is a

city A city is a human settlement of notable size.Goodall, B. (1987) ''The Penguin Dictionary of Human Geography''. London: Penguin.Kuper, A. and Kuper, J., eds (1996) ''The Social Science Encyclopedia''. 2nd edition. London: Routledge. It can be def ...

in Kushiro Subprefecture on the island of

Hokkaido is Japan, Japan's Japanese archipelago, second largest island and comprises the largest and northernmost Prefectures of Japan, prefecture, making up its own List of regions of Japan, region. The Tsugaru Strait separates Hokkaidō from Honshu; th ...

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the n ...

. It serves as the subprefecture's capital and it is the most populated city in the eastern part of the island.

Geography

Mountains

* Mount Oakan *

Mount Meakan is an active stratovolcano located in Akan National Park in Hokkaidō, Japan. It is the tallest mountain in the Akan Volcanic Complex. The volcano consists of nine overlapping cones that grew out of the Akan caldera, on the shores of Lake Akan. ...

* Mount Akan-Fuji

Rivers

Kushiro River is a river in Hokkaidō, Japan. It is in length and has a drainage area of . The Kushiro originates from Lake Kussharo and flows south across the Kushiro Plain. The river is joined by two tributaries, the Kuchoro River () and the Setsuri Rive ...

Akan River is a river in Hokkaidō, Japan. Course The Akan River rises from Lake Akan, above sea level. The lake formed when the Akan River was dammed by an eruption of Mount Oakan some 6000 years ago. The river exits the lake at ''Takiguchi'' as a wat ...

* Shitakara River

Lakes

Lake Akan is a lake in Kushiro, Hokkaidō, Japan. It is located in Akan National Park and is a Ramsar Site. History Volcanic activity formed the lake some 6,000 years ago, when a lava dam was formed. The lake used to have a clarity of 8–9 meters in t ...

* Lake Harutori * Lake Panketō * Lake Penketō * Lake Shunkushitakara

National Parks

* Kushiro-shitsugen National Park *

Akan National Park is a national park located on the island of Hokkaidō, Japan. Along with Daisetsuzan National Park, these are the two oldest national parks in Hokkaidō. The park was established December 4, 1934. Akan is an area of volcanic craters and for ...

Climate

Kushiro has a

humid continental climate A humid continental climate is a climatic region defined by Russo-German climatologist Wladimir Köppen in 1900, typified by four distinct seasons and large seasonal temperature differences, with warm to hot (and often humid) summers and freez ...

(''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 Fresh water or freshwater is any naturally occurring liquid or frozen water containing low concentrations of dissolved salts and other total dissolved solids. Although the term specifically excludes seawater and brackish water, it does incl ...

nearby. It is also markedly sunnier than the extremely gloomy

Kuril Islands The Kuril Islands or Kurile Islands (; rus, Кури́льские острова́, r=Kuril'skiye ostrova, p=kʊˈrʲilʲskʲɪjə ɐstrɐˈva; Japanese language, Japanese: or ) are a volcanic archipelago currently administered as part of Sakh ...

to its north, being sheltered by Hokkaido's mountains from the heavy snowfalls produced on the

Sea of Japan The Sea of Japan is the marginal sea between the Japanese archipelago, Sakhalin, the Korean Peninsula, and the mainland of the Russian Far East. The Japanese archipelago separates the sea from the Pacific Ocean. Like the Mediterranean Sea, i ...

side by the

Aleutian Low The Aleutian Low is a semi-permanent low-pressure system located near the Aleutian Islands in the Bering Sea during the Northern Hemisphere winter. It is a climatic feature centered near the Aleutian Islands measured based on mean sea-level press ...

. It receives only a third as much snowfall as

Sapporo ( ain, サッ・ポロ・ペッ, Satporopet, lit=Dry, Great River) is a city in Japan. It is the largest city north of Tokyo and the largest city on Hokkaido, the northernmost main island of the country. It ranks as the fifth most populous city ...

and almost twice as much sunshine as the Kuril Islands are estimated to.

History

An Imperial decree in July 1899 established Kushiro as an open port for trading with the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country Continental United States, primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., ...

and the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and ...

