is a town located in Hidaka Subprefecture, Hokkaidà Â, Japan. , the town had an estimated population of 3,668 in 1995 households, and a population density of 10 people per km<sup>2</sup>. The total area of the town is .
Samani is located in southern Hokkaido, in the southern coastal area of the Hidaka Subprefecture. The Hidaka Mountains stretching from the north, along with Mount Apoi, Lake Horoman, and the surrounding area of the Horoman Japanese White Pine, are designated as part of the Hidakasanmyaku-Erimo-Tokachi National Park. In the southern part of town, the mountain ranges approach the Pacific Ocean. Hidaka Yabakei Gorge, located between Fuyushima and Horoman, is particularly known for its scenic beauty and steep paths. The Shamani Mountain Trail was opened during the Edo period. The coastal area, including Hidaka Yabakei Gorge, is also designated as part of the Hidakasanmyaku-Erimo-Tokachi National Park.
Samani has a humid continental climate (Köppen Dfb) with warm summers and cold winters. With an alternate definition, using the âÂÂ3 ðC (27 ðF) isotherm, Samani falls in the rare oceanic climate (Cfb) of the east coast of the continents due to the warm Kuroshio current. Owing to its slightly more southerly latitude, easterly aspect and location on the sea, snowfall is much lighter than in the major cities of western Hokkaido. Precipitation in heaviest in the summer months when remnant typhoons may approach. Year-round sunshine, although less than in the Tokachi Plain, is also higher than western Hokkaido.
Per Japanese census data, the population of Samani has declined in recent decades.
The indigenous Ainu people have lived in this area since ancient times, and ruins from their Jomon period ancestors have been excavated throughout the town. During the Edo period (around 1600), large numbers of Japanese people began moving to the area to mine gold dust. Samani was proclaimed a village in 1906 under the second-class town and village system. It was raised to town status in 1952.
Samani has a mayor-council form of government with a directly elected mayor and a unicameral town council of ten members. Samani, as part of Hidaka Subprefecture, contributes two members to the Hokkaidà  Prefectural Assembly. In terms of national politics, the town is part of the Hokkaidà  9th district of the lower house of the Diet of Japan.
The local economy is dominated by commercial fishing, with four fishing ports (Utoma, Samani, Fuyushima, and Asahi) and two fisheries cooperative branches (Hidaka Central Fisheries Cooperative Samani Branch and Erimo Fisheries Cooperative Fuyushima Branch). The town's fishing grounds, home to a wide variety of fish species, are influenced by the warm (Tsugaru current) and cold (Kuril current) that flow through the foreshore. In addition to salmon, trout, and cod, the town also produces a wide variety of seafood, including octopus, sea urchin, whelks, and kelp. In addition, field crops, rice cultivation, dairy farming, livestock farming, and horse farming are also practiced.
Samani has one public elementary school and one public middle school operated by the town. The town's public high school closed in 2014.
Samani was served by the JR Hokkaido Hidaka Main Line. However, no trains have operated between and since January 2015, due to storm damage. Plans to restore this section of the line have been abandoned, due to declining passenger numbers and very high maintenance costs, and the section was officially closed on 1 April 2021, and replaced by a bus service.
Defunct railway stations in Samani: - -
Samani's mascots are and .