Bifuka, Hokkaido
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 | |||||||||||||
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.