Hokuei, Tottori


Hokuei is a town located in Tōhaku District, Tottori Prefecture, Japan. Bordering it are Kotoura to the west, Kurayoshi to the south and Yurihama to the east.
As of October 1, 2016, the town has an estimated population of 14,718 and a density of 260 persons per km². The total area is 57.15 km².
Hokuei was created on October 1, 2005, from the merger of the towns of Hōjō and Daiei, both from Tōhaku District.
Its main agricultural products are watermelon, nagaimo, tobacco, rakkyō, grapes and wine. It has nine wind turbines along the coast, which faces the Sea of Japan.
In honor of manga artist Gosho Aoyama, who was born in the former town of Daiei, the town has various tourist attractions related to his most famous work, Detective Conan, including a Detective Conan-themed train station, and is promoted as Conan Town. Tottori Airport, 25 miles away from Hokuei was renamed Tottori Sand Dunes Conan Airport in 2015. This has caught the attention of American late night talk show host Conan O'Brien, who discussed the town in his talk show and visited in September 2018, during which he became honorary mayor for one day and served hamburgers to the townspeople.

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