Yūbari, Hokkaido

Yūbari (夕張市, Yūbari-shi) is a city located in Sorachi Subprefecture, Hokkaido, Japan.

As of March 31, 2012, the city has an estimated population of 10,471, with 5,789 households. The total area is 763.20 km². Hemmed in by mountains Yūbari stretches for 25 kilometers along a mountain valley.

The city is famous for the Yubari Melon and the Yubari International Fantastic Film Festival, which skipped a show in 2006 due to the city's financial crisis.

History

The city was founded on April 1, 1943 as a coal mining town. When the mines were operating Yūbari had as many as 120,000 people. With the closing of the mines in the 1980s, an attempt was made to convert the economic base to tourism. Subsidies were obtained from the central government and huge debts incurred for the building of tourist attractions, but few visitors came. In 2007 the city was in the news due to bankruptcy and the refusal of the national government to bail it out. City services had been severely cut and its white elephant amusement park and museums were up for sale. The amusement park has begun to be demolished as of June 2008.