Otaru
Otaru .mw-parser-output .nobold{font-weight:normal} 小樽市 | |
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City | |
 Top left: Otaru Canal Top right: The Bank of Japan Otaru Museum Bottom: - Vista from Mount Tengu | |
 Flag  Seal | |
 Location of Otaru in Hokkaido | |
  Otaru | |
| Coordinates: 43°11′N 141°0′E / 43.183°N 141.000°E / 43.183; 141.000Coordinates: 43°11′N 141°0′E / 43.183°N 141.000°E / 43.183; 141.000 | |
| Country | Japan |
| Region | Hokkaido |
| Prefecture | Hokkaido (Shiribeshi Subprefecture) |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | Hideaki Morii (since May 2015) |
| Area | |
| • Total | 243.13 km2 (93.87 sq mi) |
| Population (July 31, 2011) | |
| • Total | 131,706 |
| • Density | 541.71/km2 (1,403.0/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC+9 (Japan Standard Time) |
| - Tree | Shirakaba (Siberian Silver Birch) |
| - Flower | Azalea |
| - Bird | Aobato (Japanese Green Pigeon) |
| Phone number | 0134-32-4111 |
| Address | 2-12-1 Hanazono, Otaru-shi, Hokkaido 047-8660 |
| Website | http://www.city.otaru.lg.jp/ |
Otaru (小樽市, Otaru-shi) is a city and port in Shiribeshi Subprefecture, Hokkaido, Japan, northwest of Sapporo. The city faces the Ishikari Bay, and has long served as the main port of the bay. With its many historical buildings, Otaru is a popular tourist destination. Because it is a 25-minute drive from Sapporo, it has recently grown as a bedroom community.
As of 31 July 2011, the city has an estimated population of 131,706 with 67,308 households and a population density of 541.71 persons per km2 (1,403.0 persons per sq. mi.). The total area is 243.13 km2 (93.87 sq mi). Although it is the largest city in Shiribeshi Subprefecture, the subprefecture's capital is the more centrally located Kutchan.
Contents
1 History
2 Geography
2.1 Neighboring cities and towns
2.2 Rivers
3 Climate
4 Transportation
5 Education
5.1 Universities
5.1.1 National
5.1.2 Private
5.2 High schools
5.2.1 Public
5.2.2 Private
6 Notable attractions
7 Tenguyama
8 Sister cities
9 Notable people
10 See also
11 References
12 External links
History
Otaru in 1876
Former Bank of Japan Otaru Branch, now home to the Bank of Japan Otaru Museum
The city was an Ainu habitation, and the name "Otaru" is recognised as being of Ainu origin, possibly meaning "River running through the sandy beach". The very small remaining part of the Temiya Cave contains carvings from the Zoku-Jōmon period of Ainu history, around A.D. 400. Otaru was recognised as a village by the bakufu in 1865, and in 1880 the first railway line in Hokkaido was opened with daily service between Otaru and Sapporo.
An Imperial decree in July 1899 established Otaru as an open port for trading with the United States and the United Kingdom.[1]
The city flourished well as the financial and business center in Hokkaido as well as the trade port with Japanese ruled southern Sakhalin until the 1920s. Otaru was redesignated as a city on August 1, 1922.
On December 26, 1924, a freight train loaded with 600 cases of dynamite exploded in Temiya Station, damaging the warehouse, the harbour facilities and the surrounding area. Local officials stated that at least 94 were killed and 200 injured in this disaster.
During WWII, Otaru housed a prison camp for Aleuts taken there following the Japanese occupation of Attu.[2]
Since the 1950s, as the coal industry around the city went into a decline, the status of economic hub shifted from Otaru to Sapporo.
Geography
Otaru is a port town on the coast of the Sea of Japan in northern Shiribeshi Subprefecture. The southern portion of the city is characterized by the steep slopes of various mountains (notably Tenguyama), where the altitude of the land sharply drops from the mountains to the sea. The land available between the coast and mountains has been almost completely developed, and the developed part of the city on the mountain slopes is called Saka-no-machi, or "Hill town", including hills named Funamizaka (Boat-view Hill) and Jigokuzaka (Hell Hill).
Neighboring cities and towns
Shiribeshi
Yoichi District: Yoichi, Akaigawa
Ishikari
Sapporo (Teine-ku, Minami-ku), Ishikari
Rivers
Some of the rivers in Otaru are: Hoshioki, Kiraichi, Zenibako, Hariusu, Asari, Katsunai, Shioya, Myoken, Irifune.
Climate
In the summer the weather, like all of western Hokkaido, is very warm and balmy, with a maximum temperature of around 25 °C (77 °F) and high humidity - not as hot as southern Japan. In the winter, however, Otaru is very snowy, receiving as much as 6.6 metres (260 in) of snow from November to March, when it snows almost constantly and sunshine levels are extremely low. The average maximum snow cover is 1.22 metres (48 in).
