sunday of October, 9:00–17:00 (last entry 16:30). Tickets are ¥600 for adults and ¥400 for children. Not wheelchair accessible.14 Town pages also write the name 当麻鐘乳洞.17
  • Mount Toma lookout (当麻山展望台): a free trail of about 20 minutes to a lookout over the town. It is open in daylight in the snow-free season and has good autumn leaves. Wear sturdy shoes; some sections are steep. Bring insect repellent in summer.28
  • Kurumina Walking Path (くるみなの散歩道): a 3 km forest path at the foot of Mount Toma.7
  • Kurumina Garden (くるみなの庭): a free garden with more than 100 kinds of perennials, an earth tunnel and a grass maze. Open 9:00–17:00, late April–late October.51

Onsen

  • Healthy Chateau (ヘルシーシャトー), 6-jō Nishi 4-chōme: a public bath that recreates radium-spring water with natural sinter (湯の華) from Futamata Radium Onsen in Oshamambe. Several bath types, a sauna and a restaurant. Open 10:00–22:00 (last entry 21:00); closed 1 January and two days each in June and October. Non-residents pay ¥700, children ¥400.52
  • Ichii no Yado (いちいの宿), 6-jō Higashi 4-chōme: a pension-style inn, opened in 1999, on the prefectural road toward Asahiyama Zoo. It has an indoor bath and an outdoor hot-spring bath that looks out on the Daisetsu range on clear days. It serves meals (11:30–19:00) and a popular milk soft-serve.53

Museums & heritage

  • Kokokara local history museum: 4-jō Minami 3-chōme. Free, 10:00–19:00, closed Tuesdays. It has a café space with Wi-Fi.24
  • Papillon Chateau (世界の昆虫館パピヨンシャトー): insect specimens from around the world and a room of live insects. Open 9:00–17:00, late April–late October. Adults ¥600, children ¥400.54
  • Obenro pilgrimage (おべんろの旅): a tongue-in-cheek "power-spot" tour of five signboards featuring poop-fairy characters (ウン精). The spots are JR Toma Station, the Mount Toma lookout, Kurumina Garden, the Kurumina Walking Path and the cave. Send in photos from all five and you receive a charm made of Toma wood by post.55

Outdoor & seasonal activities

  • Mount Toma Campground (当麻山キャンプ場): late April–late October, plus winter snow camping. Tent sites from ¥800, log houses ¥3,600, cottages ¥13,000, and a sauna bus. Book by phone (0166-84-3163) or through Nap.56
  • Toma-yama Park Golf (とうま山パークゴルフ場): 36 holes on four courses; mid-April–30 October; ¥600 a day.57
  • Toma-yama Ski Area (当麻山スキー場): a free beginners' hill with a free rope tow; late December–early March, 10:00–16:00.58
  • FRONTIER VILLAGE: Mongolian ger tents at the ski area, opened in 2025, with ceiling panels that open for stargazing.27 Seasonal, opening around mid-May.59
  • Kurumina Mokuyūkan (くるみなの木遊館), 6-jō Nishi 4-chōme: a wooden play hall built of Toma timber, with a window onto the wood workshop next door. Open 10:00–17:00, closed Wednesdays. Non-residents pay ¥100 per child. Monthly woodworking classes.60

Food experiences

  • MERB (コーヒーとカレーの店 MERB): next to the Michi-no-Eki, serving spice curry on a beef-bone stock. The owner worked for about 30 years at Asahikawa's much-missed curry shop Yoneyonei (米々亭, closed 2017) and recreates its flavor here. Open 11:00–18:00, closed Tuesdays.61
  • Pizza House Kokopelli (ピザハウスココペリ): a log cabin in the woods near Mount Toma with a wood-fired stone oven. Closed Mondays and Tuesdays.62
  • Yamamoto Seiniku-ten: buy "Yama-jin" jingisukan to grill at the campground.42

Roadside stations (Michi-no-Eki)

Toma (道の駅とうま)

  • Location: Uenbetsu 2-ku, Toma (上川郡当麻町宇園別2区, 〒078-1332); tel. 0166-58-8639.26 It stands on National Route 39 at the entrance to the town center.63

  • Hours (as of September 2026 — check before visiting):

