HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

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
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 ...
. Obihiro is the only designated city in the Tokachi area. As of February 29, 2020, the city has an estimated population of 165,851. The next most populous municipality in Tokachi is the adjacent town of
Otofuke is a town located in Tokachi Subprefecture, Hokkaido, Japan. As of September 2016, the town has an estimated population of 45,208 and a density of 97 persons per km2. The total area is 466.09 km2. Climate Notable persons from Otofuke ...
, with less than a third of Obihiro's population. The city had approximately 500 foreign residents in 2008. The city contains the headquarters of the Fifth Division of the Northern Army of the
Japan Ground Self-Defense Force The Japan Ground Self-Defense Force ( ja, 陸上自衛隊, Rikujō Jieitai), , also referred to as the Japanese Army, is the land warfare branch of the Japan Self-Defense Forces. Created on July 1, 1954, it is the largest of the three service b ...
. It also hosts the
Rally Japan Rally Japan (ラリージャパン) is a rally competition held in Hokkaidō, Japan. The event made its debut in the FIA World Rally Championship during the 2004 season. From 2004 to 2007, the event was held on the twisty and narrow gravel roads ...
World Rally Championship The World Rally Championship (abbreviated as WRC) is the highest level of global competition in the motorsport discipline of rallying, owned and governed by the FIA. There are separate championships for drivers, co-drivers, manufacturers and t ...
-event. In 2008, Obihiro was designated a "model environmental city" in Japan.


Geography and transportation

The Tokachi-Obihiro Airport is located to the south of downtown Obihiro, but is still within the city's borders. It takes 50 minutes by car or 1 hour by bus from
Obihiro Station is the main railway station in the city of Obihiro in Hokkaido, Japan. It is located on the Nemuro Main Line and is managed by Hokkaido Railway Company (JR Hokkaido). Originally built in 1905, the station was rebuilt in 1996, but part of the ori ...
to the airport. The next major airport nearby is
New Chitose Airport is an international airport located south-southeast of Chitose and Tomakomai, Hokkaidō, Japan, serving the Sapporo metropolitan area. By both traffic and land area, it is the largest airport in Hokkaidō. It is adjacent to Chitose Air Base ...
. From Obihiro, it takes 2 hrs 30 mins to get New Chitose Airport by train and just over 4 hours to get there by car. Both airports have direct flights to and from
Haneda Airport , officially , and sometimes called as Tokyo Haneda Airport or Haneda International Airport , is one of two international airports serving the Greater Tokyo Area, the other one being Narita International Airport (NRT). It serves as the primary ...
.


Highways

*
Obihiro-Hiroo Expressway The is an incomplete two-lane national expressway in Tokachi Subprefecture, Hokkaido. It is owned and operated primarily by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (MLIT), but has a short section maintained and tolled by the ...
* * *


History

Obihiro was the area first settled by Benzō Yoda in May 1883. It became a city on April 1, 1933. In 1957 the villages of Taishō and Kawanishi merged with Obihiro, bringing it to its current size.


Historical timeline

:1883: Benzō Yoda and his "Banseisha" pioneers arrive in ''Opereperekepu''. :1886: The Banseisha constructs the first road and two bridges. :1892: Obihiro's first post office is built. :1905: The Obihiro-
Kushiro is a city in Kushiro Subprefecture on the island of Hokkaido, Japan. 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 * Mount Akan ...
railway is completed. :1914: First electric lights installed. :1932: Midorigaoka Airport completed. :1933: Obihiro becomes a municipality. Moriharu Watanabe is the first mayor. :1945: Air-raid on Obihiro during World War II. :1949:
Obihiro University of Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine is a university in Obihiro, Hokkaido, Japan, commonly referred to as Obihiro University. It was founded in 1941, as the Obihiro Technical School of Veterinary Medicine. As of 2009, the university employs 136 faculty members and a full-time sta ...
constructed. :1954: Emperor
Hirohito Emperor , commonly known in English-speaking countries by his personal name , was the 124th emperor of Japan, ruling from 25 December 1926 until his death in 1989. Hirohito and his wife, Empress Kōjun, had two sons and five daughters; he was ...
visits Obihiro. :1960: Ōtani Junior College is built. :1966:
Obihiro Station is the main railway station in the city of Obihiro in Hokkaido, Japan. It is located on the Nemuro Main Line and is managed by Hokkaido Railway Company (JR Hokkaido). Originally built in 1905, the station was rebuilt in 1996, but part of the ori ...
is built. :1985: Obihiro no Mori speed skating rink constructed. :1991: Hokkaido Obihiro Museum of Art is built. :1993: Population reaches 170,000 people. :1996: Tokachi Ōhashi Bridge is completed. :2009: Indoor Speed Skating Facility Completed.


