Shibetsu, Hokkaido
Shibetsu
士別市 | |
|---|---|
| Shibetsu city hall Shibetsu city hall | |
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| Location of Shibetsu | |
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| Country | Japan |
| Region | Hokkaido |
| Prefecture | Hokkaido (Kamikawa Subprefecture) |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | Eiji Watanabe |
| Area | |
• Total | 1,119.22 km2 (432.13 sq mi) |
| Population (January 31, 2025) | |
• Total | 16,400 |
| • Density | 14.7/km2 (38.0/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC+09:00 (JST) |
| City hall address | 4-1, Higashi Roku-jō, Shibetsu-shi, Hokkaidō 095-8686 |
| Climate | Dfb |
| Website | Official website |
| Symbols | |
| Flower | Cosmos and Ezo murasaki-tsutsuji (Rhododendron dauricum) |
| Mascot | Sahocchi (さほっち), Mei-chan (メイちゃん), Mi-chan (みーちゃん) and Jumpun (ジャンプん) |
| Tree | Japanese Rowan and Ezo Spruce |
Shibetsu (士別市, Shibetsu-shi; Ainu: シペㇳ Sipet) is a city located in Kamikawa Subprefecture, Hokkaido, Japan. As of 31 December 2024[update], the city had an estimated population of 16,400 in 706 households, and a population density of 15 people per km2.[1] The total area of the city is 1,119.22 km2 (432.13 sq mi).
Geography
[edit | edit source]Shibetsu is located N of Asahikawa and NNE of Sapporo. It is situated by the Shibetsu River in the north and its valley. The name comes from the Ainu word for "great river". The city center is located in the southern part of the Nayoro Basin, near the confluence of the Teshio River and the Kenbuchi River. The eastern part of the city is in the Kitami Mountains, while the Onnebetsu area in the west is mountainous land that continues into the Teshio Mountains. Lake Iwaonai, located in the eastern part of the city, is the uppermost reaches of the Teshio River.
Neighbouring municipalities
[edit | edit source]Climate
[edit | edit source]Shibetsu has a Humid continental climate (Köppen Dfb) characterized by cold summers and cold winters with heavy snowfall. The average annual temperature in Shibetsu is 5.5 °C. The average annual rainfall is 1281 mm with September as the wettest month. The temperatures are highest on average in August, at around 19.7 °C, and lowest in January, at around -8.6 °C.[2]
| Climate data for Shibetsu, elevation 135 m (443 ft), (1991−2020 normals, extremes 1976−present) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 6.8 (44.2) |
11.0 (51.8) |
13.6 (56.5) |
25.8 (78.4) |
32.8 (91.0) |
36.3 (97.3) |
36.2 (97.2) |
37.0 (98.6) |
31.8 (89.2) |
25.6 (78.1) |
19.9 (67.8) |
11.1 (52.0) |
37.0 (98.6) |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | −4.3 (24.3) |
−2.8 (27.0) |
1.9 (35.4) |
9.5 (49.1) |
17.5 (63.5) |
22.0 (71.6) |
25.4 (77.7) |
25.6 (78.1) |
21.2 (70.2) |
14.1 (57.4) |
5.4 (41.7) |
−1.8 (28.8) |
11.1 (52.1) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | −8.5 (16.7) |
−7.7 (18.1) |
−2.8 (27.0) |
4.2 (39.6) |
11.2 (52.2) |
15.8 (60.4) |
19.7 (67.5) |
20.1 (68.2) |
15.5 (59.9) |
8.8 (47.8) |
1.7 (35.1) |
−5.2 (22.6) |
6.1 (42.9) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | −14.5 (5.9) |
−14.2 (6.4) |
−8.5 (16.7) |
−0.9 (30.4) |
5.2 (41.4) |
10.5 (50.9) |
15.0 (59.0) |
15.7 (60.3) |
10.6 (51.1) |
4.0 (39.2) |
−1.9 (28.6) |
−9.9 (14.2) |
0.9 (33.7) |
| Record low °C (°F) | −35.1 (−31.2) |
−34.2 (−29.6) |
−28.9 (−20.0) |
−13.0 (8.6) |
−5.0 (23.0) |
0.4 (32.7) |
4.6 (40.3) |
4.5 (40.1) |
0.2 (32.4) |
−6.4 (20.5) |
−20.4 (−4.7) |
−29.0 (−20.2) |
−35.1 (−31.2) |
| Average precipitation mm (inches) | 64.2 (2.53) |
49.2 (1.94) |
52.2 (2.06) |
46.7 (1.84) |
62.9 (2.48) |
66.3 (2.61) |
130.5 (5.14) |
152.3 (6.00) |
148.8 (5.86) |
116.0 (4.57) |
125.7 (4.95) |
102.3 (4.03) |
1,117.6 (44.00) |
| Average rainy days | 17.4 | 14.6 | 14.7 | 10.8 | 10.7 | 10.0 | 11.7 | 12.3 | 13.9 | 15.8 | 19.7 | 21.5 | 173.1 |
| Mean monthly sunshine hours | 47.6 | 75.0 | 117.2 | 159.3 | 189.8 | 168.4 | 162.6 | 152.2 | 147.2 | 114.6 | 48.0 | 31.8 | 1,410.1 |
| Source 1: JMA[3] | |||||||||||||
| Source 2: JMA[4] | |||||||||||||
Demographics
[edit | edit source]Per Japanese census data, the population of Shibetsu is as shown below. The city is in a long period of sustained population loss.