    • Station and shop: 9:00–18:00. Restaurant: 11:00–17:00. Hours change in winter.
    • Closed 31 December–3 January.63
    • The town's restaurant listing instead gives 11:00–19:00 and closure on Thursdays.64 A notice dated 10 June 2026 announced changes to the restaurant's service and a temporary closure; the details were not available online.65

  • Shops & products: The Toma Town Product Center, Densuke-san no Ie (当麻町物産館「でんすけさんの家」), is the heart of the station.63 It sells:

    • Densuke watermelons (about late June–mid-August) and Densuke-themed goods
    • tomato juice, basil paste and popcorn
    • three kinds of brown rice by weight
    • town-only Ryu no Izumi sake
    • original-blend coffee and beans37

    It also sells seasonal melons and corn from the farm stand, with shipping across Japan.63

  • Food:

    • The restaurant (お食事処, tel. 0166-84-5393) is built around soba. Try kakuni soba with large pieces of braised pork belly, cold ume-oroshi soba, katsudon and kakuni-don. There are also spicy miso ramen and ginger ramen.64
    • The signature is watermelon soft-serve (すいかソフト) and a "watermelon mix". Sales restarted on 4 April 2026.41
    • MERB curry is next door.61

  • Facilities:

    • Parking: 10 large and 40 standard spaces.
    • Toilets with warm-water seats and an accessible toilet.
    • Nursing room and diaper-changing table.
    • Wi-Fi, credit and cashless payment, and a free rest corner.63
    • The Hokkaido Michi-no-Eki site does not list 24-hour toilets or an EV charger (unverified).

  • Notes:

    • Registered on 17 April 1998 as No. 48 on the Hokkaido list.26
    • The stamp is available only during opening hours and not on closing days.63
    • The town uses the station as its tourist information center.8
    • The station's own blurb invites visitors to find out for themselves where the Densuke name comes from.63 (It is the comedian's stage name; see Local specialties.)
    • Other Michi-no-Eki nearby are Asahikawa (道の駅あさひかわ), in Kagura, Asahikawa, and Higashikawa "Michikusa-kan" (道の駅ひがしかわ「道草館」) in Higashikawa.26

Getting there & around

  • Rail: Toma Station on the JR Sekihoku Main Line is 13.9 km from Shin-Asahikawa. Local trains and the special rapid Kitami (特別快速きたみ) stop at this unstaffed station, which handled about 111 passengers a day in 2024. Its former office has housed the "Agri Station TOHMA" farm shop since 1998.23 Tōma Green Life sells produce and soft-serve there.66 Ikaushi Station, further toward Aibetsu, is a 1988 log building used by about 6 passengers a day.20 A brick JA warehouse stands beside it.67 The Soya Main Line crosses the town without a station.4
  • From Sapporo: The limited express Kamui or Lilac covers the 136.8 km from Sapporo to Asahikawa in about 1 h 25 min.68 From Asahikawa, take a Sekihoku Line train. Asahikawa is within 30 minutes of Toma by car or rail.8
  • Road: National Route 39 runs through the town on its way from Asahikawa to Pippu, Aibetsu and Kamikawa.69 Asahikawa-Kita IC and Aibetsu IC are within about 15 minutes.8 The Asahikawa-Monbetsu Expressway passes through Toma but has no interchange in the town.70 The town office puts central Toma about 30 minutes by car from Asahikawa.1
  • Bus: Dōhoku Bus (道北バス) runs to Asahikawa and on toward Aibetsu and Kamikawa. Several long-distance services also run through the town. Within Toma, the on-demand service "Norūto Tōma" (のるーと当麻) runs.4
  • Air: The nearest airport is Asahikawa Airport, in Higashikagura. The town plan cites the airport's proximity as an asset.8

Practical tips

  • When to go:
    • The cave, the insect museum, Kurumina Garden and the campground open only from the fourth Saturday of April to the fourth Sunday of October.14545156
    • Plan a summer trip around Densuke season (about late June–mid-August).37 The Banryu Matsuri falls on the first Sunday of August48 and the costume bon odori in mid-August.49
    • In winter, try the Snow Park, the Candlelight Festival and the free ski hill.454658
  • Winter: Snow can lie more than 1 m deep and nights drop below −20 °C.8 The town says its roads are cleared very well, but drive for Hokkaido winter conditions.71
  • Wildlife: Check the Hokkaido "Higumap" (ひぐまっぷ) brown-bear sighting map for Toma before hiking.72 On Mount Toma, wear sturdy shoes, long sleeves and insect repellent in summer.28
  • Closing days: The Kokokara museum closes on Tuesdays.24 The Mokuyūkan and NANGA SHOP TOHMA (11:00–18:00) close on Wednesdays,6036 and Yamamoto Seiniku-ten on Mondays.42
  • Where to stay: Ichii no Yado,53 FRONTIER VILLAGE gers (book via its website),27 Mount Toma Campground cottages and log houses.56 Asahikawa's hotels are about 30 minutes away.1

