Bifuka, Hokkaidō
Geography
Bifuka is located in a valley in the north central region of the island of Hokkaido. The town is surrounded by mountains. The Teshio River flows roughly northwest through Bifuka.
Neighboring municipalities
Bifuka borders six other municipalities, which span Kamikawa, Okhotsk, and Sōya subprefectures:
- Kamikawa Subprefecture
- Okhotsk Subprefecture
- Sōya Subprefecture
Climate
| Climate data for Bifuka (1991−2020 normals, extremes 1977−present) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 6.4 (43.5) |
9.9 (49.8) |
13.3 (55.9) |
26.7 (80.1) |
32.2 (90.0) |
34.0 (93.2) |
36.6 (97.9) |
35.9 (96.6) |
31.5 (88.7) |
25.7 (78.3) |
21.1 (70.0) |
9.8 (49.6) |
36.6 (97.9) |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | −4.1 (24.6) |
−2.7 (27.1) |
2.0 (35.6) |
9.2 (48.6) |
17.4 (63.3) |
22.1 (71.8) |
25.5 (77.9) |
25.8 (78.4) |
21.4 (70.5) |
14.2 (57.6) |
5.3 (41.5) |
−1.8 (28.8) |
11.2 (52.1) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | −8.6 (16.5) |
−8.0 (17.6) |
−3.0 (26.6) |
3.8 (38.8) |
10.7 (51.3) |
15.4 (59.7) |
19.4 (66.9) |
20.1 (68.2) |
15.4 (59.7) |
8.5 (47.3) |
1.5 (34.7) |
−5.3 (22.5) |
5.8 (42.5) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | −14.7 (5.5) |
−15.0 (5.0) |
−9.0 (15.8) |
−1.6 (29.1) |
4.3 (39.7) |
9.6 (49.3) |
14.5 (58.1) |
15.5 (59.9) |
10.3 (50.5) |
3.4 (38.1) |
−2.4 (27.7) |
−10.0 (14.0) |
0.4 (32.7) |
| Record low °C (°F) | −34.9 (−30.8) |
−37.0 (−34.6) |
−31.5 (−24.7) |
−16.5 (2.3) |
−4.3 (24.3) |
−0.8 (30.6) |
3.3 (37.9) |
4.7 (40.5) |
0.6 (33.1) |
−5.6 (21.9) |
−19.6 (−3.3) |
−28.3 (−18.9) |
−37.0 (−34.6) |
| Average precipitation mm (inches) | 81.0 (3.19) |
60.2 (2.37) |
60.2 (2.37) |
47.5 (1.87) |
60.1 (2.37) |
64.8 (2.55) |
121.1 (4.77) |
131.6 (5.18) |
136.2 (5.36) |
130.7 (5.15) |
139.2 (5.48) |
126.0 (4.96) |
1,158.6 (45.62) |
| Average snowfall cm (inches) | 200 (79) |
157 (62) |
138 (54) |
46 (18) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
3 (1.2) |
111 (44) |
244 (96) |
899 (354.2) |
| Average rainy days | 19.4 | 15.8 | 15.6 | 11.2 | 10.7 | 8.8 | 10.3 | 11.1 | 13.3 | 16.9 | 20.8 | 23.7 | 177.6 |
| Average snowy days | 21.2 | 17.8 | 17.1 | 7.2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.3 | 9.7 | 22.1 | 95.4 |
| Mean monthly sunshine hours | 42.5 | 66.3 | 108.4 | 150.2 | 181.1 | 162.3 | 148.5 | 140.1 | 134.7 | 111.1 | 48.1 | 26.5 | 1,319.8 |
| Source 1: JMA | |||||||||||||
| Source 2: JMA | |||||||||||||
Demographics
Per Japanese census data, Bifuka has undergone significant population decline over the past half-century.
| Year | Pop. | ±% |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 11,433 | — |
| 1980 | 8,350 | −27.0% |
| 1990 | 7,103 | −14.9% |
| 2000 | 6,040 | −15.0% |
| 2010 | 5,178 | −14.3% |
| 2020 | 4,145 | −19.9% |
Education
Hokkaido Bifuka High School is located in the town.
Museum
Bifuka is home to the Bifuka Sturgeon Museum, a small facility which maintains eight species of sturgeon. Sturgeon were found in the Teshio River as far as Bifuka until the Meiji Period.
Transportation
Bifuka is served by the JR Hokkaido Sōya Main Line, which runs from Asahikawa to Wakkanai.
The town is linked with Route 40 linking Wakkanai and southern Hokkaido. Another route the Route 275 is also connected.
Culture
Mascots
Bifuka's mascot are Bifuka-kun (美深くん) and Mimi-chan (美深ちゃん). They are pumpkins who are best friends. Both wear hats made of birch trees. However, Bifuka-kun is a green pumpkin who wears a tie that resembled a sturgeon while Mimi-chan is an orange pumpkin who carries a bag that resembled a sturgeon.
References
- ^ 美深町の人口 [Enbetsu] (in Japanese). Bifuka, Hokkaido: Town of Bifuka. 2013. Retrieved 2013-09-12.
- ^ 観測史上1～10位の値（年間を通じての値）. JMA. Retrieved February 17, 2022.
- ^ 気象庁 / 平年値（年・月ごとの値）. JMA. Retrieved February 17, 2022.
- ^ "Bifuka (Hokkaidō , Japan) - Population Statistics, Charts, Map, Location, Weather and Web Information". Retrieved 22 December 2024.
- ^ "美深町チョウザメ館" [Bifuka Sturgeon Museum]. Dijitaru Daijisen (in Japanese). Tokyo: Shogakukan. 2013. OCLC 56431036. Archived from the original on August 25, 2007. Retrieved 2013-09-12.
- ^ "美深町イメージキャラクター（ゆるキャラ）が誕生しました". Bifuka.
External links
Media related to Bifuka, Hokkaidō at Wikimedia Commons- Official Website (in Japanese)
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