from the town hall in Bikuni. The Shakotan Board of Education oversees the middle school, elementary schools, and community education centers of the town. The Shakotan Town Assembly, by law, can consist of 15 members; there are currently nine members of the assembly. Assembly members serve a four-year term. None are affiliated with a political party. Shakotan has four post offices: one each in Bikuni, Nozuka, Irika, and Yobetsu. The town does not maintain a municipal police force. The regional police office, located in Yoichi, has branches serving the town of Shakotan in Bikuni, Irika, and Yobetsu. Education There are no high schools or institutions of higher education in Shakotan. Two high schools are accessible by public transportation from Shakotan: the prefectural Hokkaidō Yoichi Kōshi High School and the private Hokuseigakuen Yoichi High School, both in the nearby city of Yoichi. The Town of Shakotan Board of Education maintains one middle school: Bikuni Middle School, and four elementary schools: Bikuni Elementary School, Hizuka Elementary School, Nozuka Elementary School, and Yobetsu Elementary School. The town maintains two nursery schools: Bikuni Nursery School and Minato Nursery School. Transportation Public transport Shakotan is not connected by rail to other areas of Hokkaido. The town is connected to nearby Otaru and the prefectural capitol Sapporo by Hokkaidō Chūō Bus Company. The Bikuni area of Shakotan can be reached by bus in 75 minutes from the JR Hokkaido Otaru Station. Highways Japan National Route 229, a national highway of Japan, runs through the east of Shakotan and connects the town to Otaru and Esashi. Japan National Route 229 was completed in 1971. Hokkaidō Prefectural Route 568 connects Funama and Mikuni, both within the town of Shakotan. Hokkaidō Prefectural Route 913 runs along the coastline of the Shakotan Peninsula between Nozuka and Fumi, and provides access to many sightseeing locations in the town, notably Cape Kamui. Noted places The Bikuni Shrine was founded in 1725 as Inari Shrine in the Kodomari area of Shakotan, and renamed Bikuni Shrine in 1892. In 1911, numerous other small Inari shrines in the Shakotan area were absorbed into Bikuni Shrine. In 1914 the shrine structures were moved in their entirety to their present-day location in the central Bikuni area of Shakotan. The festival of Bikuni Shrine is held annually from July 5 to 6. Kamui Shrine, located in the hilly forested areas of Raikishi west of the port of Yobetsu,