Tomakomai ( 苫小牧市 , Tomakomai-shi ) is a city and port in Iburi Subprefecture , Hokkaido , Japan. It is the largest city in the Iburi Subprefecture, and the fourth largest city in Hokkaido. As of 31 July 2023, it had an estimated population of 167,372, with 83,836 households , and a population density of 298 persons per km² (770 persons per mi²). The total area is 561.57 km (216.82 sq mi).
4-417: The city is known for its high catch of Arctic surf clams . The name of Tomakomai is derived from Ainu words "to" and "makomai", meaning "Marsh" and "River which goes into the depths of the mountain", respectively. Mount Tarumae is located in the northwest of Tomakomai and belongs to Shikotsu-Tōya National Park . Tomakomai has a humid continental climate typical of Hokkaido. In 2014, Tomakomai hosted
8-462: Is called poksey or tutturep . Arctic surf clams grow to around 10 cm, and can live up to 30 years in shallow waters. Arctic surf clam is eaten in Japan, usually as sushi or sashimi . The foot of the clam is black when raw, but turns characteristically red when cooked. It can also be used in rice dishes like takikomi gohan . In the city of Tomakomai , where the most surf clams are caught in Japan,
12-651: The World Broomball Championships . Tomakomai is home to the Asia League Ice Hockey team Red Eagles Hokkaido . Spisula sachalinensis Spisula sachalinensis ( Japanese : 姥貝 , Ubagai or 北寄貝 , Hokkigai ; Uilta : Sarukki ), the Sakhalin surf clam , is a species of edible saltwater clam in the family Mactridae , the surf clams or trough clams. It is commonly referred to as surf clam or Arctic surf clam , though
16-566: The latter can also refer to the closely related Mactromeris polynyma (Stimpson's surf clam). The species is commercially exploited and widely used for sushi in Japan. The species is found in Tomakomai, Hokkaido , and numerous other areas. In Japan, the technical name is ubagai ("old woman's clam"). However, in the Hokkaido region, it is called hokkigai ("northern clam"). In the Ainu language , it
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