is a

town A town is a type of a human settlement, generally larger than a village but smaller than a city. The criteria for distinguishing a town vary globally, often depending on factors such as population size, economic character, administrative stat ...

located in

Nemuro Subprefecture is a Subprefectures of Hokkaido, subprefecture of Hokkaido, Hokkaido Prefecture, Japan. Japan claims the southern parts of the Kuril Islands dispute, disputed Kuril Islands (known as the Northern Territories in Japan) as part of this subprefectur ...

Hokkaido is the list of islands of Japan by area, second-largest island of Japan 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 fr ...

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

Geography

Shibetsu is located at the northeastern end of Hokkaido, in the heart of Nemuro Subprefecture. It is a coastal town, facing the

Sea of Okhotsk The Sea of Okhotsk; Historically also known as , or as ; ) is a marginal sea of the western Pacific Ocean. It is located between Russia's Kamchatka Peninsula on the east, the Kuril Islands on the southeast, Japan's island of Hokkaido on the sou ...

and backed by the mountains of the

Shiretoko Peninsula The is located on the easternmost portion of the Japanese island of Hokkaido, protruding into the Sea of Okhotsk. It is separated from the Russian Kunashir Island by the Nemuro Strait. The name Shiretoko is derived from the Ainu language, Ainu wo ...

. To the northeast of Shibestu lies the town of Rausu, to the northwest is Shari, to the south is Betsukai and to the west is the town of Nakashibetsu.

Population

Although the town's population was 8,051 people in 1965 (Census Data), the amount has continued to decrease to 6,298 people in the year 2000 (Census Data). The effects of depopulation and outflow of young people had left the current population at roughly 5,825 people as of Census Data for April 2009, and as of September 2016, that had fallen further to an estimated population of 5,374, within an area of 624.49 km².

History

Pioneer settlers established Shibetsu during the

Meiji period The was an era of Japanese history that extended from October 23, 1868, to July 30, 1912. The Meiji era was the first half of the Empire of Japan, when the Japanese people moved from being an isolated feudal society at risk of colonizatio ...

(1868-1912) and it quickly became a thriving fishing and farming town. *1901: Uembetsu Village (now Rausu) splits off. *1923: Shibetsu Village becomes second-class municipality. *1946: Nakashibetsu splits off. *1958: Shibetsu Village becomes Shibetsu Town. Shibetsu made international news in 2021 when Vaas Feniks Nokard, a Russian national from

Izhevsk Izhevsk or Ijevsk (, ; , or ) is the capital city of Udmurtia, Russia. It is situated along the Izh River, west of the Ural Mountains in Eastern Europe. It is the 21st-largest city in Russia, and the most populous in Udmurtia, with over 600,000 ...

, managed to swim 20 kilometres from the disputed Kunashiri Island to the town to seek asylum in Japan. Nokard, who intended to defect from Russia, made the crossing at night and used a compass to aid in his navigation of the Nemuro Strait.

Economy

Salmon, scallop, trout and shellfish farming has been the cornerstone of Shibetsu's livelihood. As of 2009, Shibetsu's fishing industry is estimated to produce 51 billion yen annually (salmon farming making up most of it with 39 billion yen). Shibetsu is also supported by its successful dairy industry with total dairy production annually exceeding 82 billion yen (As of May 2009).

Climate

Shibetsu is known for its cooler summers and icy winters. Unlike the other major islands of Japan, Hokkaido is normally not affected by the June–July rainy season. In comparison, Hokkaido is relatively less humid and has typically warm summer weather, rather than hot.

Transportation

As there is no railway line in or near Shibetsu, residents and tourists rely on airplanes and cars to travel to and from the town. Flights to and from Tokyo to nearby Nakashibetsu Airport take roughly 1 hour 40 minutes. Flights to and from Sapporo take approximately 50-60 mins. Travel to Shibetsu by bus or car from Nakashibetsu Airport takes roughly 20-30 mins. Buses depart from the Nakashibetsu Bus Terminal.

Notable people from Shibetsu

* Sayuri Osuga, speed skater and cyclist *Shizuo Shinoda, pioneer of

musical road A musical road is a road, or section of a road, which when driven over causes a Somatosensory system, tactile vibration and Hearing, audible rumbling that can be felt through the wheels and body of the vehicle. This rumbling is heard within the ...

s in Japan * Toshiko Takeya, Japanese Senator

References

External links

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