Abashiri 網走市 | |
|---|---|
 Top: Panorama view ofMount Tento andLake Abashiri,Second: Abashiri Prison Museum, View ofsalicornia europaea inLake Notoro,Third: View ofdrift ice inOkhotsk Sea, Ainu Moyoro Midden Ruin Park,Bottom: Panorama view of downtown Abashiri (all item from left to right) | |
 Flag  Emblem | |
 Location of Abashiri inHokkaido (Okhotsk Subprefecture) | |
  Abashiri Location in Japan | |
| Coordinates:44°1′N144°16′E / 44.017°N 144.267°E /44.017; 144.267 | |
| Country | Japan |
| Region | Hokkaido |
| Prefecture | Hokkaido (Okhotsk Subprefecture) |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | Yōichi Mizutani (since December 2010) |
| Area | |
• Total | 470.94 km2 (181.83 sq mi) |
| Population (February, 2020) | |
• Total | 34,919 |
| • Density | 85.6/km2 (222/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC+09:00 (JST) |
| City hall address | Higashi Yon-chōme, Minami Roku-jō, Abashiri-shi, Hokkaidō 093-8555 |
| Climate | Dfb |
| Website | www |
| Symbols | |
| Flower | Ezo murasaki-tsutsuji(Rhododendron dauricum) |
| Mascot | Nipone (ニポネ) |
| Tree | Katsura |
Abashiri (網走市,Abashiri-shi) is acity located inOkhotsk Subprefecture,Hokkaido,Japan.
Abashiri is known as the site of theAbashiri Prison, aMeiji-era facility used for the incarceration ofpolitical prisoners. The old prison has been turned into a museum, but the city's newmaximum-security prison is still in use.
As of 2008, the city has an estimatedpopulation of 40,333 and adensity of 85.6 persons per km2 (222 persons per sq. mi.). The total area is 470.94 km2 (181.83 sq mi).
There are various theories about the origin of the name 'Abashiri' and, because of that, the origin is unknown. All of those theories are based on the Kanji interpretation of theAinu language.[1] These are the following theories.
The origin of the city's name is not known for certain, but it is agreed that it was derived from an Ainu word. A few among several of the candidates includeapa-siri (leakage/ground) andci-pa-sir ("the land we discovered").[2][3]
Following the 1945Soviet invasion of South Sakhalin,[4][5] Abashiri saw the resettlement of severalNivkh andOrok families fromKarafuto; among them wasChiyo Nakamura (1906–1969), a Nivkh shaman fromPoronaisk (Japanese:敷香町,romanized: Shisuka-machi).[6][7][8] By 2004, the Nivkh-Orok community in Abashiri had apparently vanished.[9]
Abashiri is located in the eastern part of Okhotsk Subprefecture, about 50 kilometers east ofKitami. There are no tall mountains, but there are many hills. TheAbashiri River flows through the city and there are three lakes (Lake Abashiri,Lake Notoro andLake Tōfutsu) in the city as well. These lakes andMount Tento belong toAbashiri Quasi-National Park.
The climate ishumid continental with warm summer (Köppen:Dfb) as much ofHokkaido, similar to the south coast ofNew England.[10] Despite its reputation for extreme cold, Abashiri is not actually the coldest major town in Japan, being less cold in the winter thanObihiro and warmer in summer thanNemuro orKushiro. Abashiri receives less precipitation than any other city in Japan because its location on thedrift ice-affectedSea of Okhotsk,[11] which, however, causes Abashiri to receive less sunshine than the northeast coast since winter snowfall is heavier andfog less confined to the summer months when theOyashio Current is strongest. During the winter, when Lake Abashiri freezes over, fog becomes a common occurrence.[12] Also, the harbor closes when it ices over.
