Kushiro, Hokkaido
Kushiro, Hokkaido
Kushiro 釧路市 | |
|---|---|
City | |
 Flag  Emblem | |
 Location of Kushiro in Hokkaido (Kushiro Subprefecture) | |
  Kushiro Location in Japan | |
| Coordinates:42°59′N 144°23′E [15] | |
| Country | Japan |
| Region | Hokkaido |
| Prefecture | Hokkaido (Kushiro Subprefecture) |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | Ebina Hiroya |
| Area | |
| • Total | 1,362.75 km2(526.16 sq mi) |
| Population (September 30, 2016) | |
| • Total | 174,938 |
| • Density | 140/km2(400/sq mi) |
| Symbols | |
| • Tree | Syringa reticulata |
| • Flower | Nasturtium |
| Time zone | UTC+9 (JST) |
| City hall address | 7-5 Kuroganechō, Kushiro-shi, Hokkaido 085-8505 |
| Website | www.city.kushiro.lg.jp [16] |
Kushiro 釧路市 | |
|---|---|
City | |
Flag Emblem | |
Location of Kushiro in Hokkaido (Kushiro Subprefecture) | |
Kushiro Location in Japan | |
| Coordinates:42°59′N 144°23′E [15] | |
| Country | Japan |
| Region | Hokkaido |
| Prefecture | Hokkaido (Kushiro Subprefecture) |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | Ebina Hiroya |
| Area | |
| • Total | 1,362.75 km2(526.16 sq mi) |
| Population (September 30, 2016) | |
| • Total | 174,938 |
| • Density | 140/km2(400/sq mi) |
| Symbols | |
| • Tree | Syringa reticulata |
| • Flower | Nasturtium |
| Time zone | UTC+9 (JST) |
| City hall address | 7-5 Kuroganechō, Kushiro-shi, Hokkaido 085-8505 |
| Website | www.city.kushiro.lg.jp [16] |
History
An Imperial decree in July 1899 established Kushiro as an open port for trading with the United States and the United Kingdom.[1]
Kushiro has been an important port because it is more reliably ice-free during winter than alternative Russian Far East warm-water ports such as Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky or other ports in Hokkaido such as Hakodate, which occasionally do freeze for short periods due to the lower salinity of the Sea of Japan. For this reason, Kushiro was considered a valuable target for the Tsars during the Russo-Japanese Wars, but it only became a really important port during the 1920s with the growth of commercial fishing, for which its reliable freedom from ice reduced costs.[2]
Following the Invasion 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 with Rumoi as the western cornerstone. However, these plans were cancelled after pressure by US President Harry S. Truman. [3][4][5][6]
On October 11, 2005, the town of Akan, from Akan District, and the town of Onbetsu, from Shiranuka District, was merged into Kushiro. The town of Shiranuka 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.).
In addition to its port, Kushiro is serviced by Kushiro Airport with flights from Honshu and by the Super Ōzora limited express train service, which runs seven times per day to the main population centres in the west of Hokkaido.
Kushiro was one of the many Japanese cities to receive a Peace Pagoda. Built by the monks and nuns of the Buddhist order Nipponzan Myohoji, it was inaugurated in 1959.
Kushiro was accorded city status on 1 August 1922. It is the sister city of Burnaby, British Columbia; Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, Russia; and Kholmsk, Russia.[7]
1869: Kusuri becomes Kushiro.
1900: Kushiro becomes a First Class Municipality as Kushiro Town.
1920: Kushiro Town becomes Kushiro-ku. Kushiro Village (now Town) splits off.
1922: Kushiro-ku becomes Kushiro City.
2005: Kushiro City, Akan Town, and Onbetsu Town merged to form the new city named Kushiro City.
