insects, a paradise of birdlife and one of the biggest populations of Ezo Higuma (brown bears) in Hokkaido. There are several restaurants in Assabu-cho and in the surrounding district. The town centre has three ramen/izakaya restaurants, three sushi-ya restaurants and two karaoke bars. In the local district, Takino has a soba restaurant where noodles are made on the premises while Uzura and Tate each have one eating place. Demographics Population The population of the Assabu-region has halved over the past 30 years due to agricultural reforms, the migration of the young to cities, especially Sapporo. Public facilities in some areas have been scaled back as a result, including schools. The towns population has been rapidly declining for many years. Assabu has even adopted the slogan "The World's Loveliest Depopulated Town" (世界一素敵な過疎のまち) Municipalities As well as the Assabu township itself, which is made up of four areas (Hon-chō, Midori-machi, Shin-machi and ), the municipal area includes several smaller hamlets, including: Iwami Tomiei Education Due to the rapidly decreasing population, schools in Assabu have been decreasing rapidly. In 2018, two Junior High Schools, Tate Junior High School (館中学校) and Uzura Junior High School (鶉中学校） were closed, consolidating all Junior High School students in the district into one school. In April 2019, the three nursery schools, Assabu Nursery School (厚沢部保育園), Tate Nursery School （館保育園）, and Uzura Nursery School (鶉保育園), were consolidated into a singular Certified Kindergarten (認定こども園） The town does not have a high school. Many students attend high school in nearby Esashi or live in residential facilities while attending high schools in Hakodate. Junior high school Assabu Junior High School (厚沢部町立厚沢部中学校) Elementary schools Assabu Elementary School (厚沢部小学校) Uzura Elementary School (鶉小学校) Tate Elementary School (館小学校) Kindergartens Certified Kindergarten (認定こども園） History Assabu dates back to the days of the Matsumae clan feudal clan who gained control over Hokkaido's Oshima Peninsula during the Sengoku period and first settled the town area in 1678. Offering an opening in the mountains accessible from the sea, Assabu was established as a forestry camp. As the area was cleared, agriculture followed and farmers began reclamation of land from the swampy drainage basin of local rivers. Like much of the Oshima Peninsula, armed merchants were in the vanguard of local settlers, and one of the mansion-castles typical of the period was established in the area near Tate - In 1869, Assabu briefly fell under the control of shogunate loyalists