. Kushiro has been an important

port A port is a maritime facility comprising one or more wharves or loading areas, where ships load and discharge cargo and passengers. Although usually situated on a sea coast or estuary, ports can also be found far inland, such as H ...

because it is more reliably ice-free during winter than alternative

Russian Far East The Russian Far East (russian: Дальний Восток России, r=Dal'niy Vostok Rossii, p=ˈdalʲnʲɪj vɐˈstok rɐˈsʲiɪ) is a region in Northeast Asia. It is the easternmost part of Russia and the Asian continent; and is admin ...

warm-water ports such as Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky or other ports in Hokkaido such as

Hakodate is a city and port located in Oshima Subprefecture, Hokkaido, Japan. It is the capital city of Oshima Subprefecture. As of July 31, 2011, the city has an estimated population of 279,851 with 143,221 households, and a population density of 412.8 ...

, which occasionally do freeze for short periods due to the lower

salinity Salinity () is the saltiness or amount of salt (chemistry), salt dissolved in a body of water, called saline water (see also soil salinity). It is usually measured in g/L or g/kg (grams of salt per liter/kilogram of water; the latter is dimensio ...

of the Sea of Japan. For this reason, Kushiro was considered a valuable target for the

Tsar Tsar ( or ), also spelled ''czar'', ''tzar'', or ''csar'', is a title used by East and South Slavic monarchs. The term is derived from the Latin word ''caesar'', which was intended to mean "emperor" in the European medieval sense of the ter ...

s during the

Russo-Japanese War The Russo-Japanese War ( ja, 日露戦争, Nichiro sensō, Japanese-Russian War; russian: Ру́сско-япóнская войнá, Rússko-yapónskaya voyná) was fought between the Empire of Japan and the Russian Empire during 1904 and 1 ...

s, 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. In addition to its port, Kushiro is serviced by Kushiro Airport with flights from

Honshu , historically called , is the largest and most populous island of Japan. It is located south of Hokkaidō across the Tsugaru Strait, north of Shikoku across the Inland Sea, and northeast of Kyūshū across the Kanmon Straits. The island s ...

and by the '' Ōzora'' limited express train service, which runs six times per day to the main population centres in the west of Hokkaido. In July 1945 the city of Kushiro was bombed by American naval aircraft, hundreds of people, mostly civilians, were killed. Following the

Invasion of the Kuril Islands The Invasion of the Kuril Islands (russian: Курильская десантная операция, lit=Kuril Islands Landing Operation) was the World War II Soviet military operation to capture the Kuril Islands from Japan in 1945. The inv ...

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 is a city located in Rumoi Subprefecture, Hokkaido, Japan. It is the capital of Rumoi Subprefecture. As of September 2016, the city has an estimated population of 22,242 and the density of 75 persons per km2. The total area is 297.44 ...

as the western cornerstone. However, these plans were cancelled after pressure by US President Harry S. Truman. 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 is a town located in Kushiro Subprefecture, Hokkaido, Japan. As of September, 2013, it has an estimated population of 8,910, and an area of 773.74 km². The population has fallen significantly in recent years. Etymology It is believed ...

now lies between the two sections of Kushiro. In 2008, the city had an estimated

population Population typically refers to the number of people in a single area, whether it be a city or town, region, country, continent, or the world. Governments typically quantify the size of the resident population within their jurisdiction usi ...

of 189,539 and a total area of , giving a

population density Population density (in agriculture: standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geographical term.Matt RosenberPopu ...

of 140 persons per km² (363 persons per sq. mi.). Kushiro was one of the many Japanese cities to receive a

Peace Pagoda A Peace Pagoda is a Buddhist stupa; a monument to inspire peace, designed to provide a focus for people of all races and creeds, and to help unite them in their search for world peace. Most, though not all, peace pagodas built since World War II ...

. 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 Burnaby is a city in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia, Canada. Located in the centre of the Burrard Peninsula, it neighbours the City of Vancouver to the west, the District of North Vancouver across the confluence of the Burrar ...

British Columbia British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include rocky coastlines, sandy beaches, for ...

; Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky,

Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-ei ...

; and Kholmsk,

. *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. *1949: Tottori-cho was merged into Kushiro City. *2005: The old city of Kushiro City, Akan Town, and Onbetsu Town merged was expanded city of Kushiro City.

