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 o ...

located in

Iburi is a subprefecture of Hokkaido Prefecture, Japan. Geography Located in south-central Hokkaido, Iburi stretches East-West and North-South. Iburi covers an area of . Iburi borders Oshima Subprefecture to the West, Shiribeshi, Ishikari, an ...

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 ...

. As of September 2016, the town had a

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 17,759. It was established in 1867 by the feudal lords of

Sendai is the capital city of Miyagi Prefecture, the largest city in the Tōhoku region. , the city had a population of 1,091,407 in 525,828 households, and is one of Japan's 20 designated cities. The city was founded in 1600 by the ''daimyō'' Date M ...

. Most of the area of the town is forested and parts lie within the

Shikotsu-Tōya National Park is a national park in the western part of the island of Hokkaidō, Japan. Named after the volcanic caldera lakes of Lake Shikotsu and Lake Tōya, it has a total area of 993.02 square kilometers. The popular hot spring resort of Noboribetsu, Hokk ...

History

Shiraoi, like the rest of Hokkaido, was populated by the

Ainu Ainu or Aynu may refer to: *Ainu people, an East Asian ethnic group of Japan and the Russian Far East *Ainu languages, a family of languages **Ainu language of Hokkaido **Kuril Ainu language, extinct language of the Kuril Islands **Sakhalin Ainu la ...

. According to the town's official website, the name, Shiraoi, means ''

Rainbow A rainbow is a meteorological phenomenon that is caused by reflection, refraction and dispersion of light in water droplets resulting in a spectrum of light appearing in the sky. It takes the form of a multicoloured circular arc. Rainbows c ...

s'' 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 ...

. Other sources state that the name comes from ''Shiraunai'' meaning '' Horse-flies''. In 1867, the Sendai domain established a fort in Shiraoi and work began on . The following year the

Boshin War The , sometimes known as the Japanese Revolution or Japanese Civil War, was a civil war in Japan fought from 1868 to 1869 between forces of the ruling Tokugawa shogunate and a clique seeking to seize political power in the name of the Imperi ...

caused Sendai to retreat from Shiraoi and return to Sendai proper. After the revolt was put down the government dismantled the fort in 1870. The end of the 19th century saw expansion of the town. A road was established connecting Shiraoi with

Muroran is a city and port located in Iburi Subprefecture, Hokkaido, Japan. It is the capital city of Iburi Subprefecture. As of February 29, 2012, the city has an estimated population of 93,716, with 47,868 households and a population density of . The ...

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

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 ...

in 1873. Nineteen years later, the first railroad station was established. The villages of Shadai and Shikiu were established. Two significant events occurred during this expansion: in 1874, Mount Tarumae erupted, and in 1881, the

Emperor Meiji , also called or , was the 122nd emperor of Japan according to the traditional order of succession. Reigning from 13 February 1867 to his death, he was the first monarch of the Empire of Japan and presided over the Meiji era. He was the figur ...

visited.

Geography

The total area is . The town is East to West and North to South. 82% of this area is forested. Shiraoi is crossed by a number of rivers running from the mountains like

Mount Horohoro is a mountain in Hokkaidō. It is located on the border between Date and Shiraoi in Hokkaidō, Japan. It is the tallest mountain in the Iburi subprefecture. From the top you can see Lake Tōya, Lake Shikotsu, Mount Yōtei, Mount Eniwa ...

to the

Pacific Ocean The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean (or, depending on definition, to Antarctica) in the south, and is bounded by the conti ...

. These include: * Shadai River * Shiraoi River * Shikyu River * Betsubetsu River Mount Horohoro and

Lake Kuttara is a nearly circular caldera lake in Shiraoi, Hokkaidō, Japan. It is part of Shikotsu-Tōya National Park. The lake is recognized as having the best water quality in all of Japan. With a transparency of , the lake ranks second to Lake Mashū ...

are part of Shikotsu-Tōya National Park.

Lake Poroto A lake is an area filled with water, localized in a basin, surrounded by land, and distinct from any river or other outlet that serves to feed or drain the lake. Lakes lie on land and are not part of the ocean, although, like the much larg ...

is also in the area.

Climate

Shiraoi has an oceanic climate, mild when compared to the rest of Hokkaido. The annual temperature ranges between the extremes of and . The average annual temperature is . Shiraoi receives of precipitation annually. This only results in of snow annually. In a typical year, the snow lingers for 80 days. Accumulated snow rarely exceeding . Wind velocity averages merely , that is less than half of the neighboring Tomakomai and Muroran.

Demographics

Shiraoi has 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. Mathematicall ...

of 42 persons per km².

Economy

In the 1930s, Shiraoi began the cultivation of mushrooms, such as

Shiitake The shiitake (alternate form shitake) (; ''Lentinula edodes'') is an edible mushroom native to East Asia, which is now cultivated and consumed around the globe. It is considered a Medicinal fungi, medicinal mushroom in some forms of tradition ...

, and mullet

roe Roe ( ) or hard roe is the fully ripe internal egg masses in the ovaries, or the released external egg masses, of fish and certain marine animals such as shrimp, scallop, sea urchins and squid. As a seafood, roe is used both as a cooked in ...

(or ''

karasumi Karasumi is a food product made by salting mullet roe pouch and drying it in sunlight. A theory suggests that it got its name from its resemblance to the blocks of ''sumi'' (inkstick) imported from China (''Kara'') for use in Japanese calligrap ...

