Rikubetsu, Hokkaido
Rikubetsu (陸別町, Rikubetsu-chō) is a town located in Tokachi Subprefecture, Hokkaido, Japan. It is located on the edge of the Tokachi Plain at an altitude of 207 metres (679 ft) above sea level.
Shibare-kun and Tsurara-chan, the town's mascots
As of September 2016, the town has an estimated population of 2,528 and a density of 4.2 persons per km². The total area is 608.81 km².
Climate
Rikubetsu is ranked as Japan's coldest area. Daily mean temperature in January is −11.4 °C (11.5 °F), the average low temperature in the end of January and beginning of February are below −20 °C (−4.0 °F), which are the coldest in Japan.
| Climate data for Rikubetsu, Hokkaido (1991−2020 normals, extremes 1977−present) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 6.6 (43.9) |
13.9 (57.0) |
17.4 (63.3) |
29.3 (84.7) |
37.8 (100.0) |
35.5 (95.9) |
35.9 (96.6) |
35.1 (95.2) |
32.8 (91.0) |
27.8 (82.0) |
20.0 (68.0) |
12.9 (55.2) |
37.8 (100.0) |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | −2.5 (27.5) |
−1.4 (29.5) |
3.2 (37.8) |
10.5 (50.9) |
17.1 (62.8) |
20.6 (69.1) |
23.7 (74.7) |
24.4 (75.9) |
20.8 (69.4) |
14.7 (58.5) |
7.1 (44.8) |
−0.2 (31.6) |
11.5 (52.7) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | −11.1 (12.0) |
−9.6 (14.7) |
−3.1 (26.4) |
4.0 (39.2) |
10.1 (50.2) |
14.4 (57.9) |
18.3 (64.9) |
19.1 (66.4) |
14.9 (58.8) |
7.9 (46.2) |
0.7 (33.3) |
−7.7 (18.1) |
4.8 (40.7) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | −19.6 (−3.3) |
−18.8 (−1.8) |
−10.6 (12.9) |
−2.5 (27.5) |
3.4 (38.1) |
9.1 (48.4) |
14.0 (57.2) |
15.0 (59.0) |
9.8 (49.6) |
1.8 (35.2) |
−5.3 (22.5) |
−14.9 (5.2) |
−1.6 (29.2) |
| Record low °C (°F) | −33.2 (−27.8) |
−33.1 (−27.6) |
−27.6 (−17.7) |
−19.1 (−2.4) |
−7.2 (19.0) |
−2.1 (28.2) |
2.1 (35.8) |
4.2 (39.6) |
−2.4 (27.7) |
−9.2 (15.4) |
−20.9 (−5.6) |
−27.6 (−17.7) |
−33.2 (−27.8) |
| Average precipitation mm (inches) | 33.7 (1.33) |
20.1 (0.79) |
38.4 (1.51) |
54.2 (2.13) |
71.5 (2.81) |
67.6 (2.66) |
106.0 (4.17) |
137.0 (5.39) |
121.5 (4.78) |
83.4 (3.28) |
47.7 (1.88) |
42.8 (1.69) |
831.8 (32.75) |
| Average snowfall cm (inches) | 97 (38) |
74 (29) |
80 (31) |
25 (9.8) |
2 (0.8) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
1 (0.4) |
20 (7.9) |
86 (34) |
386 (152) |
| Average precipitation days (≥ 1.0 mm) | 7.0 | 5.7 | 8.6 | 9.8 | 9.9 | 9.0 | 10.0 | 11.1 | 10.6 | 9.1 | 7.9 | 7.8 | 107.1 |
| Average snowy days (≥ 3 cm) | 10.9 | 9.5 | 11.0 | 3.1 | 0.2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.1 | 2.4 | 9.2 | 46.4 |
| Mean monthly sunshine hours | 151.2 | 150.2 | 172.5 | 168.8 | 170.8 | 144.5 | 128.1 | 121.6 | 136.8 | 157.9 | 144.1 | 145.6 | 1,792 |
| Source: Japan Meteorological Agency | |||||||||||||
Mascots
Rikubetsu's mascots are Shibare-kun (しばれ君) and Tsurara-chan (つららちゃん).
- Shibare-kun is a Siberian boy from the Amur River area. He sailed to Japan through the trails of drift ice. He carries a thermometer to remind everyone that Rikubetsu is Japan's coldest place.
- Tsurara-chan is a Canadian girl. She flew to Japan through the path of the aurora borealis. Her goal is to prevent climate change.
References
- ^ "平年値（年・月ごとの値）". Japan Meteorological Agency. Retrieved April 11, 2024.
- ^ "観測史上1～10位の値（年間を通じての値）". Japan Meteorological Agency. Retrieved April 11, 2024.
- ^ "しばれ君・つららちゃん". Rikubetsu.
External links
Media related to Rikubetsu, Hokkaidō at Wikimedia Commons- Official Website (in Japanese)
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