, formerly known as
Ezo,
Yezo,
Yeso, or
Yesso, is
Japanis an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, People's Republic of China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
's second largest island and the largest, northernmost of its 47
prefectural-level subdivisionsThe prefectures of Japan are the country's 47 sub-national jurisdictions: one "metropolis" , Tokyo; one "circuit" , Hokkaidō; two urban prefectures , Osaka and Kyoto; and 43 other prefectures . In Japanese, they are commonly referred to as...
. The
Tsugaru Straitis a channel between Honshū and Hokkaidō in northern Japan connecting the Sea of Japan with the Pacific Ocean. It was named after the western part of Aomori Prefecture...
separates Hokkaidō from
Honshūor Honshu is the largest island of Japan. The nation's main island, it is south of Hokkaidō across the Tsugaru Strait, north of Shikoku across the Inland Sea, and northeast of Kyūshū across the Kanmon Strait...
, although the two islands are connected by the underwater
Seikan TunnelThe Seikan Tunnel is a railway tunnel in Japan, with a long portion under the seabed. It is the longest undersea tunnel in the world, although the Channel Tunnel between the United Kingdom and France has a longer under-sea portion...
. The largest city on Hokkaidō is its capital, Sapporo, which is also its only ordinance-designated city.
History
Archeologists theorize that Hokkaidō was settled by
AinuThe are an indigenous ethnic group of Japan. Historically they spoke the Ainu language and related varieties and lived in Hokkaidō, the Kuril Islands, and much of Sakhalin. Most of those who identify themselves as Ainu still live in this same region, though the exact number of living Ainu is...
,
GilyakThe Nivkhs are an indigenous ethnic group inhabiting the northern half of Sakhalin Island and the region of the Amur River estuary in Russia's Khabarovsk Krai. Nivkh were mainly fishermen, hunters, and dog breeders...
, and
OrokeOroks are a people in the Sakhalin Oblast in Russia. The Orok language belongs to the southern group of the Tungusic language family and have no written language...
20,000 years ago. The
Nihon ShokiThe , sometimes translated as The Chronicles of Japan, is the second oldest book of classical Japanese history. It is more elaborate and detailed than the Kojiki, the oldest, and has proven to be an important tool for historians and archaeologists as it includes the most complete extant historical...
, finished in 720, is often said to be the first mention of Hokkaidō in
recorded historyRecorded history can be defined as human history that has been written down or recorded by the use of language. It starts in the 4th millennium BC, with the invention of writing. The period before this is known as prehistory.Recorded history begins with the accounts of the ancient world by...
. According to the text,
Abe no HirafuAbe no Hirafu was a governor of Koshi Province. He fought against the aboriginal inhabitants of Japan . This was in 658...
led a large navy and army to northern areas from 658 to 660 and came into contact with the
MishihaseThe Mishihase were a people of ancient Japan, believed to have lived along the northern portion of the coast of the Sea of Japan.They are believed to have spoken a Tungusic language....
and
EmishiThe were a group of people who lived in northeastern Honshū in what is today known as the Tōhoku region. They are referred to as in contemporary sources. Some Emishi tribes opposed and resisted the rule of the Japanese Emperors during the late Nara and early Heian periods...
. One of the places Hirafu went to was called Watarishima , which is often believed to be present-day Hokkaidō. However, many theories exist in relation to the details of this event, including the location of Watarishima and the common belief that the Emishi in Watarishima were the ancestors of the present-day
Ainu peopleThe are an indigenous ethnic group of Japan. Historically they spoke the Ainu language and related varieties and lived in Hokkaidō, the Kuril Islands, and much of Sakhalin. Most of those who identify themselves as Ainu still live in this same region, though the exact number of living Ainu is...
.
During the
NaraThe of the history of Japan covers the years from AD 710 to 794. Empress Gemmei established the capital of Heijō-kyō . Except for 5 years , when the capital was briefly moved again, it remained the capital of Japanese civilization until Emperor Kammu established a new capital, Nagaoka-kyō, in 784...
and
HeianThe is the last division of classical Japanese history, running from 794 to 1185. The period is named after the capital city of Heian-kyō, or modern Kyoto. It is the period in Japanese history when Buddhism, Confucianism and other Chinese influences were at their height...
periods (710–1185), people in Hokkaidō conducted trade with
Dewa Provinceis an old province of Japan, comprising modern-day Yamagata Prefecture and Akita Prefecture, except for the city of Kazuno and the town of Kosaka.-Historical record:...