Photos

  • Toma (当麻町), June 2026 Jun 2026

More about Toma

At a glance
Field Details
Type Town (町)
Subprefecture Kamikawa (上川総合振興局)
District Kamikawa District (上川郡), in the old Ishikari Province (石狩国)4
Population 6,319 at the 2020 Census. The preliminary 2025 Census count was 5,826, down 493 people (−7.8%).5 The resident register showed 5,850 people in 3,001 households on 31 August 2026.6
Area 204.90 km². The town measures 17.3 km east–west and 13.5 km north–south.1 Forest covers about 65% of it.7
Density About 28.6 people/km² (5,850 residents). It was 30.8/km² at the 2020 Census.
Municipal history Settlers arrived in 1893, when the area belonged to Nagayama Village (永山村, now part of Asahikawa) and was called "Nagayama-mura Tooma" (永山村字トオマ). It split off as Tōma Village (當麻村) in June 1900. It became a second-class village in 1906 and a first-class village in 1919. It gained town status in April 1958 as 当麻町.8 No mergers since.
Neighboring municipalities Asahikawa, Pippu, Aibetsu and Kamikawa4
Symbols Tree: Japanese yew (イチイ). Flower: chrysanthemum (菊).4 No town bird was found.
Mascot No official mascot was found on the town website. English Wikipedia names "Ryuta-kun", a green dragon, but gives it the Japanese name おとっきー, which belongs to Otoineppu's mascot. That entry is unreliable (unverified).9 A blue dragon from the town's Banryu legend appears on Toma's manhole card.10
Official website https://www.town.tohma.hokkaido.jp/ (the domain spells the name "tohma")

Name origin
  • Town explanation: The town derives the name from Ainu to (lake or marsh), oma (to be in or enter) and nay (river), which gives roughly "the river that runs into (or lies in) the marsh".1
  • Other readings: Japanese Wikipedia gives tooma (トオマ), "a place with many wetlands".4 Kotobank gives touoro (トウオロ), "in the middle of the marsh".18 All three describe the wet, low ground of the basin floor.
  • Kanji: The characters 当麻 were chosen for their sound. The town's page also glosses them loosely as "a place where hemp is found" (麻が当たる場所).1 The old form 當麻 was used until the village became a town in 1958.8
  • Pronunciation and spelling: The town is pronounced Tōma (とうま). The town romanizes it "Tohma" in its web domain and facility names. Do not confuse it with the former Taima Town (當麻町) in Nara Prefecture, which uses the same characters and is now Toma's friendship partner (see below).19

