Shibetsu, Hokkaido

Shibetsu

士別市
Shibetsu 士別市
City
	Shibetsu city hall
	Flag Seal
	Location of Shibetsu in Hokkaido (Kamikawa Subprefecture)
	Shibetsu Location in Japan
	Coordinates: 43°33′N 141°55′E / 43.550°N 141.917°E
Country	Japan
Region	Hokkaido
Prefecture	Hokkaido (Kamikawa Subprefecture)
Government
• Mayor	Makino Yuji
Area
• Total	1,119.29 km2 (432.16 sq mi)
Population (September 2016)
• Total	19,794
• Density	18/km2 (46/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+09:00 (JST)
City hall address	4-1, Higashi Roku-jō, Shibetsu-shi, Hokkaidō; 095-8686
Website	www.city.shibetsu.lg.jp
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 September 2016, the city has an estimated population of 19,794 and the density of 18 persons per km². The total area is 1119.29 km².

On September 1, 2005, the town of Asahi was merged into Shibetsu.

History

1899: The last tondenhei village was founded in Shibetsu.
1902: Shibetsu village became a second class village.
1915: The village became Shibetsu town.
1954: Shibetsu town, Kamishibetsu village, Tayoro village, and Onneppu village were merged to form Shibetsu city.
2005: Asahi town was merged into Shibetsu city.

Geography

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".

Climate

Climate data for Shibetsu (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^[1]
Source 2: JMA^[2]

Transportation

Rail

Sōya Main Line: Shibetsu - Tayoro - Mizuho

Road

Shibetsu is accessed by the Hokkaidō Expressway. The Shibetsu-Kenbuchi Interchange opened on October 4, 2003, connecting the expressway with Route 40. The bypass is not yet planned.

Culture

Mascots

Sahocchi, Mei-chan, Mi-chan and Janpun, the city's mascots

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.^[3]
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.^[4]
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.^[5]
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.^[6]