| Climate data for Abashiri, 1991–2020 normals, extremes 1889−present | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 11.8 (53.2) | 11.1 (52.0) | 19.7 (67.5) | 31.9 (89.4) | 35.4 (95.7) | 34.0 (93.2) | 37.0 (98.6) | 37.6 (99.7) | 32.8 (91.0) | 27.7 (81.9) | 21.7 (71.1) | 17.6 (63.7) | 37.6 (99.7) |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | −2.2 (28.0) | −2.0 (28.4) | 2.3 (36.1) | 9.1 (48.4) | 14.6 (58.3) | 17.7 (63.9) | 21.4 (70.5) | 23.3 (73.9) | 20.7 (69.3) | 15.0 (59.0) | 7.6 (45.7) | 0.7 (33.3) | 10.7 (51.3) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | −5.1 (22.8) | −5.4 (22.3) | −1.3 (29.7) | 4.5 (40.1) | 9.8 (49.6) | 13.5 (56.3) | 17.6 (63.7) | 19.6 (67.3) | 16.8 (62.2) | 10.9 (51.6) | 4.0 (39.2) | −2.4 (27.7) | 6.9 (44.4) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | −8.9 (16.0) | −9.6 (14.7) | −4.9 (23.2) | 0.6 (33.1) | 5.8 (42.4) | 10.2 (50.4) | 14.6 (58.3) | 16.6 (61.9) | 13.4 (56.1) | 7.0 (44.6) | 0.4 (32.7) | −6.0 (21.2) | 3.3 (38.0) |
| Record low °C (°F) | −29.2 (−20.6) | −25.7 (−14.3) | −23.2 (−9.8) | −12.4 (9.7) | −5.4 (22.3) | 0.1 (32.2) | 2.8 (37.0) | 5.9 (42.6) | 3.3 (37.9) | −4.6 (23.7) | −11.3 (11.7) | −18.0 (−0.4) | −29.2 (−20.6) |
| Averageprecipitation mm (inches) | 53.8 (2.12) | 41.9 (1.65) | 39.3 (1.55) | 51.2 (2.02) | 64.1 (2.52) | 68.1 (2.68) | 85.8 (3.38) | 115.3 (4.54) | 115.0 (4.53) | 88.2 (3.47) | 58.1 (2.29) | 63.6 (2.50) | 844.2 (33.24) |
| Average snowfall cm (inches) | 90 (35) | 69 (27) | 52 (20) | 15 (5.9) | 1 (0.4) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | 13 (5.1) | 71 (28) | 312 (123) |
| Average snowy days | 19.7 | 15.9 | 13.4 | 3.7 | 0.3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 | 3.7 | 14.8 | 71.6 |
| Averagerelative humidity (%) | 72 | 73 | 70 | 68 | 73 | 80 | 82 | 81 | 76 | 71 | 68 | 69 | 74 |
| Mean monthlysunshine hours | 111.5 | 137.9 | 172.4 | 178.6 | 187.1 | 172.2 | 167.6 | 163.9 | 162.9 | 157.4 | 121.2 | 117.4 | 1,850.1 |
| Source 1:JMA[13] | |||||||||||||
| Source 2:JMA[14] | |||||||||||||
Per Japanese census data,[15] the population of Abashiri has declined in recent decades.
| Year | Pop. | ±% |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 43,904 | — |
| 1980 | 44,777 | +2.0% |
| 1990 | 44,416 | −0.8% |
| 2000 | 43,395 | −2.3% |
| 2010 | 40,998 | −5.5% |
| 2020 | 35,759 | −12.8% |
Because of its short 130-daygrowing season, the crops in the region, such as oats, potatoes, and beans, are required to be hardy. Hay is also grown for local cows, horses, and sheep.[12] The sea is an important part of the community as well as the economy, as fishing, oysters, and seaweed are important means of livelihood.[12]
Memanbetsu Airport is located in nearbyŌzora.
Abashiri is an important local port city and railway terminal (Abashiri Station).
Port Alberni,British Columbia, Canada - Each year many students participate instudent exchange programs between the two cities.[16]
Hokkaido has a brewery called Abashiri which sells a range of beers,[17][18] includingBilk, a blend of beer and milk.[19] Abashiri is also home to a flower garden with a wide range of flowers.[12]
In the winter, tourists visit the city to watch thedrift ice.
Abashiri's mascot isNipone (ニポネ). She is a plankton who has the ability to gain flight with her cape. Her job is to protect everyone from criminal activities (such as terrorism and corruption), outbreak of warfare, natural disasters, health crisis (such as disease outbreaks) or anything that pose a risk to everyone's lives. She usually rests with her "nipopo" (totem pole) helmet and loves ingredients produced from the city. Her birthday is November 22.[20]
|  | |||||||||||
| ||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Geographic | |
| Academics | |
| Other | |
