is a

town A town is a human settlement. Towns are generally larger than villages and smaller than cities, though the criteria to distinguish between them vary considerably in different parts of the world. Origin and use The word "town" shares an ori ...

located in

Tokachi Subprefecture is a subprefecture of Hokkaido Prefecture, Japan corresponding to the old province of Tokachi.Rowthorn, Chris. (2009) ''Japan,'' p. 641 As of 2004, its estimated population is 360,802 and its area is 10,830.99 km2. Tokachi-Obihiro Airpo ...

Hokkaido is Japan's second largest island and comprises the largest and northernmost prefecture, making up its own region. The Tsugaru Strait separates Hokkaidō from Honshu; the two islands are connected by the undersea railway Seikan Tunnel. The la ...

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 north ...

. As of September 2016, the town has 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 using a ...

of 7,182 and a

density Density (volumetric mass density or specific mass) is the substance's mass per unit of volume. The symbol most often used for density is ''ρ'' (the lower case Greek letter rho), although the Latin letter ''D'' can also be used. Mathematical ...

of 12 persons per km². The total area is 596.14 km². Hiroo is recognized as the only place in Japan to be designated as a "Santa-Land" from the municipal government of

Oslo Oslo ( , , or ; sma, Oslove) is the capital and most populous city of Norway. It constitutes both a county and a municipality. The municipality of Oslo had a population of in 2022, while the city's greater urban area had a population of ...

, Norway.

Climate

Although cold for its latitude and coastal position, the

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 freezing ...

(

Köppen Köppen is a German surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Bernd Köppen (born 1951), German pianist and composer * Carl Köppen (1833-1907), German military advisor in Meiji era Japan * Edlef Köppen (1893–1939), German author and ...

''Dfb'') of Hiroo is moderated by East Asian standards. Summers are cooled by the ocean and cloudy weather, whereas the influence of the Siberian landmass drops temperatures in winter. Due to the ice-free nature of the ocean, Hiroo stays narrowly above freezing during days, whereas nights regularly drop beneath .

Culture

Mascots

Hiroo's mascots are and . *Sata-chan is a girl who wanted to become a successor to

Santa Claus Santa Claus, also known as Father Christmas, Saint Nicholas, Saint Nick, Kris Kringle, or simply Santa, is a Legend, legendary figure originating in Western Christianity, Western Christian culture who is said to Christmas gift-bringer, bring ...

as she is one of his granddaughters. However, she must know Hiroo first and then various cities/towns/villages and countries. She birthday is October 26 (Ironically, her birthday is six days away from

Halloween Halloween or Hallowe'en (less commonly known as Allhalloween, All Hallows' Eve, or All Saints' Eve) is a celebration observed in many countries on 31 October, the eve of the Western Christian feast of All Saints' Day. It begins the observanc ...

). She was unveiled in 2013 before becoming the one of the mascots of the town on 12 November 2014. She resides in Hiroo Santa Land. She is designed by a first grader at Hiroo Elementary School. *Tree-kun is a Christmas tree. He is unveiled in 1995. He joins Sata-kun to search for who is missing for years. He resides in Daimaruyama Forest Park. As Sata-chan's assissant, he is in charge of collecting energy.

Notable people from Hiroo

Ichiro Nakagawa was a Japanese politician from Hokkaidō. He committed suicide at a hotel in Sapporo after he was defeated in the presidency election of the LDP—losing the chance to become prime minister. Personal life Nakagawa's eldest son was Shōichi ...

, politician *

Yoshio Nakagawa is a Japanese politician of the Sunrise Party of Japan, a member of the House of Councillors in the Diet (national legislature). A native of Hiroo District, Hokkaidō and dropout of Kanagawa University, he was elected to the House of Councill ...

, politician *

Hokutoumi Nobuyoshi is a Japanese former professional sumo wrestler from Hokkaidō. He was the sport's 61st ''yokozuna'' and won eight top division championships. He wrestled for Kokonoe stable, as did Chiyonofuji, and the two were the first ''yokozuna'' stablemat ...

, former sumo wrestler

References

External links

*
Official Website

Santa Land Hiroo
Towns in Hokkaido Port settlements in Japan Populated coastal places in Japan {{Hokkaido-geo-stub