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Monbetsu 紋別市 | |
|---|---|
 The city viewed from Mount Monbetsu | |
 Flag  Emblem | |
 Location of Monbetsu inHokkaido (Okhotsk Subprefecture) | |
  Monbetsu Location in Japan | |
| Coordinates:44°21′N143°21′E / 44.350°N 143.350°E /44.350; 143.350 | |
| Country | Japan |
| Region | Hokkaido |
| Prefecture | Hokkaido (Okhotsk Subprefecture) |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | Yoshikazu Miyakawa |
| Area | |
• Total | 830.70 km2 (320.74 sq mi) |
| Population (September 30, 2016) | |
• Total | 22,983 |
| • Density | 27.67/km2 (71.7/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC+09:00 (JST) |
| City hall address | 2-1-18, Saiwaichō, Mombetsu-shi, Hokkaidō 094-8707 |
| Climate | Dfb |
| Website | mombetsu |
| Symbols | |
| Flower | Rugosa Rose |
| Tree | Japanese Rowan |
Monbetsu (紋別市,Monbetsu-shi) is acity located inOkhotsk Subprefecture,Hokkaido, Japan; on theSea of Okhotsk. The name comes fromAinu Mopet[citation needed] (Quiet River), Ainu "-pet" would be interpreted "-betsu" in Japanese as well of other city names in Hokkaido.
As of September 30, 2016, the city has an estimatedpopulation of 22,983 and apopulation density of 27.67 persons per km2. The total area is 830.70 km2 (320.74 sq mi).
Most of Monbetsu's economy is dedicated tofishing for cold-water species such ascrab. The crab from Monbetsu is reputedly the best in Japan, and is such a source of town pride that a sculpture of a crab claw nearly 10 m tall was built on the waterfront.Famous for its horse racing track in which Andrew Musgrove, a local vice principal often frequents.
TheShokotsu River flows through the city.
Monbetsu has ahumid continental climate (Köppen climate classificationDfb) with warm summers and cold winters. Precipitation falls throughout the year, but is heaviest from July to September.
| Climate data for Monbetsu (1991−2020 normals, extremes 1956−present) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 8.8 (47.8) | 12.6 (54.7) | 18.7 (65.7) | 30.8 (87.4) | 37.0 (98.6) | 32.7 (90.9) | 36.4 (97.5) | 35.2 (95.4) | 34.2 (93.6) | 27.9 (82.2) | 22.4 (72.3) | 16.5 (61.7) | 37.0 (98.6) |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | −2.3 (27.9) | −2.0 (28.4) | 2.3 (36.1) | 9.0 (48.2) | 14.2 (57.6) | 16.7 (62.1) | 20.6 (69.1) | 22.9 (73.2) | 20.7 (69.3) | 14.9 (58.8) | 7.2 (45.0) | 0.3 (32.5) | 10.4 (50.7) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | −5.2 (22.6) | −5.3 (22.5) | −1.2 (29.8) | 4.6 (40.3) | 9.6 (49.3) | 13.0 (55.4) | 17.1 (62.8) | 19.3 (66.7) | 16.6 (61.9) | 10.5 (50.9) | 3.6 (38.5) | −2.6 (27.3) | 6.7 (44.0) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | −8.7 (16.3) | −9.4 (15.1) | −5.0 (23.0) | 0.7 (33.3) | 5.6 (42.1) | 9.9 (49.8) | 14.4 (57.9) | 16.4 (61.5) | 12.8 (55.0) | 6.2 (43.2) | 0.0 (32.0) | −6.0 (21.2) | 3.1 (37.5) |
| Record low °C (°F) | −21.8 (−7.2) | −24.7 (−12.5) | −22.7 (−8.9) | −11.2 (11.8) | −3.3 (26.1) | −0.3 (31.5) | 4.3 (39.7) | 5.6 (42.1) | 1.6 (34.9) | −2.2 (28.0) | −11.8 (10.8) | −17.0 (1.4) | −24.7 (−12.5) |
| Averageprecipitation mm (inches) | 44.4 (1.75) | 33.2 (1.31) | 35.4 (1.39) | 45.7 (1.80) | 58.4 (2.30) | 69.8 (2.75) | 108.6 (4.28) | 122.0 (4.80) | 127.6 (5.02) | 88.1 (3.47) | 64.6 (2.54) | 59.3 (2.33) | 860.8 (33.89) |
| Average snowfall cm (inches) | 87 (34) | 77 (30) | 62 (24) | 16 (6.3) | 1 (0.4) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | 21 (8.3) | 75 (30) | 338 (133) |
