is a town located in Hidaka Subprefecture, Hokkaido, Japan. Erimo is famous for its strong winds, kelp (konbu), and its scenic cape, Cape Erimo (Erimo-misaki). The cape was made famous by Shinichi Mori's enka song Erimo Misaki. It is supposed to be a romantic place to visit. The cape hosts a population of Kurile seals, as well as a museum dedicated to wind (kaze-no-yakata). Winds in Erimo are strong enough that in addition to two windmills on the cape, Erimo Elementary School (built in 2000) is completely powered by electricity generated by its own windmill. This is a common location in Hokkaido to view the first sunrise of the year, and hundreds of people from all over Japan brave the strong, cold wind to watch. While the main industry is fishing (salmon and squid in particular), Erimo's most famous harvest is kelp which is harvested by most of the native residents during the summer months. The kelp is sold in Japan as Hidaka konbu, and Erimo has a museum in the main part of town dedicated to kelp and fishery. The Hidaka Mountains come right down to the ocean at Erimo. For that reason, the road north to Hiroo had to be carved out of the rock. The road is known as the , because it cost so much to build. In March 2006, due to steady population decline, Erimo's Elementary and Junior High School along this road were closed, and students began busing into the main Junior High in the center of town. Events Cape Erimo is a popular place for the first sunrise of the new year and visitors come not only from Hokkaido but all around Japan. Additionally, since the building of the Museum of the Wind, tourists can enjoy watching the sunrise from within the museum's "Theatre of the Wind". Mid-January holds the annual Pickling Competition. The housewives of Erimo battle in a competition of homemade pickles. The entrants compete for bragging rights with various pickles, such as sushi rice with pickled radish and sake lees, the locally produced salmon and sandfish. In early March, the town holds a mini volleyball tournament. Volleyball is popular among the townspeople, and approximately 150 people participate in this tournament. The Open Auto Camping and Park Golf Course at is open from May to October. The camping sites include 10 bungalows, 19 auto partitions and about 100 tent lots. The