'') at Kojohama. Shiraoi imported the knowledge of mullet roe production from Iwanai. Shiraoi has been involved in the harvest of marine products such as the

Horsehair crab The horsehair crab, ''Erimacrus isenbeckii'' (Japanese: ケガニ, ''kegani''), is a species of crab which is found mainly in the Northwest Pacific, around the Hokkaido coast in the Sea of Okhotsk and the Western Bering Sea and is an important com ...

and

konbu ''Konbu'' (from ja, 昆布, konbu or kombu) is edible kelp mostly from the family Laminariaceae and is widely eaten in East Asia. It may also be referred to as ''dasima'' ( ko, 다시마) or ''haidai'' (). Kelp features in the diets of many ...

. Because of dwindling resources, harvesting of hair crab has been reduced to a test operation from the middle of July until the middle of August. Shiraoi introduced the raising of beef cattle from

Shimane Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan located in the Chūgoku region of Honshu. Shimane Prefecture is the second-least populous prefecture of Japan at 665,205 (February 1, 2021) and has a geographic area of 6,708.26 km2. Shimane Prefecture borders Yamagu ...

in 1954. In 1966, Shiraoi began with the production of chicken eggs. Shiraoi boasts 550,000 chickens, and a business worth ¥2.8 billion.

Arts and culture

Annual cultural events

Shiraoi has four annual festivals: * Shiraoi Dosanko Winter Festival — early February * Shiraoi Beef Festival — early June * Shiraoi Port Festival — early August * Shiraoi Cheipu Festival — early September

Museums and other points of interest

* The

Ainu Museum The , also known as Porotokotan, is a former museum in Shiraoi, Hokkaidō, Japan. The facility began its existence in 1976 as the Shiraoi Foundation for the Preservation of Ainu Culture. In 1984 this was extended to include the Ainu Folk Museum. ...

, commonly known as Poroto Kotan – A natural history museum depicting a traditional Ainu village. Performers show traditional crafts and dances like the ''iomante rimse''. *

* Inkura Falls * Mount Horohoro * Ayoro Beach * * * Kojohama hotsprings

Education

Elementary schools

* * * * * *

Middle schools

* * * *

Other schools

Infrastructure

Transportation

Shiraoi has several stations on the

Muroran Main Line The is a railway line in Hokkaido operated by Hokkaido Railway Company (JR Hokkaido), between Oshamambe Station in Oshamambe and Iwamizawa Station in Iwamizawa, approximately paralleling the coast of Iburi Subprefecture. There also is a branc ...

: * Kojōhama * Takeura * Kita-yoshihara * Hagino * Shiraoi * Shadai Shiraoi is served by the following bus companies: *Donan bus Co.,Ltd *Hokkaido Chuo Bus Co., ltd. Shiraoi is served by the following roads and highways: *

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 ...

** Interchange at Shiraoi ** Parking area at Hagino *

National highways National Highways, formerly the Highways Agency and later Highways England, is a government-owned company charged with operating, maintaining and improving motorways and major A roads in England. It also sets highways standards used by all f ...

: **

Japan National Route 36 is a national highway connecting Sapporo and Muroran in Hokkaidō, Japan. Route data *Length: 133.0 km (82.7 mi) *Origin: Chuo-ku, Sapporo, Sapporo (originates at the origins of Routes 12 and 230) *Terminus: Muroran, Hokkaido *Maj ...

*Prefectural roads: ** Hokkaidō Highway 86 ** Hokkaidō Highway 350 ** Hokkaidō Highway 388 ** Hokkaidō Highway 701 ** Hokkaidō Highway 1045

Sister cities

Shiraoi has the following twin city relationships: * Quesnel, Canada since 1981 * Sendai, Japan since 1981 * Morita (now part of Tsugaru), Japan since 1991

Sports

The

Shadai Stallion Station is a thoroughbred breeding facility located in Abira on the island of Hokkaido in Japan. The farm was begun in the late 1970s to early 1980s by the late Zenya Yoshida, and is now run jointly by his sons (Katsumi, Haruya, and Teruya Yoshida), kno ...

is located here. Shadai Stallion Station has bought high-profile

thoroughbreds The Thoroughbred is a horse breed best known for its use in horse racing. Although the word ''thoroughbred'' is sometimes used to refer to any breed of purebred horse, it technically refers only to the Thoroughbred breed. Thoroughbreds are con ...

for their breeding program, such as

Kentucky Derby The Kentucky Derby is a horse race held annually in Louisville, Kentucky, United States, almost always on the first Saturday in May, capping the two-week-long Kentucky Derby Festival. The competition is a Grade I stakes race for three-yea ...

winner

War Emblem War Emblem (February 20, 1999 – March 11, 2020) was a champion American Thoroughbred racehorse who won the 2002 Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes. Background War Emblem was bred by Charles Nuckols Jr. & Sons in Kentucky. His sire was Ou ...

Notable people from Shiraoi

Giichi Nomura Giichi Nomura (野村義一, October 20, 1914 – December 28, 2008) was an advocate and activist for the Ainu people of Japan. Born in Shiraoi, Hokkaido, Nomura, of Ainu descent, became a career fisheries executive. In 1960 he joined the Hokkai ...

, advocate and activist for the Ainu people *

Hiromi Yamamoto is a Japanese speed skater Speed skating is a competitive form of ice skating in which the competitors race each other in travelling a certain distance on skates. Types of speed skating are long track speed skating, short track speed s ...

, speed skater

References

External links

*
Official Website

The Ainu Museum Website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Shiraoi, Hokkaido Towns in Hokkaido