Extreme temperatures have ranged from 34.9 °C (94.8 °F) on August 1, 2000 to −18.0 °C (−0.4 °F) on January 24, 1954, in which month the highest snowfall of 3.1 metres (122 in) occurred.[3] Monthly precipitation totals in a record dating back to 1943 have ranged from 379.8 millimetres (15.0 in) in August 1962 to 12.0 millimetres (0.5 in) in June 2007.[3]
| Climate data for Otaru (1981–2010) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Average high °C (°F) | −0.7 (30.7) | −0.1 (31.8) | 3.7 (38.7) | 10.8 (51.4) | 16.4 (61.5) | 20.1 (68.2) | 23.7 (74.7) | 25.6 (78.1) | 21.9 (71.4) | 15.7 (60.3) | 8.1 (46.6) | 1.7 (35.1) | 12.2 (54.0) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | −3.3 (26.1) | −2.9 (26.8) | 0.5 (32.9) | 6.5 (43.7) | 11.6 (52.9) | 15.7 (60.3) | 19.8 (67.6) | 21.7 (71.1) | 17.7 (63.9) | 11.5 (52.7) | 4.7 (40.5) | −1 (30) | 8.5 (47.4) |
| Average low °C (°F) | −6.1 (21.0) | −5.8 (21.6) | −2.6 (27.3) | 2.6 (36.7) | 7.5 (45.5) | 12.1 (53.8) | 16.6 (61.9) | 18.4 (65.1) | 13.9 (57.0) | 7.6 (45.7) | 1.4 (34.5) | −3.7 (25.3) | 5.2 (41.3) |
| Average precipitation mm (inches) | 142.3 (5.60) | 105.6 (4.16) | 86.2 (3.39) | 57.4 (2.26) | 56.1 (2.21) | 46.3 (1.82) | 79.3 (3.12) | 117.7 (4.63) | 125.6 (4.94) | 130.3 (5.13) | 146.8 (5.78) | 141.4 (5.57) | 1,235 (48.61) |
| Average snowfall cm (inches) | 194 (76) | 156 (61) | 107 (42) | 15 (5.9) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | 1 (0.4) | 45 (18) | 156 (61) | 674 (264.3) |
| Average precipitation days (≥ 0.5 mm) | 25.5 | 22.0 | 19.7 | 12.7 | 10.7 | 8.6 | 10.3 | 10.2 | 12.5 | 16.4 | 20.9 | 23.5 | 193 |
| Average snowy days | 29.4 | 25.5 | 22.3 | 6.0 | 0.1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.8 | 13.6 | 28.0 | 125.7 |
| Average relative humidity (%) | 70 | 69 | 66 | 64 | 69 | 77 | 80 | 78 | 72 | 67 | 67 | 70 | 71 |
| Mean monthly sunshine hours | 66.2 | 78.1 | 129.8 | 176.4 | 200.6 | 184.0 | 164.2 | 171.6 | 164.5 | 145.9 | 82.4 | 63.4 | 1,627.1 |
| Source: Japan Meteorological Agency | |||||||||||||
Transportation
JR Hokkaido Station
Hakodate Main Line : Ranshima - Shioya - Otaru - Minami-Otaru - Otaru-Chikkō - Asari - Zenibako
Education
Aerial panoramic view of the town from above the sea
Universities
National
- Otaru University of Commerce
Private
- Hokkaido College of Pharmacy
High schools
Public
- Hokkaido Otaru Choryo High School
- Hokkaido Otaru Ouyou High School
- Hokkaido Otaru Commercial High School
- Hokkaido Otaru Technical High School
- Hokkaido Otaru Fisheries High School
Private
- Futaba Gakuen High School
- Hokusho High School
- Otaru Meihou High School
Notable attractions
A view of Otaru Canal at night
A canal adorned with Victorian-style street lamps runs through Otaru. The city attracts a large number of Japanese tourists as well as Russian visitors.
A popular attraction on the west side of the city is Nishin Goten (herring mansion). This large wooden building was built in 1897 and was once the house of Fukumatsu Tanaka, a magnate of the herring fishing industry. It was originally built in nearby Tomari village and moved from there in 1958. Visitors can clearly see the difference between the squalid conditions of the first floor sleeping quarters of 120 workers and the ground floor luxury of the magnate's rooms.
