Hokuto, Hokkaido

Hokuto

北斗市
Hokuto 北斗市
City
	Hokuto City Hall
	Flag Emblem
	Location of Hokuto in Hokkaido (Oshima Subprefecture)
	Hokuto Location in Japan
	Coordinates: 41°49′27″N 140°39′10″E / 41.82417°N 140.65278°E
Country	Japan
Region	Hokkaido
Prefecture	Hokkaido (Oshima Subprefecture)
Government
• Mayor	Toshimine Takaya
Area
• Total	397.29 km2 (153.39 sq mi)
Population (March 1, 2020)
• Total	46,083
• Density	120/km2 (300/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+09:00 (JST)
City hall address	1-3-10 Chūō, Hokuto-shi, Hokkaidō; 049-0192
Climate	Dfb
Website	www.city.hokuto.hokkaido.jp
Symbols
Flower	Spring: Sakura; Summer: Marigold; Autumn: Mukuge
Mascot	Zushihocky
Tree	Japanese Black Pine and Japanese beech

Hokuto (北斗市, Hokuto-shi) is a city in the center of the Oshima Subprefecture in Japan's northern island of Hokkaido.^[1] It serves as a bedroom community for Hakodate, to the east of the city.^[2] Hokuto was formed on February 1, 2006, from merging the town of Kamiiso, from Kamiiso District, and the town of Ōno, from Kameda District. Hokuto is the third city to be established in Oshima. (The second, Kameda, no longer exists, being dissolved just two years after its founding in 1971). Hokuto is the second largest city in Oshima by population after the city of Hakodate.^[1]

Geography

Hokuto is in the middle of Oshima, a peninsula in Hokkaido's south. The southeast portion is mostly plains and the western part is more mountainous. The south borders the Hakodate Bay. The Ōno River runs north and south through the middle of Hokuto.

Mountain: Katsuratake (734m)
Rivers: Ōno, Hekirichi
Lake: Kamiiso
Forest parks: Hachirounuma Koen

Neighboring regions

Oshima Subprefecture
- Hakodate City
- Kamiiso District: Kikonai Town
- Kameda District: Nanae Town
- Kayabe District: Mori Town
Hiyama Subprefecture
- Hiyama District: Assabu Town

Climate

Climate data for Hokuto, Hokkaido (1991−2020 normals, extremes 1976−present)
Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Year
Record high °C (°F)	9.2 (48.6)	10.7 (51.3)	16.7 (62.1)	25.1 (77.2)	28.2 (82.8)	29.5 (85.1)	33.6 (92.5)	34.5 (94.1)	32.5 (90.5)	28.2 (82.8)	21.2 (70.2)	16.3 (61.3)	34.5 (94.1)
Mean daily maximum °C (°F)	0.2 (32.4)	1.0 (33.8)	5.0 (41.0)	11.6 (52.9)	16.9 (62.4)	20.5 (68.9)	23.9 (75.0)	25.8 (78.4)	22.9 (73.2)	16.7 (62.1)	9.3 (48.7)	2.4 (36.3)	13.0 (55.4)
Daily mean °C (°F)	−3.5 (25.7)	−2.9 (26.8)	0.9 (33.6)	6.6 (43.9)	11.8 (53.2)	15.9 (60.6)	19.8 (67.6)	21.5 (70.7)	18.0 (64.4)	11.5 (52.7)	5.0 (41.0)	−1.2 (29.8)	8.6 (47.5)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F)	−8.1 (17.4)	−7.8 (18.0)	−3.7 (25.3)	1.5 (34.7)	7.0 (44.6)	11.9 (53.4)	16.6 (61.9)	17.9 (64.2)	13.4 (56.1)	6.3 (43.3)	0.6 (33.1)	−5.2 (22.6)	4.2 (39.6)
Record low °C (°F)	−19.6 (−3.3)	−19.4 (−2.9)	−16.1 (3.0)	−10.8 (12.6)	−1.2 (29.8)	4.0 (39.2)	8.4 (47.1)	9.2 (48.6)	2.0 (35.6)	−3.3 (26.1)	−14.8 (5.4)	−18.6 (−1.5)	−19.6 (−3.3)
Average precipitation mm (inches)	67.0 (2.64)	55.8 (2.20)	56.1 (2.21)	68.6 (2.70)	86.4 (3.40)	79.8 (3.14)	129.5 (5.10)	158.5 (6.24)	142.6 (5.61)	111.7 (4.40)	106.2 (4.18)	87.5 (3.44)	1,149.7 (45.26)
Average rainy days	14.8	12.3	12.2	10.1	10.3	8.3	9.6	9.4	11.0	12.1	14.3	16.1	140.5
Mean monthly sunshine hours	66.8	83.1	133.5	172.2	189.2	161.7	116.7	137.2	152.8	147.9	97.0	63.5	1,521.6
Source 1: JMA^[3]
Source 2: JMA^[4]

History

1900: Kamiiso village and Ono village were founded.
1918: Kamiiso village became Kamiiso town.
1955: Mobetsu village was merged into Kamiiso town.
1957: Ono village became Ono town.
2006: Kamiiso town and Ono town were merged to form Hokuto city.

Transportation

Rail

Oshima-Ōno Station was scheduled to be rebuilt and renamed Shin-Hakodate-Hokuto Station by the time the Hokkaido Shinkansen in March 2016.

Esashi Line: Nanaehama - Higashi-Kunebetsu - Kunebetsu - Kiyokawaguchi - Kamiiso - Moheji - Oshima-Tōbetsu
Hakodate Main Line: Shin-Hakodate-Hokuto
Hokkaido Shinkansen: Shin-Hakodate-Hokuto

Road

Hakodate-Esashi Expressway: Hokuto-Oiwake IC - Hokuto-chūō IC - Hokuto-Tomigawa IC - Hokuto-Moheji IC

Education

High schools

Hokkaido Kamiiso High School
Hokkaido Ono Agricultural High School
Hokkaido Hakodate fisheries High School

References

^ ^a ^b "北斗（市）" [Hokuto]. Nihon Daihyakka Zensho (Nipponika) (in Japanese). Tokyo: Shogakukan. 2012. OCLC 153301537. Archived from the original on 2007-08-25. Retrieved 2012-12-02.
^ "上磯" [Kamiiso]. Nihon Daihyakka Zensho (Nipponika) (in Japanese). Tokyo: Shogakukan. 2012. OCLC 153301537. Archived from the original on 2007-08-25. Retrieved 2012-12-02.
^ 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.