Furano

A city in the southern reaches of Kamikawa Subprefecture, with 22,715 people spread across 600.97 square kilometres, a density of 38 to the square kilometre. It is known throughout Japan for its lavender fields, for the television drama Kita no Kuni kara, and for the Furano Ski Resort, which has hosted the Snowboarding World Cup. The name comes from the Ainu Fura-nui, stinky flame or foul-smelling place, most likely for the sulfuric fumaroles near Tokachi Peak. The first homesteaders arrived from Mie Prefecture in 1897 and settled what is now the Ogiyama area.