Industry

Obihiro, along with most of Tokachi, has a large agricultural sector that revolves around large scale farming operations. Farms within the boundaries of Obihiro have an average of approximately 24 hectares of arable land; exceeding the Hokkaido average (17.41 ha) and the national average (1.57 ha). The main crops produced are wheat, potatoes, beets, and beans, but there has also been progress in the production of ''nagaimo'' (''
Dioscorea polystachya ''Dioscorea polystachya'' or Chinese yam ( zh, s=山药, t=山藥), also called cinnamon-vine, is a species of flowering plant in the yam family. It is sometimes called Chinese potato or by its Korean name ''ma''. It is a perennial climbing vin ...
'') and ''gobō'' (''
Arctium lappa ''Arctium lappa'', commonly called greater burdock, , edible burdock, lappa, beggar's buttons, thorny burr, or happy major is a Eurasian species of plants in the family Asteraceae, cultivated in gardens for its root used as a vegetable. It has b ...
''); two of Tokachi's specialty products. The headquarters of 3 nationally renowned pastry companies ( Rokkatei, Ryugetsu, and Cranberry) are also located in Obihiro.


Education

Obihiro has 26 public elementary schools and 14 public middle schools. It also has five prefectural high schools, two private high schools, and one municipal high school. The
Obihiro University of Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine is a university in Obihiro, Hokkaido, Japan, commonly referred to as Obihiro University. It was founded in 1941, as the Obihiro Technical School of Veterinary Medicine. As of 2009, the university employs 136 faculty members and a full-time sta ...
is the only university in Tokachi. Due to the decreasing birth rate in the area (and across the entire nation) some elementary schools are scheduled for closing by 2012.


Universities

*
Obihiro University of Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine is a university in Obihiro, Hokkaido, Japan, commonly referred to as Obihiro University. It was founded in 1941, as the Obihiro Technical School of Veterinary Medicine. As of 2009, the university employs 136 faculty members and a full-time sta ...


High schools


Prefectural

* Hokkaido Obihiro Hakuyo High School * Hokkaido Obihiro Sanjo High School * Hokkaido Obihiro Ryokuyo High School * Hokkaido Obihiro Agricultural High School * Hokkaido Obihiro Technical High School


Municipal

* Hokkaido Obihiro South Commercial High School


Private

* Obihiro Ohtani High School * Obihiro Kita High School


Environment


Rivers

Obihiro has one of Japan's most pristine rivers flowing through its city limits. Japan's Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism has chosen Obihiro's Satsunai River, which joins the
Tokachi River is a river in Hokkaidō, Japan. Etymology In 1820, the explorer Takeshiro Matsuura (松浦 武四郎) proposed "Tokachi" as the name of the surrounding Tokachi Province, with each character corresponding to a Japanese homophone. The province ...
outside of town, as the cleanest Class A river in Japan seven times since 1991. It is designated as a Class A River by the Japanese government due to its importance to environmental conservation and the national economy. In the
Ainu language Ainu (, ), or more precisely Hokkaido Ainu, is a language spoken by a few elderly members of the Ainu people on the northern Japanese island of Hokkaido. It is a member of the Ainu language family, itself considered a language family isolate ...
, Satnay means "dry river", and even today, most of its run is shallow. The city draws most of its drinking water from the Satsunai. The biggest pollutant in the river is nitrates from fertilizer run off from all the farming operations along the river's banks. The other major river in the city is the Tokachi, but its water is not used for drinking as it has much higher pollution levels.


Forests

In 1974, a plan for the creation of an expansive city recreation space was initiated, and from 1975 to 2004 large groups of Obihiro citizens participated in "Tree Planting Festivals" (). These actions have resulted in the creation of a new forest; the ''Obihiro no Mori'' (). Recently, tree planting in the forest has been limited to small projects due to a lack of space to plant more trees.


Climate

Obihiro 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 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'') with warm summers and cold winters, very similar with the coast of
New England New England is a region comprising six states in the Northeastern United States: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. It is bordered by the state of New York to the west and by the Canadian provinces ...
(although the lower averages are with more extreme records). Precipitation falls throughout the year, but is higher in late summer and early spring.


