The aim of the construction on Hachiro Lagoon’s reclaimed land was to create a new farming town that would serve as a model for other regions. To that end, the national government held five rounds of applications from 1966 to 1974 to select people to farm the land. With the addition of settlers from Akita Prefecture, there were a total of 589 people and their families who settled in Ogata Village. Those selected underwent a year of training, of which seven months were compulsory. The training took place at the Hachiro Lagoon Settler Training Facility, which included the main building, lodging houses, a garage, and more. Presently only two of the lodging houses remain.
