Monbetsu, Hokkaido
Monbetsu (紋別市, Monbetsu-shi) is a city located in Okhotsk Subprefecture, Hokkaido, Japan; on the Sea of Okhotsk. The name comes from Ainu Mopet (Quiet River), Ainu "-pet" would be interpreted "-betsu" in Japanese as well of other city names in Hokkaido.
Monbetsu
紋別市 | |
|---|---|
 The city viewed from Mount Monbetsu | |
 Flag  Emblem | |
 Location of Monbetsu in Hokkaido (Okhotsk Subprefecture) | |
  Monbetsu Location in Japan | |
| Coordinates: 44°21′N 143°21′E | |
| Country | Japan |
| Region | Hokkaido |
| Prefecture | Hokkaido (Okhotsk Subprefecture) |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | Yoshikazu Miyakawa |
| Area | |
| • Total | 830.70 km2 (320.74 sq mi) |
| Population (September 30, 2016) | |
| • Total | 22,983 |
| • Density | 27.67/km2 (71.7/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC+09:00 (JST) |
| City hall address | 2-1-18, Saiwaichō, Mombetsu-shi, Hokkaidō 094-8707 |
| Climate | Dfb |
| Website | mombetsu |
| Symbols | |
| Flower | Rugosa Rose |
| Tree | Japanese Rowan |
As of September 30, 2016, the city has an estimated population of 22,983 and a population density of 27.67 persons per km2. The total area is 830.70 km2 (320.74 sq mi).
Most of Monbetsu's economy is dedicated to fishing for cold-water species such as crab. The crab from Monbetsu is reputedly the best in Japan, and is such a source of town pride that a sculpture of a crab claw nearly 10 m tall was built on the waterfront.
History
- 1889: Village office established in Monbetsu[1]
- 1909: Mobetsu Village (藻鼈村) and Monbetsu Village merge to form Monbetsu Village
- 1919: Monbetsu Village becomes Monbetsu Town
- July 1, 1954: Shokotsu Village (渚滑村) and Kamishokotsu Village (上渚滑村) merge with Monbetsu to form the city of Monbetsu
Geography
The Shokotsu River flows through the city.
Climate
Monbetsu has a humid continental climate (Köppen climate classification Dfb) with warm summers and cold winters. Precipitation falls throughout the year, but is heaviest from July to September.
| Climate data for Monbetsu (1991−2020 normals, extremes 1956−present) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 8.8 (47.8) |
12.6 (54.7) |
18.7 (65.7) |
30.8 (87.4) |
37.0 (98.6) |
32.7 (90.9) |
36.3 (97.3) |
35.2 (95.4) |
34.2 (93.6) |
27.9 (82.2) |
22.4 (72.3) |
16.5 (61.7) |
37.0 (98.6) |
| Average high °C (°F) | −2.3 (27.9) |
−2.0 (28.4) |
2.3 (36.1) |
9.0 (48.2) |
14.2 (57.6) |
16.7 (62.1) |
20.6 (69.1) |
22.9 (73.2) |
20.7 (69.3) |
14.9 (58.8) |
7.2 (45.0) |
0.3 (32.5) |
10.4 (50.7) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | −5.2 (22.6) |
−5.3 (22.5) |
−1.2 (29.8) |
4.6 (40.3) |
9.6 (49.3) |
13.0 (55.4) |
17.1 (62.8) |
19.3 (66.7) |
16.6 (61.9) |
10.5 (50.9) |
3.6 (38.5) |
−2.6 (27.3) |
6.7 (44.0) |
| Average low °C (°F) | −8.7 (16.3) |
−9.4 (15.1) |
−5.0 (23.0) |
0.7 (33.3) |
5.6 (42.1) |
9.9 (49.8) |
14.4 (57.9) |
16.4 (61.5) |
12.8 (55.0) |
6.2 (43.2) |
0.0 (32.0) |
−6.0 (21.2) |
3.1 (37.5) |
| Record low °C (°F) | −21.8 (−7.2) |
−24.7 (−12.5) |
−22.7 (−8.9) |
−11.2 (11.8) |
−3.3 (26.1) |
−0.3 (31.5) |
4.3 (39.7) |
5.6 (42.1) |
1.6 (34.9) |
−2.2 (28.0) |
−11.8 (10.8) |
−17.0 (1.4) |
−24.7 (−12.5) |
| Average precipitation mm (inches) | 44.4 (1.75) |
33.2 (1.31) |
35.4 (1.39) |
45.7 (1.80) |
58.4 (2.30) |
69.8 (2.75) |
108.6 (4.28) |
122.0 (4.80) |
127.6 (5.02) |
88.1 (3.47) |
64.6 (2.54) |
59.3 (2.33) |
860.8 (33.89) |
| Average snowfall cm (inches) | 87 (34) |
77 (30) |
62 (24) |
16 (6.3) |
1 (0.4) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
21 (8.3) |
75 (30) |
338 (133) |
| Average rainy days | 11.1 | 9.8 | 9.1 | 8.3 | 8.5 | 9.4 | 10.0 | 9.9 | 10.8 | 9.9 | 11.1 | 11.6 | 119.5 |
| Average snowy days | 18.7 | 16.3 | 14.5 | 3.8 | 0.3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 | 5.3 | 15.8 | 74.8 |
| Average relative humidity (%) | 73 | 73 | 70 | 67 | 73 | 83 | 85 | 83 | 77 | 71 | 70 | 71 | 75 |
| Mean monthly sunshine hours | 98.7 | 114.2 | 160.1 | 174.7 | 179.3 | 154.7 | 143.2 | 145.0 | 157.3 | 149.3 | 103.5 | 95.2 | 1,675.2 |
| Source 1: JMA[2] | |||||||||||||
| Source 2: JMA[3] | |||||||||||||
Transportation
Monbetsu does not have passenger rail service. There are buses to Sapporo and Asahikawa, as well as a daily flight to Tokyo from Monbetsu Airport.