Culture


Ban'ei horse racing

Obihiro is famous for the unique style of horse racing that takes place at the city's horse racetrack. Hokkaido farmers in the 1900s had tug-of-war contests between their work horses to judge their strength and value. This gradually became a more formalized event and eventually became the racing we know today as Ban'ei horse racing. Rather than an oblong track, which most people think of when talking about horse racing, Obihiro's ban'ei track is a straight 200 m run with two hills. Large and powerful draft horses pull sleds that can weigh more than a ton while their rider whips them hard to make them go faster. The track and facilities were renovated in 2007 due to major efforts by the city government to increase the popularity of the races. One unique aspect of the track is that spectators can walk alongside the track as the horses struggle towards the finish line. Starting in 2006, the City of Obihiro has poured money into reviving this sport and considers it a part of the city's traditional culture.


Major festivals

Obihiro has three major festivals: the Flat Plain Festival, the Chrysanthemum Festival, and the Ice Festival. : ::Passing its 60th year in 2007, this festival spans 3 days in mid August during Obihiro's O-bon holiday season. The festival takes place on the downtown streets of Obihiro and includes a taiko drum performance that spans multiple city blocks with teams from all over Hokkaido, an energetic night-time parade called which expresses hopes for a good harvest, and a 2 hour long O-bon dance that includes an open section for anyone to jump in and dance along with all the other groups who are competing for first prize. : ::Held every year around the end of October, this 6 day festival celebrates an important flower in the Japanese culture. This festival features thousands of
chrysanthemums Chrysanthemums (), sometimes called mums or chrysanths, are flowering plants of the genus ''Chrysanthemum'' in the family Asteraceae. They are native to East Asia and northeastern Europe. Most species originate from East Asia and the center ...
on display in . In 2007, the festival were held from October 30 to November 4. : ::The cold weather and ice-caked roads of Obihiro can make it hard for people to go out and have fun in the winter, but this festival provides the residents of Obihiro and all of Tokachi to get out and enjoy the white snow of the season. There are fireworks and foodstands, and a pathway lined with various snow and ice sculptures. Some of the sculptures are of funny characters such as
Anpanman is a Japanese children's superhero picture book series written by Takashi Yanase, running from 1973 until the author’s death in 2013. The series has been adapted into an anime entitled , which is one of the most popular anime series among ...
, but other sculptures can depict fantastic mythical figures.


Kita no Yatai

The is an alleyway of unique foodstands that is open all year-round, and offers foods from many different countries.


Food

Obihiro is famous for pork meat glazed in a special sauce on rice, which is called ''
butadon , often literally translated into English as pork bowl, is a Japanese dish consisting of a bowl of rice topped with pork simmered in a mildly sweet sauce. It also often includes a sprinkling of green peas. A popular food in Japan, it is commonly ...
'' and
mutton Lamb, hogget, and mutton, generically sheep meat, are the meat of domestic sheep, ''Ovis aries''. A sheep in its first year is a lamb and its meat is also lamb. The meat from sheep in their second year is hogget. Older sheep meat is mutton. Gen ...
, which is called ''
jingisukan is a Japanese grilled mutton dish prepared on a convex metal skillet or other grill. It is often cooked alongside beansprouts, onions, mushrooms, and bell peppers, and served with a sauce based in either soy sauce or sake. The dish is particula ...
'', named after
Genghis Khan ''Chinggis Khaan'' ͡ʃʰiŋɡɪs xaːŋbr />Mongol script: ''Chinggis Qa(gh)an/ Chinggis Khagan'' , birth_name = Temüjin , successor = Tolui (as regent)Ögedei Khan , spouse = , issue = , house = Borjigin , ...
. It is also famous for potatoes and dairy products, which are common produce in Tokachi. Obihiro also claims to be the origin of a dish called ''chuuka chirashi''. It is also known for its high quality turnips. Wild game, including venison and bear meat, is also eaten in Obihiro.


Sightseeing

*
Kōfuku Station is a closed railway station on the defunct Hiroo Line in Obihiro, Hokkaido, Japan. Now owned by the Kofuku town residents' association, even after its closure in 1987, it remains a popular sightseeing spot because of its name, which means "happ ...
, a closed station which remains a popular sightseeing attraction due its name meaning "happiness".


