Shiraoi 白老町 | |
|---|---|
Town | |
 Shiraoi town hall | |
 Flag  Logo | |
 Location of Shiraoi inHokkaido (Iburi Subprefecture) | |
  Shiraoi Location in Japan | |
| Coordinates:42°33′N141°21′E / 42.550°N 141.350°E /42.550; 141.350 | |
| Country | Japan |
| Region | Hokkaido |
| Prefecture | Hokkaido (Iburi Subprefecture) |
| District | Shiraoi |
| Area | |
• Total | 425.75 km2 (164.38 sq mi) |
| Population (September 30, 2016) | |
• Total | 17,759 |
| • Density | 42/km2 (110/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC+09:00 (JST) |
| City hall address | 1-1-1 Ōmachi, Shiraoi-chō, Shiraoi-gun, Hokkaidō 059-0995 |
| Climate | Dfb |
| Website | www |
| Symbols | |
| Flower | Lespedeza bicolor (エゾヤマハギ,Ezo-yama-hagi) |
| Tree | Sorbus commixta (ナナカマド,Nanakamado) |
Shiraoi (白老町,Shiraoi-chō) is atown located inIburi,Hokkaido,Japan. As of September 2016, the town had apopulation of 17,759. It was established in 1867 by the feudal lords ofSendai. Most of the area of the town is forested and parts lie within theShikotsu-Tōya National Park.
Shiraoi, like the rest of Hokkaido, was populated by theAinu. According to the town's official website, the name, Shiraoi, meansRainbows in theAinu language.[1] Other sources state that the name comes fromShiraunai meaningHorse-flies.[2]
In 1867, the Sendai domain established a fort in Shiraoi and work began on Shiogama Shrine (塩釜神社,Shiogama Jinja). The following year theBoshin War caused Sendai to retreat from Shiraoi and return to Sendai proper. After the revolt was put down the government dismantled the fort in 1870.
The end of the 19th century saw expansion of the town. A road was established connecting Shiraoi withMuroran,Sapporo, andHakodate in 1873. Nineteen years later, the first railroad station was established. The villages of Shadai and Shikiu were established. Two significant events occurred during this expansion: in 1874,Mount Tarumae erupted, and in 1881, theEmperor Meiji visited.[3]
The total area is 425.72 square kilometres (164.37 sq mi). The town is 28.0 kilometres (17.4 mi) East to West and 26.4 kilometres (16.4 mi) North to South.[4] 82% of this area is forested.[1]
| Use | Percentage |
|---|---|
| Mountains and forest | 74 |
| Other | 9 |
| Plains and moor | 6 |
| Ranchland | 4 |
| Farmland | 2 |
| Housing | 2 |
| Mixed use | 2 |
| Wet lands | 1 |
Shiraoi is crossed by a number of rivers running from the mountains likeMount Horohoro to thePacific Ocean. These include:
Mount Horohoro andLake Kuttara are part of Shikotsu-Tōya National Park.Lake Poroto is also in the area.