History
  • Ainu era: The sources consulted document no archaeological sites in Toma. Ainu names survive in places such as Ikaushi (伊香牛) and the Ushubetsu River (牛朱別川); see Ainu heritage below.2021
  • Edo period: English Wikipedia places the area within the Matsumae Domain's sphere in the Edo period.9 No trading post or other contact site inside the town appears in the sources consulted.
  • Tondenhei settlement (1893): On 10 May 1893 (Meiji 26), 400 soldier-settler households began clearing land here.1 They came as two companies of the 3rd Battalion, each of 200 households: the 5th Company at West Toma (西当麻兵村) and the 6th Company at East Toma (東当麻兵村).22 The town names Hiroshima and Yamaguchi as their main home prefectures.1 Kotobank also lists Tokushima and Aichi.18 Tōma Shrine (当麻神社) was founded in 1894.4
  • Village status: The settlement belonged to Nagayama Village and split off as Tōma Village (當麻村) in June 1900. It became a second-class village in 1906 and a first-class village in 1919.8
  • Railway (1922): On 4 November 1922 the Sekihoku Line opened between Shin-Asahikawa and Aibetsu, with Toma and Ikaushi stations.2320 The town's own history says this was when Toma "leapt forward".8 A new village office was built in 1926. It is now the local history museum.24
  • Postwar settlement: In 1945 about 6,000 ha of a former army training ground were opened for emergency settlement, and more than 500 households moved in.8
  • Cave and town status: The limestone cave was found in 1957 (April per the town plan, 13 January per Wikipedia) and designated a Hokkaido Natural Monument on 17 March 1961.825 Toma became a town in April 1958. Toma Dam (当麻ダム) followed in 1959, and the Taisetsu headworks (大雪頭首工) and "Toma Sports Land" on Mount Toma from 1972.8
  • Decline and specialization: The population was 13,592 in 1960.9 Rice-acreage cuts from 1970 and the oil shocks drove small farmers out and young people away.8 Densuke watermelons (from 1984) were one answer; the name puns on 田助, "helping the paddies".42 The brand was trademarked in 1989, and its growers won the grand prize of the 35th Japan Agriculture Award (日本農業賞) in 2005.11
  • Recent: The Michi-no-Eki was registered in 1998.26 Shōgunzan Station (将軍山駅) closed on 13 March 2021,4 and the town marked 130 years since settlement in 2022.8 The 2020 Census count of 6,319 was 49.9% below 1965's 12,622,8 and the preliminary 2025 count was 5,826.5 A ger-glamping site opened at the ski hill in 2025.27

Geography & climate
  • Setting: Toma lies on the eastern edge of the Kamikawa Basin. Its eastern mountains run on toward the Daisetsuzan range.4 Flat land along the rivers is farmed. The soil on the flats is mostly clay, turning sandy along the Ishikari.8
  • Rivers: The Ishikari River forms the northwestern boundary with Pippu.4 The Ushubetsu River (牛朱別川, 36.8 km) rises near the Toma–Kamikawa border and flows northwest. It turns southwest near Toma Station and joins the Ishikari in central Asahikawa.21 The Toma River (当麻川) also crosses the town.8
  • Mountains: The highest peaks are 安足山 (850.8 m), Higashiyama (東山, 690.5 m), Tsukimiyama (月見山, 678 m) and 上米飯山 (622.9 m).4 Mount Toma (当麻山), a small wooded mountain beside the town center, has a lookout over the town, and most of the town's parks and leisure facilities sit at its foot.288
  • Land use: Forest covers about 13,391 ha (65%), mostly Hokkaido-owned (4,985 ha) and town-owned (4,393 ha). In 2025 there were 3,566 ha of paddy and 400 ha of upland fields.8 No national or quasi-national park area in Toma was found in the sources consulted.
  • Climate: The climate is inland and continental, with a wide gap between summer and winter. The annual mean is around 7 °C. Summer days top 30 °C, winter nights can fall below −20 °C, and snow can lie more than 1 m deep.8
    • Toma has no JMA station.29 The Pippu AMeDAS station, about 5 km to the north-northwest across the Ishikari, gives these 1991–2020 normals: annual mean 6.4 °C; January −8.3 °C (mean daily low −13.6 °C); August 20.6 °C (mean daily high 26.3 °C); 1,081.7 mm of precipitation a year.30
    • Pippu's records are a high of 36.9 °C (7 August 2021), a low of −31.4 °C (25 January 1985) and a wettest day of 165.5 mm (24 July 2024).31
    • Pippu does not measure snow. Asahikawa's station, about 14 km southwest of central Toma, averages 557 cm of snowfall a year and a deepest snow cover of 89 cm.3032