Major city facilities


Tokachi International Relations Center

The was opened in 1996. It was created to facilitate international studies and events, academic study, and general interaction between people of different cultures and backgrounds. The establishment of the TIRC influenced the
Japan International Cooperation Agency The is a governmental agency that delivers the bulk of Official Development Assistance (ODA) for the government of Japan. It is chartered with assisting economic and social growth in developing countries, and the promotion of international co ...
(JICA) in its decision to build the adjacent JICA Obihiro facility. Many events are now coordinated between the various organizations represented in buildings. The TIRC offers a library room, an all-purpose gymnasium, kitchen facilities, and a large indoor "winter garden" of indoor flora. Two major events held here each year are the "Friends of the World Cookout", where over 2,000 people gather to cook and eat international food, and the "Mori no Halloween" party where over 1,000 costumed parents and children celebrate a holiday that is not native to Japan.


JICA Obihiro International Centre

JICA Obihiro (
Japan International Cooperation Agency The is a governmental agency that delivers the bulk of Official Development Assistance (ODA) for the government of Japan. It is chartered with assisting economic and social growth in developing countries, and the promotion of international co ...
/Obihiro International Centre) was established in April 1996 as a center for international cooperation activities in eastern Hokkaido. JICA carries out a variety of programmes in connection with technical cooperation with developing countries. In all, there are three organizations housed in the International Centre; Japan International Cooperation Agency, Japan International Cooperation Center, and the Northern Regions Center.


Obihiro Zoo

opened in 1963. Construction of a new monkey facility was completed in June, 2008. It cost approximately 266 million yen (US$2.66 million)


Obihiro Library

The new Obihiro public library was opened in 2006, and currently has over 300 English language books available.


Indoor ice-skating rink

An olympic size indoor speed skating rink,
Meiji Hokkaido-Tokachi Oval The Meiji Hokkaido-Tokachi Oval, also known as the Obihiro Forest Speed Skating Oval, is an indoor track for speed skating in the city of Obihiro on the island of Hokkaido in Japan. The hall was opened in September 2009 as the second indoor track ...
, has been completed on the west side of Obihiro. Its construction was controversial due to its large price tag. The tentative budget for the project was the equivalent of US$30 million. It was the site for the Essent ISU
World Sprint Speed Skating Championships The World Sprint Speed Skating Championships are annual speed skating championships. The championships are held over a two-day period, with the skaters racing one 500 m and one 1,000 m each day. Since the higher speeds towards the end ...
2010.


Events

Parts of the
2017 Asian Winter Games The 2017 Asian Winter Games ( ja, 2017アジア冬季競技大会, 2017 Ajia tōkikyōgitaikai) was the 8th edition of the Asian Winter Games. They were hosted in Sapporo and Obihiro in Hokkaido, Japan. These Games were originally scheduled for 2 ...
are hosted in Obihiro.


Mascot

Obihiro's mascot is , who is a wooden horse that resembled a birch tree. However, unlike horses, its gender is unknown. It likes to farm on sunny days. As result, it is skilled at anything related to agriculture. It was unveiled on 25 January 2021.


