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 ...

located in

Kamikawa Subprefecture is a subprefecture of Hokkaido Prefecture, Japan. The name is derived from Kamikawa no hitobito no Shūraku (Village of the Upstream People), a translation of the Ainu Ainu or Aynu may refer to: *Ainu people, an East Asian ethnic group of Japa ...

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 city 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 19,794 and the

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 18 persons per km². The total area is 1119.29 km². On September 1, 2005, the town of

Asahi Asahi (朝日, 旭, or あさひ) means "morning sun" in Japanese and may refer to: Cities * Asahi, Chiba (旭市; ''Asahi-shi'') Wards * Asahi-ku, Osaka (旭区; ''Asahi-ku'') * Asahi-ku, Yokohama (旭; ''Asahi-ku'') Towns * Asahi, Aichi (旭� ...

was merged into Shibetsu.

History

*1899: The last

tondenhei The were military settler colonists recruited after the Meiji Restoration to develop and defend Japan's northern frontier in Hokkaidō and Karafuto against foreign nations, particularly Imperial Russia. (The term tonden comes from ancient China, ...

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 is a city in Kamikawa Subprefecture, Hokkaido, Japan. It is the capital of the subprefecture, and the second-largest city in Hokkaido, after Sapporo. It has been a core city since April 1, 2000. The city is currently well known for the Asahiy ...

and NNE of

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 ...

. It is situated by the

Shibetsu River is a river in Hokkaidō, Japan. It originates from Mount Shibetsu and flows through Nakashibetsu is a town located in Nemuro Subprefecture, Hokkaido, Japan. As of March 31, 2008, it has an estimated population of 23,958, and an area of ...

in the north and its valley. The name comes from the Ainu word for "great river".

Climate

Transportation

Rail

Sōya Main Line The is a Japanese railway line operated by Hokkaido Railway Company (JR Hokkaido) in Hokkaido. The line connects Asahikawa Station in Asahikawa and Wakkanai Station in Wakkanai, and is the northernmost railway line in Japan. The name comes ...

Shibetsu 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 ...

- Tayoro -

Mizuho Mizuho () literally means "abundant rice" in Japanese and "harvest" in the figurative sense. It was also an ancient name of Japan. It might refer to: Places * Mizuho, Gifu, a city in Gifu * Mizuho, Tokyo, a town in Tokyo * Mizuho Plateau in A ...

Road

Shibetsu is accessed by the

Hokkaidō Expressway 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 lar ...

. The Shibetsu- Kenbuchi Interchange opened on October 4, 2003, connecting the expressway with

Route 40 The following highways are numbered 40: International * European route E40 Argentina * National Route 40 Australia * NSW State Route 40 (Windsor Road and Victoria Road in Sydney) * Victorian State Route 40 * Mulligan Highway (Queensland) Br ...

. The bypass is not yet planned.

Culture

Mascots

Shibetsu's mascots are , , and . *Sahocchi, whose real name is , is a cheerful and friendly ram. His birthday is July 1. On 24 August 2014, he married Mei-chan at Tsukumosuigo Park. *Mei-chan, whose real name is , is a shy yet kind, kind, cheerful and energetic ewe. Her birthday is May 5. *Mi-chan, whose real name is , is a lamb who is the daughter of Sahocchi and Mei-chan. She was born on 1 January 2015. Her checks are her mark point. *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 depends on him for any advice.

Education

High schools

*Hokkaido Shibetsu Shoun High School *Hokkaido Shibetsu Higashi High School

Sister city and friendship city

Sister city

Goulburn, New South Wales Goulburn ( ) is a regional city in the Southern Tablelands of the Australian state of New South Wales, approximately south-west of Sydney, and north-east of Canberra. It was proclaimed as Australia's first inland city through letters patent ...

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

Friendship city

* Miyoshi,

Aichi Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan located in the Chūbu region of Honshū. Aichi Prefecture has a population of 7,552,873 () and a geographic area of with a population density of . Aichi Prefecture borders Mie Prefecture to the west, Gifu Prefectur ...

References

External links

*
Official Website
Cities in Hokkaido {{Hokkaido-geo-stub