Geography
Mountains
Mount Oakan
Mount Meakan
Mount Akan-Fuji
Rivers
Kushiro River
Akan River
Shitakara River
Lakes
Lake Akan
Lake Harutori
Late Panketō
Late Penketō
Late Shunkushitakara
National Parks
Kushiro-shitsugen National Park
Akan National Park
Climate
Kushiro has a humid 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 cold fresh water nearby. It is also markedly sunnier than the extremely gloomy Kuril Islands to its north, being sheltered by Hokkaido's mountains from the heavy snowfalls produced on the Sea of Japan side by the Aleutian Low. It receives only a third as much snowfall as Sapporo and almost twice as much sunshine as the Kuril Islands are estimated to.
| Climate data for Kushiro, Hokkaido (1981–2010) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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) | 15.1 (59.2) | 23.5 (74.3) | 28.0 (82.4) | 32.4 (90.3) | 29.7 (85.5) | 31.1 (88.0) | 29.0 (84.2) | 22.9 (73.2) | 18.7 (65.7) | 12.4 (54.3) | 32.4 (90.3) |
| Average high °C (°F) | −0.6 (30.9) | −0.4 (31.3) | 2.7 (36.9) | 7.7 (45.9) | 12.0 (53.6) | 15.2 (59.4) | 18.6 (65.5) | 21.2 (70.2) | 19.7 (67.5) | 14.8 (58.6) | 8.7 (47.7) | 2.5 (36.5) | 10.2 (50.4) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | −5.4 (22.3) | −4.7 (23.5) | −0.9 (30.4) | 3.7 (38.7) | 8.1 (46.6) | 11.7 (53.1) | 15.3 (59.5) | 18.0 (64.4) | 16.0 (60.8) | 10.6 (51.1) | 4.3 (39.7) | −1.9 (28.6) | 6.2 (43.2) |
| Average low °C (°F) | −10.4 (13.3) | −9.9 (14.2) | −4.9 (23.2) | 0.3 (32.5) | 5.0 (41.0) | 9.0 (48.2) | 12.8 (55.0) | 15.5 (59.9) | 12.3 (54.1) | 5.5 (41.9) | −0.8 (30.6) | −7.1 (19.2) | 2.3 (36.1) |
| Record low °C (°F) | −28.3 (−18.9) | −27 (−17) | −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) |
| Average precipitation mm (inches) | 44.3 (1.74) | 29.4 (1.16) | 58.4 (2.30) | 78.8 (3.10) | 113.0 (4.45) | 106.5 (4.19) | 115.4 (4.54) | 123.3 (4.85) | 153.1 (6.03) | 106.5 (4.19) | 71.3 (2.81) | 45.2 (1.78) | 1,045.2 (41.15) |
| Average snowfall cm (inches) | 54 (21) | 39 (15) | 48 (19) | 12 (4.7) | 1 (0.4) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | 6 (2.4) | 27 (11) | 187 (74) |
| Average precipitation days(≥ 0.5 mm) | 6.4 | 5.4 | 8.3 | 8.8 | 10.7 | 9.7 | 11.8 | 11.3 | 11.4 | 7.9 | 7.9 | 7.9 | 107.5 |
| Average snowy days | 15.8 | 15.7 | 15.6 | 7.2 | 0.7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.2 | 3.8 | 10.9 | 69.9 |
| Average relative humidity (%) | 69 | 67 | 68 | 77 | 79 | 87 | 88 | 88 | 82 | 75 | 69 | 67 | 76 |
| Mean monthly sunshine hours | 182.0 | 181.9 | 200.6 | 181.9 | 188.3 | 129.3 | 107.4 | 127.1 | 149.7 | 180.9 | 166.6 | 173.6 | 1,969.3 |
| Source #1: Japan Meteorological Agency[8] | |||||||||||||
| Source #2: Japan Meteorological Agency (records)[9] | |||||||||||||
Education
Universities
National
Hokkaido University of Education, Kushiro Campus
Public
Kushiro Public University of Economics
Colleges
National
Kushiro National College of Technology
Private
Kushiro junior College
High schools
Public
Hokkaido Kushiro Koryo High School
Hokkaido Kushiro Konan High School
Hokkaido Kushiro Meiki High School
Hokkaido Kushiro Commercial High School
Hokkaido Kushiro Technical High School
Hokkaido Akan High School
Hokkaido Kushiro Hokuyo High School
Private
Bushukan High School
Ikegami Gakuen High School, Kushiro Campus
Transportation
Kushiro Airport
Port of Kushiro
JR Hokkaido Nemuro Main Line : Chokubetsu - Shakubetsu Station - Onbetsu - (Shiranuka, Hokkaido) - Otanoshike - Shin-Otanoshike - Shin-Fuji - Kushiro - Higashi-Kushiro - Musa Senmō Main Line : Higashi-Kushiro
Taiheiyō Coal Services and Transportation Rinkō Line
Sports
Ice hockey is one of the most popular winter sports in Kushiro. In addition to several leagues devoted top amateur play of all ages, Kushiro is home to the Asia League Ice Hockey Nippon Paper Cranes, three time Asia League Champions.
