Abashiri, Hokkaidō

Abashiri
網走
—  City  —
Location of Abashiri in Hokkaido (Okhotsk Subprefecture)
Abashiri
 
Coordinates:
Country Japan
Region Hokkaido
Prefecture Hokkaido (Okhotsk Subprefecture)
Government
 • Mayor Yōichi Mizutani (since December 2010)
Area
 • Total 470.94 km2 (181.8 sq mi)
Population (August,31 2011)
 • Total 38,966
 • Density 85.6/km2 (221.7/sq mi)
Time zone Japan Standard Time (UTC+9)
City symbols
- Tree Katsura
- Flower Ezo Murasaki Tsutsuji (Rhododendron dauricum)
Phone number 0152-44-6111
Address Higashi Yon-chōme, Minami Roku-jō, Abashiri-shi, Hokkaidō
093-8555
Website www.city.abashiri.hokkaido.jp

Abashiri (網走市 Abashiri-shi?) is a city located in Okhotsk Subprefecture, Hokkaido, Japan.

Abashiri is known as the site of the Abashiri Prison, a Meiji-era facility used for the incarceration of political prisoners. The old prison has been turned into a museum, but the city's new maximum security prison is still in use.

As of 2008, the city has an estimated population of 40,333 and a population density of 85.6 persons per km². The total area is 470.94 km².

Abashiri is located in the eastern part of Abashiri Subprefecture, about 50 kilometers east of Kitami. There are no tall mountains, but there are many hills. Abashiri River flows and there are three lakes (Lake Abashiri, Lake Notori and Lake Tōfutsu) in the city. In the winter, tourists visit the city to watch the drift ice.

Abashiri's sister city is Port Alberni, British Columbia, Canada. Each year many students participate in student exchange programs between the two cities.

Abashiri is an important local port city and railroad terminal (Abashiri Station). Memanbetsu Airport is located in nearby Ōzora.

Contents

History

Climate

Despite its reputation for extreme cold, Abashiri is not actually the coldest major town in Japan, being less cold in the winter than Obihiro and hotter in summer than Nemuro or Kushiro. Abashiri receives less precipitation than any other city in Japan due to its location on the drift ice-affected Sea of Okhotsk[1], which however causes Abashiri to receive less sunshine than the northeast coast since winter snowfall is heavier and fog less confined to the summer months when the Oyashio Current is strongest.

Climate data for Abashiri (1981-2010)
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Average high °C (°F) −2.4
(27.7)
−2.5
(27.5)
1.6
(34.9)
8.9
(48.0)
14.2
(57.6)
17.2
(63.0)
20.8
(69.4)
23.4
(74.1)
20.2
(68.4)
14.8
(58.6)
7.4
(45.3)
0.7
(33.3)
10.4
(50.7)
Average low °C (°F) −9.4
(15.1)
−10.1
(13.8)
−5.5
(22.1)
0.4
(32.7)
5.4
(41.7)
9.8
(49.6)
14.0
(57.2)
16.6
(61.9)
12.9
(55.2)
6.6
(43.9)
0.1
(32.2)
−5.9
(21.4)
2.9
(37.2)
Precipitation mm (inches) 54.5
(2.146)
36.0
(1.417)
43.5
(1.713)
52.1
(2.051)
61.6
(2.425)
53.5
(2.106)
87.4
(3.441)
101.0
(3.976)
108.2
(4.26)
70.3
(2.768)
60.0
(2.362)
59.4
(2.339)
787.5
(31.004)
Snowfall cm (inches) 105
(41.3)
81
(31.9)
66
(26)
21
(8.3)
1
(0.4)
0
(0)
0
(0)
0
(0)
0
(0)
1
(0.4)
18
(7.1)
85
(33.5)
378
(148.8)
humidity 73 74 72 69 73 80 83 81 77 70 68 70 74.2
Avg. snowy days 27.0 24.1 22.3 11.2 2.4 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 1.4 12.5 23.4 124.3
Sunshine hours 114.3 139.4 172.4 177.8 189.0 174.0 168.7 172.1 165.2 160.1 121.3 115.0 1,869.3
Source: Japan Meteorological Agency

Abashiri brewery

Hokkaidō has a brewery called Abashiri which sells a range of beers,[2][3] including Bilk, a blend of beer and milk.[4]

References

External links

Media related to [//commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Abashiri,_Hokkaido Abashiri, Hokkaido] at Wikimedia Commons