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Kushiro 釧路市 | |
|---|---|
 Top：Kushiro Wetland Park 2nd left：Nusamai Bridge, 2nd right：Lake Akan andMount Oakan 3rd left：Kushiro Ramen, 3rd right：Port of Kushiro | |
 Flag  Emblem | |
 Location of Kushiro inHokkaido (Kushiro Subprefecture) | |
  Kushiro Location in Japan | |
| Coordinates:42°59′6″N144°22′54″E / 42.98500°N 144.38167°E /42.98500; 144.38167 | |
| Country | Japan |
| Region | Hokkaido |
| Prefecture | Hokkaido (Kushiro Subprefecture) |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | Hidenori Tsuruma |
| Area | |
• Total | 1,362.90 km2 (526.22 sq mi) |
| Population (January 31, 2024) | |
• Total | 157,288 |
| • Density | 115.407/km2 (298.902/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC+09:00 (JST) |
| City hall address | 7-5 Kuroganechō, Kushiro-shi, Hokkaido 085-8505 |
| Website | www |
| Symbols | |
| Flower | Nasturtium |
| Mascot | Rin-chan (りんちゃん) |
| Tree | Syringa reticulata |
Kushiro (釧路市,Kushiro-shi) is acity inKushiro Subprefecture on the island ofHokkaido, Japan. Located along the coast of theNorth Pacific Ocean, it serves as the subprefecture's capital and it is the most populated city in the eastern part of the island.
An Imperial decree in July 1899 established Kushiro as an open port for trading with the United States and the United Kingdom.[1]
Kushiro had been an important port because it is more reliably ice-free during winter than alternativeRussian Far Eastwarm-water ports such asPetropavlovsk-Kamchatsky or other ports in Hokkaido such asHakodate, which occasionally freeze for short periods due to the lowersalinity of the Sea of Japan. For this reason, Kushiro was considered a valuable target for theTsars during theRusso-Japanese Wars. Its importance grew during the 1920s with the growth of commercial fishing, for which its reliable freedom from ice reduced costs.[2]
In addition to its port, Kushiro is serviced byKushiro Airport with flights fromHonshu and by theŌzora limited express train service, which runs six times per day to the main population centres in the west of Hokkaido.
In July 1945 the city of Kushiro wasbombed by American naval aircraft; hundreds of people, mostly civilians, were killed.[3] Following theInvasion of the Kuril Islands in August 1945, Kushiro was favoured by the Russians as the eastern cornerstone of a border between an American-occupied south and a Soviet-occupied north-coupled withRumoi as the western cornerstone. However,these plans were cancelled after pressure by US PresidentHarry S. Truman.[4][5][6][7]
On October 11, 2005, the town ofAkan, fromAkan District, and the town ofOnbetsu, fromShiranuka District, was merged into Kushiro. The town ofShiranuka now lies between the two sections of Kushiro.
In 2008, the city had an estimated population of 189,539 and a total area of 1,362.75 km2 (526.16 sq mi), giving a population density of 140 persons per km2 (363 persons per sq. mi.).
Kushiro was one of the many Japanese cities to receive aPeace Pagoda. Built by the monks and nuns of the Buddhist orderNipponzan Myohoji, it was inaugurated in 1959.
Kushiro was accorded city status on August 1, 1922.It is the sister city ofBurnaby, British Columbia;Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, Russia; andKholmsk, Russia.[8]
Kushiro has ahumid continental climate (Dfb) but its winter temperatures are less severe than those of inland East Asia at the same latitude. Its port is the most reliably ice-free throughout winter in all of Hokkaido, due to the lack of indentation in the coastline and absence of large inflows of coldfresh water nearby. It is also markedly sunnier than the extremely gloomyKuril Islands to its north, being sheltered by Hokkaido's mountains from the heavy snowfalls produced on theSea of Japan side by theAleutian Low. It receives only a third as much snowfall asSapporo and almost twice as much sunshine as the Kuril Islands are estimated to. Its daytime summer temperatures are noticeably cooler than in the interior, sheltered coastal areas and the south coast of Hokkaido.