Kushiro and many other cities are interested in hosting bandy teams.[10] On January 8 2017, the township of Akan hosted the first national championship,[11] although the size of the field was a smaller version than the official rules for a bandy field. In January 2018, the first championship on a full-sized field took place in Shintoku, with participation from three teams, including FACEOFF Kushiro.[12]
Notable people
Akira Ifukube composer
Kazuhiko Chiba football player
Yutaka Fukufuji ice hockey goaltender
Yukinobu Hoshino manga artist
Keisuke Itagaki manga artist
Saori Kitakaze sprinter
Satoshi Kon anime film director
Luna H. Mitani artist
Hiromi Nagakura photographer
Maki Nomiya singer of the Japanese band "Pizzicato Five"
Shinji Somai film director
Kazuro Watanabe astronomer
Aina Takeuchi ice hockey defenseman with Calgary Inferno
Sister cities
[[INLINE_IMAGE|//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/9/9e/Flag_of_Japan.svg/23px-Flag_of_Japan.svg.png|//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/9/9e/Flag_of_Japan.svg/35px-Flag_of_Japan.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/9/9e/Flag_of_Japan.svg/45px-Flag_of_Japan.svg.png 2x|Japan|h15|w23|thumbborder flagicon-img flagicon-img]] Yuzawa, Akita, Japan (since 1963)
[[INLINE_IMAGE|//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/9/9e/Flag_of_Japan.svg/23px-Flag_of_Japan.svg.png|//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/9/9e/Flag_of_Japan.svg/35px-Flag_of_Japan.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/9/9e/Flag_of_Japan.svg/45px-Flag_of_Japan.svg.png 2x|Japan|h15|w23|thumbborder flagicon-img flagicon-img]] Tottori, Tottori, Japan (since 1963)
[[INLINE_IMAGE|//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d9/Flag_of_Canada_%28Pantone%29.svg/23px-Flag_of_Canada_%28Pantone%29.svg.png|//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d9/Flag_of_Canada_%28Pantone%29.svg/35px-Flag_of_Canada_%28Pantone%29.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d9/Flag_of_Canada_%28Pantone%29.svg/46px-Flag_of_Canada_%28Pantone%29.svg.png 2x|Canada|h12|w23|thumbborder flagicon-img flagicon-img]] Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada (since 1965)
[[INLINE_IMAGE|//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/f/f3/Flag_of_Russia.svg/23px-Flag_of_Russia.svg.png|//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/f/f3/Flag_of_Russia.svg/35px-Flag_of_Russia.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/f/f3/Flag_of_Russia.svg/45px-Flag_of_Russia.svg.png 2x|Russia|h15|w23|thumbborder flagicon-img flagicon-img]] Kholmsk, Kholmsky District, Sakhalin Oblast, Russia (since 1975)
[[INLINE_IMAGE|//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/f/f3/Flag_of_Russia.svg/23px-Flag_of_Russia.svg.png|//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/f/f3/Flag_of_Russia.svg/35px-Flag_of_Russia.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/f/f3/Flag_of_Russia.svg/45px-Flag_of_Russia.svg.png 2x|Russia|h15|w23|thumbborder flagicon-img flagicon-img]] Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, Kamchatka Krai, Russia (since 1998)
[[INLINE_IMAGE|//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/88/Flag_of_Australia_%28converted%29.svg/23px-Flag_of_Australia_%28converted%29.svg.png|//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/88/Flag_of_Australia_%28converted%29.svg/35px-Flag_of_Australia_%28converted%29.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/88/Flag_of_Australia_%28converted%29.svg/46px-Flag_of_Australia_%28converted%29.svg.png 2x|Australia|h12|w23|thumbborder flagicon-img flagicon-img]] Port Stephens, New South Wales, Australia (since 1994)[13]