International sister cities

Obihiro has three international sister-cities: *
Seward, Alaska Seward (Alutiiq: ;  Dena'ina: ''Tl'ubugh'') is an incorporated home rule city in Alaska, United States. Located on Resurrection Bay, a fjord of the Gulf of Alaska on the Kenai Peninsula, Seward is situated on Alaska's southern coast, approxima ...
, United States - (1968) While on a business trip in Alaska, a (former) teacher at Obihiro's Agricultural High School, Yasuhiko Ohzono, was asked by the mayor of Seward to create some sort of cultural exchange between the two cities. On March 21, 1967, the mayor of Obihiro sent a picture album and other materials to introduce the city to the mayor of Seward. The mayor of Seward sent a message, a coat of arms, and a medal; all of which were personally delivered by a member of the entourage of the U.S.-Japan Fishing Industry Negotiation Team in Japan at the time. Obihiro sends the Mayor of Seward a wooden carving of a bear. On January 31, 1968, the resolution made by the Seward City Council arrives. The City of Obihiro also created a resolution on March 27, 1968, the sister city agreement was signed by both sides, and exchange between the two cities began. Since the Obihiro Economic Observation Group visited Seward in September, 1971, there have been various exchanges between Seward and Obihiro. Both mayors and many citizens of both cities have participated in exchanges, and the high school student exchange program has been put on every year since the summer of 1973. *
Chaoyang, Liaoning Chaoyang () is a prefecture-level city in western Liaoning province, People's Republic of China. With a vast land area of almost , it is by area the largest prefecture-level city in Liaoning, and borders on Hebei province and the Inner Mongolia ...
, China - (2000) Interaction between the two cities began with Chaoyang's Economic Observation Group Visit to Obihiro on May 30, 1985. In September that same year, Obihiro sent the 15 member Northeast China Friendship and Observation Group to Chaoyang. Since then various groups have made exchange visits, agricultural trainees have been received, and there has even been exchanges of craft projects between elementary students. Since 1987, administrative and agricultural trainees have made 13 visits. In addition, JICA (Japan International Cooperation Agency) has been sending agricultural specialists to Chaoyang. At the end of October in 1999, the mayor of Obihiro at the time, Toshifumi Sunagawa, lead the Official Friendship Visit Group to Chaoyang, and he exchanged memos regarding the signing of a Friendship City Agreement. On November 17, 2000, the mayor of Chaoyang at the time, Daicao Wang, lead a delegation to Obihiro where a Friendship City Agreement was signed with the purpose of deepening interaction between the two cities across a wide range of fields, and to promote further friendship and peace between the two cities; not to mention China and Japan. The two cities have run a high school student exchange program since 2002. *
Madison, Wisconsin Madison is the county seat of Dane County and the capital city of the U.S. state of Wisconsin. As of the 2020 census the population was 269,840, making it the second-largest city in Wisconsin by population, after Milwaukee, and the 80th-lar ...
, United States - (2006) Obihiro became sister cities with Madison in October 2006. The two cities have almost the same latitude, and have similar climates. The content of the sister-city relationship has been mainly various visits to Madison regarding the field of mental health, but since the official start of the relationship there have been various fact-finding missions to and from Madison. There was even a short visit to Obihiro by two Madison area students, in August 2007. Obihiro hopes to learn more about Madison agriculture, mental health systems and facilities, and about how the
University of Wisconsin–Madison A university () is an educational institution, institution of higher education, higher (or Tertiary education, tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several Discipline (academia), academic disciplines. Universities ty ...
runs various programs and organizations that have helped make it the university it is today. For example, the
Obihiro University of Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine is a university in Obihiro, Hokkaido, Japan, commonly referred to as Obihiro University. It was founded in 1941, as the Obihiro Technical School of Veterinary Medicine. As of 2009, the university employs 136 faculty members and a full-time sta ...
has shown interest in marketing ice cream and other dairy products as the Babcock Dairy does at UW–Madison.


Notable people from Obihiro

*
Nagisa Abe is a Japanese singer and actress who had a minor role in the 2004 movie ''Swing Girls is a Japanese 2004 teen comedy film directed and co-written by Shinobu Yaguchi. The plot follows a group of inept high school girls who form a big band. ...
(actress) * Tomo Furukawa (singer and artist) *
Manami Hino is a Japanese bobsledder who has competed since 1999. Performance * Finished 15th in the two-woman event at the 2006 Winter Olympics. * Finished 20th in the two-woman event at the 2007 FIBT World Championships in St. Moritz. * Finished 1st i ...
(Olympic Bobsledder) *
Jun Kasai (born September 9, 1974) is a Japanese professional wrestler, primarily competing for Pro Wrestling Freedoms. Dubbed the for his violent and often self-harmful style of hardcore wrestling, Kasai is considered a breakthrough talent in Japanese ...
(professional wrestler) *
Maya Sakura is an enka singer and child actress. In 2008, she made her debut with the single at the age of 10. In 2009, she received a "New Artist" award at the 51st Annual Japan Record Awards, becoming the youngest person to do so. She also appeared as a ...
(
Enka is a Japanese music genre considered to resemble traditional Japanese music stylistically. Modern ''enka'', however, is a relatively recent musical form, which adopts a more traditional musical style in its vocalism than ''ryūkōka'' music, p ...
singer) *
Hiroyasu Shimizu is a Japanese speed skater. He has an Olympic gold medal from 1998 in the 500 m, and held the 500 m record (34.32). He married Japanese fashion model Reiko Takagaki is a Japanese model and actress who is represented by the agencies Incent a ...
(Olympic Speedskater) * Kitakachidoki Hayato (sumo wrestler) *
Yoshitsugu Matsuoka is a Japanese voice actor from Hokkaido affiliated with the talent agency I'm Enterprise. Honored at the 6th Seiyu Awards for Best New Actor in 2012 and the 10th Seiyu Awards for Best Lead Actor in 2016, he is best known for being the voice of K ...
(Voice Actor)


References


External links

*
Official Website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Obihiro, Hokkaido Cities in Hokkaido Environmental model cities