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”town area/125.62K2 ”population/2,909 ”number of households/1,077 (as of March 31,1996)
” About GINS Thank you for visiting the Setana Homepage. We call our homepage GINS afterGinko Ogino, the first woman in Japan to be given an official license topractice medicine. She left her private practice in Tokyo and came to Setana with her husband Yukiyoshi Shikata in 1894. Even after her husband passed away, though younger than Ginko by 14 years, she continued to serve as town physician, educator, and avid proponant of women's rights. Those who knew her described her as a courageous and intelligent woman, attractive in appearance and a romanticist in perspective. One hundred years has passed since the days of Ginko, and our town has undergone many changes with fewer and fewer people who can remember those ages past. Yet Mt. Kariba and the Three Stone Cedars continue to watch over our town and the clear ocean waters still supply us out of their abundance just as they did for those who came before us. We want you to get to know Setana as it is today. We love our town and we want to share it with you through these pages. ”The origin of our town's name The word "setana" derives from an Ainu word "setarupe shupenai" which means "river of the dog." The Ainu are the indigenous people of northern Japan and though they have been nearly decimated as a distinct race, about 800 place names in Hokkaido alone originate in the Ainu language. ”Geographical Features There is very little flat land and the grassy hills undulate right up to the sea coast. The coast itself is rich in geological variety with unusual rock formations and many cliffs. A section of the coast line is designated prefectural forest land. In the northeast is a mountain range that includes the 1,520 meter high Mt. Kariba, and from these mountains five rivers flow into the Japan Sea. There are five regional fishing ports including Setana along the western coast. ”The origin of our town logo The Three Stone Cedars which stand off the coast of Setanasymbolize for us the limitless possibilities of our town which was first established when frontiersmen were drawn here by the abundance of fish to be found in the Japan Sea. Our forebearers withstood violent seas and blizzards to build this settlement on the strength of their frontier spirit and communal commitment.
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