Shiraoi has an oceanic climate, mild when compared to the rest of Hokkaido. The annual temperature ranges between the extremes of 33.3 °C (91.9 °F) and −20.8 °C (−5.4 °F). The average annual temperature is 7.2 °C (45.0 °F). Shiraoi receives 1,660 millimetres (65 in) of precipitation annually. This only results in 103 centimetres (41 in) of snow annually. In a typical year, the snow lingers for 80 days. Accumulated snow rarely exceeding 44 centimetres (17 in). Wind velocity averages merely 1.6 metres per second (3.6 mph), that is less than half of the neighboring Tomakomai and Muroran.[5]
| Climate data for Shiraoi (1991−2020 normals, extremes 1977−present) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 8.4 (47.1) | 10.7 (51.3) | 16.1 (61.0) | 23.8 (74.8) | 28.5 (83.3) | 31.1 (88.0) | 33.3 (91.9) | 33.1 (91.6) | 30.9 (87.6) | 26.9 (80.4) | 19.0 (66.2) | 14.5 (58.1) | 33.3 (91.9) |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 0.5 (32.9) | 0.9 (33.6) | 4.3 (39.7) | 9.5 (49.1) | 13.9 (57.0) | 17.2 (63.0) | 21.0 (69.8) | 23.3 (73.9) | 21.6 (70.9) | 16.1 (61.0) | 9.2 (48.6) | 2.7 (36.9) | 11.7 (53.0) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | −3.7 (25.3) | −3.3 (26.1) | 0.2 (32.4) | 4.9 (40.8) | 9.7 (49.5) | 13.8 (56.8) | 17.9 (64.2) | 20.0 (68.0) | 17.2 (63.0) | 11.0 (51.8) | 4.6 (40.3) | −1.4 (29.5) | 7.6 (45.6) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | −8.6 (16.5) | −8.5 (16.7) | −4.4 (24.1) | 0.3 (32.5) | 5.6 (42.1) | 10.8 (51.4) | 15.4 (59.7) | 17.1 (62.8) | 12.8 (55.0) | 5.7 (42.3) | −0.2 (31.6) | −5.8 (21.6) | 3.4 (38.0) |
| Record low °C (°F) | −19.4 (−2.9) | −20.8 (−5.4) | −16.7 (1.9) | −10.5 (13.1) | −2.8 (27.0) | 0.2 (32.4) | 5.6 (42.1) | 8.1 (46.6) | 2.3 (36.1) | −3.1 (26.4) | −11.6 (11.1) | −16.5 (2.3) | −20.8 (−5.4) |
| Averageprecipitation mm (inches) | 34.1 (1.34) | 35.9 (1.41) | 61.3 (2.41) | 89.3 (3.52) | 155.6 (6.13) | 149.2 (5.87) | 207.8 (8.18) | 230.5 (9.07) | 206.9 (8.15) | 134.1 (5.28) | 88.5 (3.48) | 56.8 (2.24) | 1,450 (57.09) |
| Average snowfall cm (inches) | 68 (27) | 76 (30) | 56 (22) | 5 (2.0) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | 4 (1.6) | 40 (16) | 253 (100) |
| Average precipitation days(≥ 1.0 mm) | 6.5 | 6.1 | 8.1 | 9.2 | 10.7 | 10.2 | 13.2 | 13.2 | 11.9 | 10.6 | 9.9 | 7.8 | 117.4 |
| Average snowy days | 9.1 | 10.7 | 8.4 | 0.7 | 0.1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.5 | 5.7 | 35.2 |
| Mean monthlysunshine hours | 153.3 | 155.3 | 178.8 | 185.2 | 183.0 | 129.8 | 108.7 | 131.7 | 158.5 | 159.3 | 140.1 | 136.6 | 1,820.4 |
| Source:JMA[6][7] | |||||||||||||
Shiraoi has adensity of 42 persons per km2.
| Year | Households | Population |
|---|---|---|
| 1899 | 848 | 3659 |
| 1919 | 988 | 4906 |
| 1920 | 1906 | 6312 |
| 1925 | 1348 | 6849 |
In the 1930s, Shiraoi began the cultivation of mushrooms,[8] such asShiitake, andmulletroe (orkarasumi) at Kojohama. Shiraoi imported the knowledge of mullet roe production fromIwanai.[9]
Shiraoi has been involved in the harvest of marine products such as theHorsehair crab andkonbu. Because of dwindling resources, harvesting of hair crab has been reduced to a test operation from the middle of July until the middle of August.[9]
Shiraoi introduced the raising of beef cattle fromShimane Prefecture in 1954. In 1966, Shiraoi began with the production of chicken eggs. Shiraoi boasts 550,000 chickens, and a business worth ¥2.8 billion.[8]
Shiraoi has four annual festivals:[10]
Shiraoi has several stations on theMuroran Main Line:
Shiraoi is served by the following bus companies:
Shiraoi is served by the following roads and highways:
Shiraoi has the following twin city relationships:[13]
Quesnel, Canada since 1981
Sendai, Japan since 1981Morita (now part of Tsugaru), Japan since 1991TheShadai Stallion Station is located here. Shadai Stallion Station has bought high-profilethoroughbreds for their breeding program, such asKentucky Derby winnerWar Emblem.[14]
Media related toShiraoi, Hokkaidō at Wikimedia Commons
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