| Year | Pop. | ±% |
|---|---|---|
| 1940 | 34,276 | — |
| 1950 | 42,913 | +25.2% |
| 1960 | 45,705 | +6.5% |
| 1970 | 38,145 | −16.5% |
| 1980 | 32,103 | −15.8% |
| 1990 | 28,162 | −12.3% |
| 2000 | 24,991 | −11.3% |
| 2010 | 21,797 | −12.8% |
| 2020 | 17,858 | −18.1% |
History
[edit | edit source]Shibetsu was founded in 1899 as the last of the tondenhei settlements, established by the Meiji government to colonize Hokkaido with soldier-settlers. In 1902: Shibetsu village became a second class village, and was raised to town status in 1925. In 1954 Shibetsu merged with Kamishibetsu village, Tayoro village, and Onneppu village to form Shibetsu city. In 2005 Asahi town was merged into Shibetsu city.
Government
[edit | edit source]Shibetsu has a mayor-council form of government with a directly elected mayor and a unicameral city council of 14 members. Shibetsu, collectively with the other municipalities of Kawakami sub-prefecture, contributes three members to the Hokkaidō Prefectural Assembly. In terms of national politics, the town is part of the Hokkaidō 6th district of the lower house of the Diet of Japan.
Economy
[edit | edit source]The economy of Shibetsu is based on agricultural and livestock. Starch manufacturing became popular in the Taisho era, and sugar refining became popular from the early Showa era. Even today, there is a beet sugar factory, and it is a major industry. Under the slogan "Suffolk Land Shibetsu," the city is focusing on sheep farming, and about 30 types of sheep, mainly Suffolk sheep, are raised on the city-run ranch. Testing facilities for automobile and tire manufacturers have been built, and cold weather tests are conducted using the harsh winter cold.
Education
[edit | edit source]Shibetsu has seven public elementary school, five public junior high schools and one public high school operated by the city government. One more public high school is operated by the Hokkaido Prefectural Board of Education.
Transportation
[edit | edit source]Railways
[edit | edit source]File:JR logo (hokkaido).svg JR Hokkaido - Sōya Main Line
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Highways
[edit | edit source]- File:JP Expressway E5.svg Dō-Ō Expressway
- File:Japanese National Route Sign 0040.svg National Route 40
- File:Japanese National Route Sign 0239.svg National Route 239
Sister cities and friendship cities
[edit | edit source]Sister city
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Friendship city
[edit | edit source]
Culture
[edit | edit source]Mascots
[edit | edit source]
Shibetsu's mascots are Sahocchi (さほっち), Mei-chan (メイちゃん), Mi-chan (みーちゃん) and Janpun (ジャンプん).
- Sahocchi, whose real name is Kurosuke Hitsujida (羊田 黒助), is a cheerful and friendly ram. His birthday is July 1. On 24 August 2014, he married Mei-chan at Tsukumosuigo Park.[5]
- Mei-chan, whose real name is Mei Hitsujida (羊田 メイ), is a shy yet kind, kind, cheerful and energetic ewe. Her birthday is May 5.[6]
- Mi-chan, whose real name is Miu Hitsujida (羊田 未生), is a lamb who is the daughter of Sahocchi and Mei-chan. She was born on 1 January 2015.[7]
- Janpun is a farmer boy from Asahi who loves to ski jump. He assists the Asahi Chamber of Commerce and Industry Youth Club. Sahocchi, Mei-chan and Mi-chan depend on him for any advice.[8]
References
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- ^ Shibetsu climate: Average Temperature, weather by month
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External links
[edit | edit source]- Error creating thumbnail: File missing Media related to Lua error in Module:Commons_link at line 62: attempt to index field 'wikibase' (a nil value). at Wikimedia Commons
- Official Website (in Japanese)
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