| Average rainy days | 11.1 | 9.8 | 9.1 | 8.3 | 8.5 | 9.4 | 10.0 | 9.9 | 10.8 | 9.9 | 11.1 | 11.6 | 119.5 |
| Average snowy days | 18.7 | 16.3 | 14.5 | 3.8 | 0.3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 | 5.3 | 15.8 | 74.8 |
| Averagerelative humidity (%) | 73 | 73 | 70 | 67 | 73 | 83 | 85 | 83 | 77 | 71 | 70 | 71 | 75 |
| Mean monthlysunshine hours | 98.7 | 114.2 | 160.1 | 174.7 | 179.3 | 154.7 | 143.2 | 145.0 | 157.3 | 149.3 | 103.5 | 95.2 | 1,675.2 |
| Source 1:JMA[2] | |||||||||||||
| Source 2:JMA[3] | |||||||||||||
Monbetsu does not have passenger rail service. There are buses toSapporo andAsahikawa.
There is also a daily flight toTokyo fromMonbetsu Airport. The other nearest airport isMemanbetsu Airport located 109 km away from the city which also serve flights to Sapporo and other Japanese cities in addition to Tokyo.
Shokotsu Line and Nayoro Main Line used to run in the city.
Monbetsu is famous fordrift ice, a yearly phenomenon which reaches the city every January or February from the northern Sea of Okhotsk. As such, the city has taken on the drift ice as its symbol and has become a center for research on sea ice generally, with an international conference held in February (usually the time of peak sea ice) each year. There is also a yearly Drift Ice Festival that coincides with the Sapporo Snow Festival. The festival features impressive sculptures built out of drift ice along with a large ice maze. Additionally, the Okhotsk Tower is a facility where one can observe sea ice from both high above, and from below the ocean. It is complete with an information center and aquarium. An icebreaker, the Garinko II, departs from nearby and makes regular sightseeing cruises through the drift ice during the winter. Monbetsu is also home to the Okhotsk Sea Ice Museum of Hokkaido,[4] which covers all aspects of sea ice and features a sub-zero room and "frozen aquarium" of various fish preserved in ice.
During the summertime, when the sea ice melts, sailors fromRussia are a common sight in the city. Some local businesses have banned Russian visitors for their supposed "unruly" behavior, which has led some activists to criticize Monbetsu as a hotbed ofracial discrimination.[5]
Monbetsu's mascot isMonta (紋太). He is a curious, festive and exciting 53-year-old harbor seal. He usually wears a happi coat with an iceberg motif, a belly band (which is his charm point as it helps him give extra warmth during the winter and extra coolness during the summer) and a scallop as a wig. As a seal, he can resist the extreme weather (both cold and hot). He sometimes wear salmon roes, crab claws and salmon as wigs. Despite his old age, he can go scuba diving. He lives in the Hokkaidoritsu Okhotsk Ryuhyo Park (which is also his workplace). He usually goes to festivals and the Port of Monbetsu. His hobbies are fishing, studying the sea and taking naps on drift ice (during the winter) and at the Okhotsk White Beach (during the summer). He likes all kinds of seafood but try to offer him some sweets and vegetables and he will refuse them for health reasons. His goal is to be a good elder when it comes to promoting the city. Whenever anyone sees him, he brings smiles.[6]
Monbetsu's sister cities are[7]
Newport, Oregon, United States (1966)
Korsakov, Russia (1991)Fairbanks, Alaska, United States (1991)
Media related toMombetsu, Hokkaido at Wikimedia Commons
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