External relations

Twin Towns – Sister Cities

International

;Sister Cities ;Partner Cities

National

;Sister Cities ;Partner Cities

Sister ports

Port of Kushiro's sister ports are: *

Port of New Orleans The Port of New Orleans is an embarkation port for cruise passengers. It is also Louisiana’s only international container port. The port generates $100 million in revenue annually through its four lines of business – cargo (46%), rail (31% ...

Louisiana Louisiana , group=pronunciation (French: ''La Louisiane'') is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It is the 20th-smallest by area and the 25th most populous of the 50 U.S. states. Louisiana is bord ...

(since 1984) * Port Stephens,

New South Wales ) , nickname = , image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , es ...

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands. With an area of , Australia is the largest country by ...

(since 1994)

Education

Universities

National

Hokkaido University of Education is a national public university administered by the government of Japan. It has five campuses in Hokkaido, Japan. The main campus is on the outskirts of Sapporo, the capital of Hokkaido. Hokkaido University of Education, Sapporo (HUES) is the la ...

, Kushiro Campus

Public

* Kushiro Public University of Economics

Colleges

National

* National Institute of Technology, Kushiro college

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 Kushiro Hokuyo High School * Hokkaido Akan High School (Municipal)

Private

* Bushukan High School * Ikegami Gakuen High School, Kushiro Campus

Transportation

Airways

Airport

* Kushiro Airport

Railways

Conventional lines

; Hokkaido Railway Company（JR Hokkaidō） * Nemuro Main Line :

Chok CHOK (1070 AM) is a Canadian radio station, licensed to Sarnia, Ontario and owned by Blackburn Radio. The station broadcasts a country format with local news, talk and sports. CHOK also has an FM translator, CHOK-1-FM, broadcasting at 103.9&nb ...

- Onbetsu - (

Shiranuka, Hokkaido is a town located in Kushiro Subprefecture, Hokkaido, Japan. As of September, 2013, it has an estimated population of 8,910, and an area of 773.74 km². The population has fallen significantly in recent years. Etymology It is believed ...

) - Otanoshike - Shin-Otanoshike - Shin-Fuji - Kushiro - Higashi-Kushiro -

Musa Musa may refer to: Places *Mūša, a river in Lithuania and Latvia * Musa, Azerbaijan, a village in Yardymli Rayon * Musa, Iran, a village in Ilam Province * Musa, Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari, Iran * Musa, Kerman, Iran * Musa, Bukan, West Azerbaija ...

* Senmō Main Line : Higashi-Kushiro ;

Japan Freight Railway Company , or , is one of the seven constituent companies of Japan Railways Group (JR Group). It provides transportation of cargo nationwide throughout Japan. Its headquarters are in Shibuya, Tokyo near Shinjuku Station. The Japan Railways Group was fou ...

（JR Freight） * Nemuro Main Line： Kushiro Freight Terminal ; Taiheiyō Coal Services * Rinkō Line

Roads

Expressways

Dōtō Expressway * E38 Expressway (Japan)

Kushiro Sotokan Road

Japan National Route

* * * * * *

Seaways

Seaport

*Port of Kushiro File:Kushiro airport01.JPG, Kushiro Airport File:Kushiro Station 20140808.jpg, Kushiro Station File:Kushiro-nishi Interchange.jpg, Kushiro-nishi IC File:Kushiro Fisherman's Wharf EGG and MOO01n.jpg, Port of Kushiro

Sightseeing

Local attractions

* Kushiro Wetland Park * Kushiro City Museum *

** Lake Akan Kotan *Manabot Nusamai **Kushiro City Museum of Art *

Moshiriya Chashi The site of in Kushiro, Hokkaidō, Japan, is that once occupied by the Ainu fortified chashi of Moshiriya. Occupying an elevated site, it is said to have been constructed during the Hōreki era (1751–1764) by the Ainu chieftain . It is one of a ...

（

Castle A castle is a type of fortified structure built during the Middle Ages predominantly by the nobility or royalty and by military orders. Scholars debate the scope of the word ''castle'', but usually consider it to be the private fortified r ...

） *

Itsukushima Jinja is a Shinto shrine on the island of Itsukushima (popularly known as Miyajima), best known for its "floating" ''torii'' gate. Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric (2005)"''Itsukushima-jinja''"in ''Japan Encyclopedia'', p. 407. It is in the city of Hats ...