Another notable building is the Sakaushi residence, constructed by Yoshiya Tanoue, a pupil of Frank Lloyd Wright.[4][5]
The Tomioka Catholic church is also a popular spot. Many of the buildings have been designated as landmark architecture.[6][clarification needed]
In the nearby village of Asarigawa Onsen and perched atop of Asari Ski Resort comes a new Boutique Resort catering for outdoor leisure activity. Currently under development by LENKEN, another Wisbey Brothers Build, scheduled for completion in 2018.
Otaru is well known for its beer, and Otaru Beer, next to the canal, is a popular restaurant with a medieval theme. Otaru is also known for the freshness of its sushi. Another food attraction unique to Otaru is the rainbow tower ice cream. The town also has substantial shopping arcades and bazaars, but fewer than nearby Sapporo.
Otaru's prominent industries are arts and crafts, such as studio glass and musical boxes. Of the latter, it maintains the Otaru Music Box Museum.
Tenguyama
Otaru Tenguyama Ski Resort
Otaru is an important port for Sapporo, and part of this hilly city is on the lower slopes of Tenguyama, a good place for skiing and other winter sports and one that is accessible via Otaru Tenguyama Ropeway.
Sister cities
Nakhodka, Russia[7]
Dunedin, New Zealand
Gangseo District, Seoul, South Korea
Notable people
Seiji Aochi, ski jumper
Yōko Asagami, voice actor
Gennosuke Fuse, anatomist
Sei Itō, author
Chiaki Kawamata, author
Yukie Kawamura, actress
Masaki Kobayashi, film director
Takiji Kobayashi, author
Masaru Konuma, film director
Kōtetsuyama Toyoya, sumo wrestler
Natsuhiko Kyogoku, author
Motosaburo Masuyama, statistician
Hideharu Miyahira, ski jumper
Nobuko Miyamoto, actress
Tetsuya Mizuguchi, video game designer
Takiko Mizunoe, actress
Maki Murakami, manga artist
Hideo Murota, actor
Nobuo Nakamura, actor
Tetsuya Okabe, Alpine ski racer
Yoko Takahashi, fighter
Miyoshi Umeki, Academy Award-winning actress and standards singer
Hibiki Ōtsuki, actress
Hirokazu Yagi, ski jumper
Akiko Yamanaka, politician
Ichiro Yamaguchi, musician (Sakanaction)
Sawao Yamanaka, musician (The Pillows)
Kazumi Yamashita, manga artist
See also
- Otaru Station
- Otaru University of Commerce
- Rising Sun Rock Festival
References
^ US Department of State. (1906). A digest of international law as embodied in diplomatic discussions, treaties and other international agreements (John Bassett Moore, ed.), Vol. 5, p. 759.
^ Breu, Mary (2009). Last Letters from Attu: The True Story of Etta Jones, Alaska Pioneer and Japanese POW. Portland: Graphic Arts Books. p. 296. ISBN 978-0-88240-852-1..mw-parser-output cite.citation{font-style:inherit}.mw-parser-output .citation q{quotes:"""""""'""'"}.mw-parser-output .citation .cs1-lock-free a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/65/Lock-green.svg/9px-Lock-green.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output .citation .cs1-lock-limited a,.mw-parser-output .citation .cs1-lock-registration a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d6/Lock-gray-alt-2.svg/9px-Lock-gray-alt-2.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output .citation .cs1-lock-subscription a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/aa/Lock-red-alt-2.svg/9px-Lock-red-alt-2.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registration{color:#555}.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription span,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registration span{border-bottom:1px dotted;cursor:help}.mw-parser-output .cs1-ws-icon a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/4c/Wikisource-logo.svg/12px-Wikisource-logo.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output code.cs1-code{color:inherit;background:inherit;border:inherit;padding:inherit}.mw-parser-output .cs1-hidden-error{display:none;font-size:100%}.mw-parser-output .cs1-visible-error{font-size:100%}.mw-parser-output .cs1-maint{display:none;color:#33aa33;margin-left:0.3em}.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registration,.mw-parser-output .cs1-format{font-size:95%}.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-left,.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-wl-left{padding-left:0.2em}.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-right,.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-wl-right{padding-right:0.2em}
^ ab "観測史上1～10位の値（年間を通じての値）". Data.jma.go.jp. Retrieved 2014-08-20.
^ http://www.otaru-works.com/
^ http://www.city.otaru.lg.jp.e.go.hp.transer.com/simin/gakushu_sports/kenzo/f_s/f_s74.html
^ http://www.city.otaru.lg.jp.e.go.hp.transer.com/simin/gakushu_sports/kenzo/f_s/f_s70.html
^ Sister Cities of Otaru
External links
 | Wikimedia Commons has media related to Otaru, Hokkaido. |
Otaru travel guide from Wikivoyage
Official Website (in Japanese)
Otaru travel guide from Wikivoyage Hokkaido | ||||||||||
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