| Climate data for Kushiro/Kenebetsuweather station, 14mamsl (WMO identifier: 47418) 1991−2020 normals, extremes 1910−present | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 7.6 (45.7) | 7.9 (46.2) | 15.9 (60.6) | 23.5 (74.3) | 28.0 (82.4) | 32.4 (90.3) | 33.5 (92.3) | 31.1 (88.0) | 29.6 (85.3) | 23.7 (74.7) | 18.7 (65.7) | 16.1 (61.0) | 33.5 (92.3) |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | −0.2 (31.6) | −0.1 (31.8) | 3.3 (37.9) | 8.0 (46.4) | 12.6 (54.7) | 15.8 (60.4) | 19.6 (67.3) | 21.5 (70.7) | 20.1 (68.2) | 15.1 (59.2) | 8.9 (48.0) | 2.5 (36.5) | 10.6 (51.1) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | −4.8 (23.4) | −4.3 (24.3) | −0.4 (31.3) | 4.0 (39.2) | 8.6 (47.5) | 12.2 (54.0) | 16.1 (61.0) | 18.2 (64.8) | 16.5 (61.7) | 11.0 (51.8) | 4.7 (40.5) | −1.9 (28.6) | 6.7 (44.1) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | −9.8 (14.4) | −9.4 (15.1) | −4.2 (24.4) | 0.7 (33.3) | 5.4 (41.7) | 9.5 (49.1) | 13.6 (56.5) | 15.7 (60.3) | 12.9 (55.2) | 6.1 (43.0) | −0.3 (31.5) | −7.0 (19.4) | 2.8 (37.0) |
| Record low °C (°F) | −28.3 (−18.9) | −27.0 (−16.6) | −24.8 (−12.6) | −14.1 (6.6) | −4.6 (23.7) | −0.4 (31.3) | 3.3 (37.9) | 5.4 (41.7) | −2.2 (28.0) | −6.9 (19.6) | −15.2 (4.6) | −25.7 (−14.3) | −28.3 (−18.9) |
| Averageprecipitation mm (inches) | 40.4 (1.59) | 24.8 (0.98) | 55.9 (2.20) | 79.4 (3.13) | 115.7 (4.56) | 114.2 (4.50) | 120.3 (4.74) | 142.3 (5.60) | 153.0 (6.02) | 112.7 (4.44) | 64.7 (2.55) | 56.6 (2.23) | 1,080.1 (42.52) |
| Average snowfall cm (inches) | 32 (13) | 27 (11) | 31 (12) | 7 (2.8) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | 4 (1.6) | 26 (10) | 127 (50) |
| Average precipitation days(≥ 0.5 mm) | 6.4 | 5.6 | 8.1 | 9.8 | 11.3 | 10.2 | 11.5 | 11.8 | 11.8 | 8.7 | 8.0 | 7.7 | 110.8 |
| Averagerelative humidity (%) | 67 | 69 | 71 | 77 | 80 | 87 | 88 | 87 | 84 | 76 | 69 | 67 | 77 |
| Mean monthlysunshine hours | 186.7 | 183.1 | 200.8 | 182.2 | 177.5 | 126.8 | 118.9 | 117.6 | 143.9 | 177.0 | 167.6 | 175.6 | 1,957.6 |
| Percentagepossible sunshine | 65 | 63 | 55 | 45 | 39 | 27 | 25 | 28 | 39 | 53 | 58 | 62 | 47 |
| Averageultraviolet index | 1 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 7 | 8 | 8 | 7 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 4 |
| Source 1: Japan Meteorological Agency,[9] (December record high)[10] | |||||||||||||
| Source 2: Weather Atlas (UV)[11] | |||||||||||||
| Climate data forKushiro Airportweather station, 94.8mamsl (WMO identifier: 47489) 1985−2015 dewpoints | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Averagedew point °C (°F) | −11 (12) | −10 (14) | −6 (21) | −1 (30) | 5 (41) | 10 (50) | 15 (59) | 17 (63) | 13 (55) | 6 (43) | −2 (28) | −8 (18) | 2 (36) |
| Source:Time and Date[12] | |||||||||||||
Graphs are temporarily unavailable due to technical issues. See or editraw graph data.
National Route 38
National Route 44
National Route 240
National Route 241
National Route 274
National Route 391Operates both city, suburban, and intercity routes
Ice hockey is one of the most popular winter sports in Kushiro. In addition to several leagues devoted to amateur play of all ages, Kushiro is home to theAsia League Ice HockeyNippon Paper Cranes, three time Asia League Champions.
Kushiro and many other cities are interested in hostingbandy teams.[13] On January 8, 2017, the township ofAkan hosted the first national championship,[14] although the size of the field was a smaller version than the official rules for abandy field. In January 2018, the first championship on a full-sized field took place inShintoku, with participation from three teams, including FACEOFF Kushiro.[15] The national team for women is based in Kushiro and made itsWorld Championship debut in 2020.[16]
TheKushiro Ice Arena is the city's biggest stadion for ice hockey, figure skating and shorttrack.[17]
The Yanagimachi Speed Skating Rink hosted the 2003World Junior Speed Skating Championships and several Japanese Championships. It has an asphaltinline speed skating track on the middle field.
Kushiro's mascot isRin-chan (りんちゃん). She is agentiana triflora flower (though she represents all flowers) from Onbetsu. Her favourite drink is milk.[18]
| City | Country | State | since |
|---|---|---|---|
| Burnaby |  Canada | British Columbia | 1965 |
| Kholmsk |  Russia | Sakhalin Oblast | 1975 |
| City | Country | State | since |
|---|---|---|---|
| Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky | Russia | Kamchatka Krai | 1998 |
| City | Prefecture | region | since |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yuzawa |  Akita | Tōhoku region | October 4, 1963 |
| Tottori |  Tottori | Chūgoku region | October 4, 1963 |
| Okayama |  Okayama | Chūgoku region | October 9, 1980 |
| City | Prefecture | region | since |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yachiyo |  Chiba | Kantō region | 1982 |
| Izumi |  Kagoshima | Kyushu region | August 22, 1989 |
| Tsuru |  Yamanashi | Chūbu region | September 1, 1992 |
| Naka (Naka District) |  Tokushima | Shikoku region | September 2, 2006 |
Port of Kushiro's sister ports are:
Port of New Orleans, Louisiana, United States (since 1984)
Port Stephens, New South Wales, Australia (since 1994)[19]
Kushiro travel guide from Wikivoyage
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