*Tottori Jinja File:New Akan Hotel.jpg,

File:Ainu Kotan Akan Kushiro Hokkaido Japan22s.jpg, Lake Akan Kotan File:Manabot Nusamai Kushiro Hokkaido Japan02n.jpg, Manabot Nusamai File:鳥取神社.jpg, Tottori Jinja

Culture

Sports

;Ice hockey

Ice hockey Ice hockey (or simply hockey) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an ice skating rink with lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. In ice hockey, two opposing teams use ice ...

is one of the most popular winter sports in Kushiro. In addition to several leagues devoted to amateur play of all ages, Kushiro is home to the

Asia League Ice Hockey Asia League Ice Hockey ( ja, アジアリーグアイスホッケー; ko, 아시아리그 아이스하키) or ALIH (AL) is an association which operates a professional ice hockey league based in East Asia, with teams from Japan, South Korea, and ...

Nippon Paper Cranes The were an Asia League Ice Hockey team based in Kushiro City in Hokkaidō, Japan. History The club was founded as Jūjō Paper Kushiro Ice Hockey Club in 1949. They adopted the new name Nippon Paper Cranes in 1993 when Jūjō Paper and Sany� ...

, three time Asia League Champions. : Kushiro and many other cities are interested in hosting

bandy Bandy is a winter sport and ball sport played by two teams wearing ice skates on a large ice surface (either indoors or outdoors) while using sticks to direct a ball into the opposing team's goal. The international governing body for bandy is ...

teams. On January 8, 2017, the township of Akan hosted the first national championship, 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. The national team for women is based in Kushiro and made its

World Championship A world championship is generally an international competition open to elite competitors from around the world, representing their nations, and winning such an event will be considered the highest or near highest achievement in the sport, game, ...

debut in 2020. * East Hokkaido Cranes（

） *Kushiro Bears（ Women's Japan Ice Hockey League） *Daishin（ Women's Japan Ice Hockey League） The Kushiro Ice Arena is the city's biggest stadion for ice hockey, figure skating and shorttrack. ;Speed skating The Yanagimachi Speed Skating Rink hosted the 2003 World Junior Speed Skating Championships and several Japanese Championships. It has an asphalt

inline speed skating Inline speed skating is the roller sport of racing on inline skates. The sport may also be called ''inline racing'' by participants. Although it primarily evolved from racing on traditional roller skates, the sport is similar enough to ice sp ...

track on the middle field.

Notable people

* Kazuhiko Chiba, footballer * Yutaka Fukufuji, ice hockey goaltender * Yukinobu Hoshino, manga artist *

Akira Ifukube was a Japanese classical and film music composer, best known for his works on the ''Godzilla'' franchise. Biography Early years in Hokkaido Akira Ifukube was born on 31 May 1914 in Kushiro, Japan as the third son of a police officer Toshimi ...

, composer *

Keisuke Itagaki is a Japanese manga artist. He is best known for his martial arts series ''Grappler Baki'' (1991–1999) and its four sequels, which have sold over 75 million volumes. In 1996, he began working on '' Garōden'', an original work by Baku Yumemaku ...

, manga artist * Saori Kitakaze, sprinter * Satoshi Kon, anime film director * Luna H. Mitani, visual artist * Hiromi Nagakura, photographer * Maki Nomiya, singer (

Pizzicato Five Pizzicato Five (formerly typeset as Pizzicato V and sometimes abbreviated to P5)Yang Jeff, Dina Can, Terry Hong, (1997) ''Eastern Standard Time'' pg 277 New York: Mariner Books was a Japanese pop band formed in Tokyo in 1979 by multi-instrume ...

) * Shinji Somai, film director *

Aina Takeuchi is a Japanese ice hockey defender. International career Takeuchi was selected for the Japan women's national ice hockey team in the 2014 Winter Olympics. She played in all five games, recording one assist. Takeuchi also played for Japan in t ...

, ice hockey defenseman *

Kazuro Watanabe is a Japanese amateur astronomer and prolific discoverer of minor planets. He was born in Hokkaidō, Japan and is a member of the ''Astronomical Society of Japan'' as well as of the ''Oriental Astronomical Association''. Through publications a ...

, astronomer

Mascot

Kushiro's mascot is . She is a gentiana triflora flower (though she represents all flowers) from Onbetsu. Her favourite drink is milk.

References

External links

*
Official Website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kushiro, Hokkaido Cities in Hokkaido Port settlements in Japan Populated coastal places in Japan