Shokotsu Line and Nayoro Main Line used to run in the city.
Education
High school
- Hokkaido Monbetsu High School
Sightseeing
Monbetsu is famous for drift ice, a yearly phenomenon which reaches the city every January or February from the northern Sea of Okhotsk. As such, the city has taken on the drift ice as its symbol and has become a center for research on sea ice generally, with an international conference held in February (usually the time of peak sea ice) each year. There is also a yearly Drift Ice Festival that coincides with the Sapporo Snow Festival. The festival features impressive sculptures built out of drift ice along with a large ice maze. Additionally, the Okhotsk Tower is a facility where one can observe sea ice from both high above, and from below the ocean. It is complete with an information center and aquarium. An icebreaker, the Garinko II, departs from nearby and makes regular sightseeing cruises through the drift ice during the winter. Monbetsu is also home to the Okhotsk Sea Ice Museum of Hokkaido,[4] which covers all aspects of sea ice and features a sub-zero room and "frozen aquarium" of various fish preserved in ice.
During the summertime, when the sea ice melts, sailors from Russia are a common sight in the city. Some local businesses have banned Russian visitors for their supposed "unruly" behavior, which has led some activists to criticize Monbetsu as a hotbed of racial discrimination.[5]
Mascot
Monbetsu's mascot is Monta (紋太). He is a curious, festive and exciting 53-year-old harbor seal. He usually wears a happi coat with an iceberg motif, a belly band (which is his charm point as it helps him give extra warmth during the winter and extra coolness during the summer) and a scallop as a wig. As a seal, he can resist the extreme weather (both cold and hot). He sometimes wear salmon roes, crab claws and salmon as wigs. Despite his old age, he can go scuba diving. He lives in the Hokkaidoritsu Okhotsk Ryuhyo Park (which is also his workplace). He usually goes to festivals and the Port of Monbetsu. His hobbies are fishing, studying the sea and taking naps on drift ice (during the winter) and at the Okhotsk White Beach (during the summer). He likes all kinds of seafood but try to offer him some sweets and vegetables and he will refuse them for health reasons. His goal is to be a good elder when it comes to promoting the city. Whenever anyone sees him, he brings smiles.[6]
Sister cities
Monbetsu's sister cities are[7]
Newport, Oregon, United States (1966)
Korsakov, Russia (1991)- Fairbanks, Alaska, United States (1991)
References
- "外国語ページ｜紋別市". Archived from the original on 2022-11-29.
- 観測史上1～10位の値（年間を通じての値）. JMA. Retrieved February 18, 2022.
- 気象庁 / 平年値（年・月ごとの値）. JMA. Retrieved February 18, 2022.
- "How climate change is triggering a chain reaction that threatens the heart of the Pacific". Washington Post. Retrieved 2019-11-14.
- Brooke, James (May 12, 2004). "LETTER FROM ASIA; Foreigners Try to Melt an Inhospitable Japanese City". The New York Times. Retrieved January 3, 2023.
- "紋別のキャラクター「紋太」". Monbetsu.
- "Sister and Friendship Cities". mombetsu.jp. Mombetsu. Archived from the original on 2022-03-07. Retrieved 2021-04-25.
External links
Media related to Mombetsu, Hokkaido at Wikimedia Commons- Official Website (in Japanese)
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