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Obira 小平町 | |
|---|---|
 Obira town hall | |
 Flag  Seal | |
 Location of Obira inHokkaido (Rumoi Subprefecture) | |
 | |
  Obira Location in Japan | |
| Coordinates:44°0′56″N141°39′46″E / 44.01556°N 141.66278°E /44.01556; 141.66278 | |
| Country | Japan |
| Region | Hokkaido |
| Prefecture | Hokkaido (Rumoi Subprefecture) |
| District | Rumoi |
| Area | |
• Total | 627.22 km2 (242.17 sq mi) |
| Population (31 January 2025) | |
• Total | 2,660 |
| • Density | 4.24/km2 (11.0/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC+09:00 (JST) |
| City hall address | 216 Obiramachi, Obira-cho, Rumoi-gun, Hokkaido 078-3392 |
| Climate | Dfb |
| Website | Official website |
| Symbols | |
| Flower | Azalea |
| Tree | Japanese yew |
Obira (小平町,Obira-chō) is atown located inRumoi Subprefecture,Hokkaido,Japan.
As of 31 January 2025[update], the town had an estimatedpopulation of 2,660 in 1,499 households, and apopulation density of 4.2 people per km2.[1] The total area of the town is 627.22 km2 (242.17 sq mi).
Per Japanese census data, the population of Obira is as shown below. The town is in a long period of sustained population loss.
| Year | Pop. | ±% |
|---|---|---|
| 1940 | 9,651 | — |
| 1950 | 17,046 | +76.6% |
| 1960 | 14,711 | −13.7% |
| 1970 | 8,471 | −42.4% |
| 1980 | 6,474 | −23.6% |
| 1990 | 5,334 | −17.6% |
| 2000 | 4,566 | −14.4% |
| 2010 | 3,720 | −18.5% |
| 2020 | 2,994 | −19.5% |
Obira is located in the Rumoi jurisdiction in northern Hokkaido, bordered by theSea of Japan to the west.
Obira began as a settlement byMatsumae Domain forherring andsalmon fishing in 1782. The Hanada family guardhouse was built in 1905. During theMeiji period and into the earlyShowa period, the area was part of the Rumoi coal fields. The last coal mine closed in the 1960s. Obira was raised to town status in 1966.
Obira has amayor-council form of government with a directly elected mayor and aunicameral town council of eight members. Obira, as part of Rumoi sub-prefecture, contributes one member to the Hokkaidō Prefectural Assembly. In terms of national politics, the town is part of theHokkaidō 10th district of thelower house of theDiet of Japan.
The main industries of Obira arecommercial fishing and agriculture. In addition to rice, various vegetables such as potatoes, peppers, and corn are grown. Flowers such as bellflowers have been actively cultivated in Obira due to the cool climate, and Japanese black beef is also shipped. In terms of seafood,scallops are cultivated and seed scallops are shipped to production areas around the country. Octopus are also landed.Sea urchins andsea cucumbers can be caught for a short period in summer.
Obira has two public elementary schools and one public junior high school operated by the town government, and one public high school operated by the Hokkaidō Board of Education.
Obira has aHumid continental climate (KöppenDfb) characterized by cold summers and cold winters with heavy snowfall. The average annual temperature in Obira is 7.2 °C. The average annual rainfall is 1227 mm with September as the wettest month. The temperatures are highest on average in August, at around 20.9 °C, and lowest in January, at around -5.9 °C.[2]
| Climate data forTappu, Obira, elevation 30 m (98 ft), (1991−2020 normals, extremes 1977−present) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 7.4 (45.3) | 10.3 (50.5) | 15.5 (59.9) | 25.4 (77.7) | 32.5 (90.5) | 34.3 (93.7) | 36.5 (97.7) | 38.7 (101.7) | 32.1 (89.8) | 24.9 (76.8) | 20.9 (69.6) | 11.4 (52.5) | 38.7 (101.7) |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | −2.0 (28.4) | −1.1 (30.0) | 3.1 (37.6) | 9.7 (49.5) | 17.3 (63.1) | 21.8 (71.2) | 25.5 (77.9) | 26.0 (78.8) | 22.0 (71.6) | 15.1 (59.2) | 6.6 (43.9) | −0.1 (31.8) | 12.0 (53.6) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | −6.4 (20.5) | −5.9 (21.4) | −1.6 (29.1) | 4.2 (39.6) | 11.0 (51.8) | 15.8 (60.4) | 19.9 (67.8) | 20.5 (68.9) | 15.9 (60.6) | 9.2 (48.6) | 2.7 (36.9) | −3.5 (25.7) | 6.8 (44.3) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | −11.8 (10.8) | −12.0 (10.4) | −7.1 (19.2) | −1.1 (30.0) | 4.6 (40.3) | 10.5 (50.9) | 15.2 (59.4) | 16.0 (60.8) | 10.6 (51.1) | 4.1 (39.4) | −1.0 (30.2) | −7.3 (18.9) | 1.7 (35.1) |
| Record low °C (°F) | −29.7 (−21.5) | −30.0 (−22.0) | −25.0 (−13.0) | −14.2 (6.4) | −4.1 (24.6) | −0.6 (30.9) | 4.9 (40.8) | 5.3 (41.5) | 0.1 (32.2) | −5.2 (22.6) | −15.4 (4.3) | −28.6 (−19.5) | −30.0 (−22.0) |
| Averageprecipitation mm (inches) | 155.2 (6.11) | 106.7 (4.20) | 90.9 (3.58) | 74.2 (2.92) | 88.0 (3.46) | 73.9 (2.91) | 148.1 (5.83) | 167.8 (6.61) | 172.0 (6.77) | 178.5 (7.03) | 202.9 (7.99) | 198.9 (7.83) | 1,653.6 (65.10) |
| Average rainy days | 22.6 | 18.9 | 17.6 | 12.6 | 12.2 | 10.6 | 11.7 | 13.0 | 14.7 | 17.7 | 21.5 | 25.2 | 198.3 |
| Mean monthlysunshine hours | 40.5 | 57.7 | 107.6 | 159.1 | 195.9 | 171.5 | 162.3 | 159.3 | 156.0 | 114.4 | 44.6 | 26.8 | 1,399.4 |
| Source 1:JMA[3] | |||||||||||||
| Source 2:JMA[4] | |||||||||||||
After the closure of theJapan National Railway Teshio Line in 1987, the town has not had any passenger rail service.
Obira's mascot isObimaru (おびまる) who is a curious and kind heart superhero that resembles a bull. Legend has it that this figure was formed from a bull, a melon, an octopus, two scallops, two fishes and a rice bowl on 12 August 2014. No one knows its gender yet. It can eat anything that is locally produced especially melon, beef, octopus, scallops, herring and rice. His charm point is a red star on his forehead to show its status has mascot of the town.[5]
Media related toObira, Hokkaidō at Wikimedia Commons
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