Economy & industry
  • Farm output: The estimated 2024 farm output was ¥6.9 billion. Rice made up ¥4.94 billion, vegetables ¥1.79 billion, flowers ¥40 million, and livestock almost nothing.12
  • Rice: In 2025 rice was planted on 2,600 ha and yielded 14,400 t, 2.5% of Hokkaido's harvest. Toma's 3,680 ha of paddy is 1.7% of Hokkaido's paddy land.12 The town's own figure for paddy rice in 2025 is 2,570 ha.8
  • Mixed farming: Most farms pair rice with vegetables and flowers. After rice, the top crops by value are cucumbers, mini tomatoes, watermelons, chrysanthemums, roses and carnations. JA Tōma runs a country elevator (1997) and packing lines for cucumbers, Densuke and mini tomatoes.8 Toma's cucumber output is among Hokkaido's largest.33
  • Farm structure: Commercial farm households fell from 569 (2005) to 342 (2020), averaging 9.9 ha. Of the 767 farm workers in 2020, 64.8% were 60 or older.8
  • Other industries and jobs: Manufacturing covers wood products, concrete, asphalt, gravel, ironworks and an electron-tube factory. The 2021 Economic Census counted 63 shops with ¥10.75 billion in sales, and the Chamber of Commerce runs a digital local currency, Densuke Pay (でんすけペイ). Primary industry's share of jobs fell from 72.7% in 1960 to 27.2% in 2020, while services rose to 56.7%.8
  • Tourism: The Michi-no-Eki is the tourist information center, and most sights cluster on Mount Toma as "Toma Sports Land". The town reports falling visitor numbers but publishes no counts.8
  • Population: In 2020, 42.1% of residents were 65 or older (Hokkaido 30.4%, Japan 26.9%). The town's vision projects 5,391 people in 2030 and 3,665 in 2060. Net out-migration since 2006 had balanced out by 2017, and Toma is now a commuter town for Asahikawa.8
  • Revitalization: Efforts include the "food, wood and flower education" theme,34 housing lots at New Town Toma and Heartful Town Toma,8 and the "Tomafuru supporters" (とまふる応援団) registry, tied to Japan's planned furusato resident registration from FY2026.35 Outdoor brand NANGA (from Shiga Prefecture) opened a flagship store beside the Mount Toma campground.36

Local specialties
Specialty Category Details & where to get it
Densuke watermelon (でんすけすいか) Produce A black-rind, red-fleshed watermelon of the "Tahiti" variety. It is shipped in July and August and graded into three quality classes.11 The name honors the comedian Ōmiya Toshimitsu (大宮敏光), known on stage as "Densuke". It is also a pun on 田助, "helping the paddies", because the crop replaced rice.2 Sold at the Michi-no-Eki from about late June to mid-August.37 Inquiries to JA Tōma.2
Imazuri-mai (今摺米) Rice Kept in the husk at low temperature, then hulled and milled just before delivery. Grown with compost and organic fertilizer. Sold through JA Tōma.13 The Michi-no-Eki sells three kinds of brown rice by weight.37
Tottoki-mai (とっとき米) Rice Organic and reduced-pesticide rice grown only with organic fertilizer, in four varieties, by the farm company Tōma Green Life (当麻グリーンライフ).38
Onigiri of local Kitakurin rice Food 当麻のおむすび屋さんmusubi (Hokusei 2-ku) makes rice balls from Toma-grown Kitakurin (きたくりん) rice. Open from 11:00 until sold out, on irregular days.39
Summer roses "Daisetsu no Bara" (大雪の薔薇) Flowers Grown in greenhouses. They supply June–September, when rainy-season quality drops in Honshu.15
Chrysanthemums (キク) Flowers The town flower. The growers' group won a national facility-horticulture award in 2004 and the Hokuren Dream Grand Prize in 2007.16
Cucumbers and tomatoes Vegetables Cucumbers are grown to strict shipping standards.33 Tomatoes are ripened on the vine.40 Tomato juice is sold at the Michi-no-Eki.37
Ryu no Izumi (龍乃泉) Sake A junmai daiginjo brewed by Takasago Shuzo (高砂酒造) of Asahikawa from Suisei (彗星) rice grown by Toma farmers. It is aged about two months in the cave over winter, and volunteers carry it in and out. Made in small batches and sold only by shops in Toma and as a furusato nozei gift.17 The Michi-no-Eki carries it.37
Watermelon soft-serve (すいかソフト) Sweets The Michi-no-Eki's signature ice cream, together with a "watermelon mix" swirl. The 2026 season began on 4 April.41
"Yama-jin" jingisukan (山本精肉店) Meat The house jingisukan of Yamamoto Seiniku-ten, an old butcher at 4-jō Minami 3-chōme, now run by younger staff. Open 9:00–18:00, closed Mondays.42
Furusato nozei gifts Gifts The town offers 170+ items.43 Top sellers on Furusato Choice include Yamamoto's jingisukan (¥20,000 and ¥23,000 donations), specially grown "Toku-A" Yumepirka rice from named farms, paw-print trivets and key rings, "Taisetsu na Tomato" juice and woodcraft.44

Culture & festivals
Event When Highlights
Snow Park (スノーパーク) Mid-January to mid-February, 9:00–17:00; closes when the snow melts Free sledding and snow play at the Field Ball grounds, with free tube and sled rental. The 2026 opening ceremony was cancelled for lack of snow.45
Candlelight Festival (キャンドルライトフェスティバル) Early February (1 February 2026, from 14:00) Held in the car park in front of the Kōminkan Matomāru community hall. By day there are banana-boat rides towed by snowmobile, ice-candle making and lantern crafts. After dark the ice candles and illuminations are lit. Food stalls sell burgers and ramen.46
Toma Banryu Matsuri (とうま蟠龍まつり) First Sunday of August Held on a special site in front of the Kōminkan Matomāru hall (3-jō Higashi 2-chōme).47 It features a blue-and-silver "dragon dance" modeled on Nagasaki Kunchi, the Banryu Taiko drums, a "thousand-person dance", stalls and a fireworks finale.48 Former residents in the Tokyo Toma-kai (東京当麻会) come for it.8
Costume Bon Odori (仮装盆踊り) Mid-August Held at a special site at JR Toma Station. Children's bon dancing comes first, followed by an evening costume contest with group and individual cash prizes. Outsiders are welcome to join.49
  • The Banryu legend: A 1992 picture book, Banryu Densetsu (蟠龍伝説), tells of two dragons who save a village from natural disasters. It was written under the supervision of a former Toma Junior High School teacher, and an animated version is on YouTube. The cave was first named "Ezo Banryu-dō" (蝦夷蟠龍洞).3
  • Shrines, temples and cultural properties: Tōma Shrine dates from 1894. Town-designated cultural properties are:
    • the Chūkondō (忠魂堂) of Hōryū-ji (法隆寺)
    • the temple 誓王寺 and its bell tower
    • the hill where the old Tōma Shrine stood (旧当麻神社跡丘陵地)4
  • Museum: The local history museum Kokokara (郷土資料館ここから) is in the 1926 village office building. It opened as a museum in 1982. Upstairs is a tondenhei house moved here whole, along with old farm tools and household goods.24
  • Manhole card: Toma's card shows a blue dragon. Get it at Kokokara (10:00–19:00, closed Tuesdays), or on Tuesdays at the town office. It is not sent by mail.10

Ainu heritage
  • Place names: Beyond the town's own name (see Name origin), Ikaushi (伊香牛) comes from i-ika-us-i, "the place where one crosses over". Scholar Chiri Mashiho took it as a crossing of the Ishikari. A 1973 railway source reads it as "the place that always overflows".20 The Ushubetsu River is from ushis-pet, "hoof-print river", for the deer tracks once found along it. Another reading is isis-pet, "raging river", for its floods.21
  • Sites and facilities: No Ainu archaeological site, cultural facility or living-tradition group in Toma was found in the sources consulted. For Ainu culture of the Kamikawa area, the nearest large collection is the Asahikawa City Museum (旭川市博物館) in Kagura, Asahikawa. It is open 9:00–17:00; adults pay ¥350.50

Sister & friendship cities
  • Katsuragi, Nara Prefecture (葛城市): Toma signed a friendship exchange agreement in August 1995 with Taima Town (當麻町), Nara, whose name is written with the same characters. Taima merged with Shinjō Town into Katsuragi City on 1 October 2004, and Katsuragi lists Toma as a friendship city.1973
  • No international sister city was found.

Notable people
  • Katogawa Kōtarō (加登川幸太郎): born in Toma. Imperial Japanese Army lieutenant colonel who later wrote widely on tank warfare and military history.474
  • Sone Kenkō (曽根健孝): born in Toma. Diplomat; Consul-General in Los Angeles (2022–2025), then Japan's ambassador to Chile from September 2025.475
  • Hara Ippei (原一平): comedian.4
  • Hayashi Roichi (林路一, 1891–1938): born in Yamaguchi Prefecture and brought to Toma at age 2 in 1893. He was village mayor (1919–1927), then a Hokkaido assemblyman and member of the House of Representatives (1928–1938). In 1931 he opposed Nestlé's expansion into Hokkaido.476
  • Yamada Masahiro (山田真裕): political scientist, professor at Kwansei Gakuin University.4

Sources

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

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