, an outpost of the Japanese central government. From the medieval ages, the people in Hokkaidō began to be called
Ezois a Japanese name which historically referred to the lands to the north of Japan. It was used in various different senses, sometimes meaning the northern Japanese island of Hokkaidō, and sometimes meaning lands and waters further north in the Sea of Okhotsk...
. Around the same time Hokkaidō came to be called Ezochi or Ezogashima. The Ezo mainly relied upon hunting and fishing and obtained rice and iron through trade with the Japanese.
During the
Muromachi periodThe was a division of Japanese history running from approximately 1336 to 1573. The period marks the governance of the Muromachi or Ashikaga shogunate, which was officially established in 1336 by the first Muromachi shogun, Ashikaga Takauji...
(1336–1573), the Japanese created a settlement at the south of the
Oshima peninsulaThe Oshima Peninsula is the southernmost part of Hokkaidō, the northernmost of the Japanese islands, encompassing the subprefectures of Oshima and Hiyama....
. As more people moved to the settlement to avoid battles, disputes arose between the Japanese and the Ainu. The disputes eventually developed into a rebellion.
Takeda NobuhiroTakeda Nobuhiro , also known as Kakizaki Nobuhiro was the ancestor of the Matsumae clan, and is celebrated for his role in suppressing the 1457 Ainu revolt of Koshamain. The adopted son of Takeda Nobukata, shugo of Wakasa Province, he was later re-adopted by Kakizaki Sueshige...
killed the Ainu leader, Koshamain, and defeated the rebellion in 1457. Nobuhiro's descendants became the rulers of the Matsumae-han, which ruled the south of Ezochi until the end of the
Edo periodThe , or , is a division of Japanese history running from 1603 to 1868 and is the premodern era. The period marks the governance of the Edo or Tokugawa shogunate, which was officially established in 1603 by the first Edo shogun Tokugawa Ieyasu. The period ended with the Meiji Restoration, the...
in 1868.
Matsumae-han's economy relied upon trade with the Ainu. The
Matsumae familyThe was a Japanese clan which was granted the area around Matsumae, Hokkaidō as a march fief in 1590 by Toyotomi Hideyoshi, and charged with defending it, and by extension all of Japan, from the Ainu 'barbarians' to the north. Originally known as the Kakizaki clan, and claiming descendence from...
was granted exclusive trading rights with the Ainu in the
Azuchi-MomoyamaThe came at the end of the Warring States Period in Japan, when the political unification that preceded the establishment of the Tokugawa shogunate took place. It spans the years from approximately 1568 to 1603, during which time Oda Nobunaga and his successor, Toyotomi Hideyoshi, imposed order...
and Edo periods (1568–1868). During the
Meiji RestorationThe , also known as the Meiji Ishin, Revolution or Renewal, was a chain of events that led to enormous changes in Japan's political and social structure...
, the
Tokugawa ShogunateThe Tokugawa shogunate, also known as the and the , was a feudal regime of Japan established by Tokugawa Ieyasu and ruled by the shoguns of the Tokugawa family. This period is known as the Edo period and gets its name from the capital city, Edo, which now is called Tokyo...
realized there was a need to prepare northern defenses against a possible
RussiaThe Russian Empire was a state that existed from 1721 until the Russian Revolution of 1917. It was the successor to the Tsardom of Russia, and the predecessor of the Soviet Union...
n invasion and took over control of most of Ezochi. The Shogunate made the plight of the Ainu slightly easier, but did not change the overall form of rule.
Hokkaidō was known as Ezochi until the Meiji Restoration. Shortly after the
Boshin WarThe was a civil war in Japan, fought from 1868 to 1869 between forces of the ruling Tokugawa shogunate and those seeking to return political power to the imperial court....
in 1868, a group of Tokugawa loyalists led by
Enomoto TakeakiViscount was a Japanese Navy admiral faithful to the Tokugawa Shogunate who fought against the new Meiji government until the end of the Boshin War, but later served in the government as one of the founders of the Imperial Japanese Navy.-Early life:...
proclaimed the island's independence as the
Republic of EzoThe ' was a short-lived state formed by former Tokugawa retainers in what is now known as Hokkaidō, the northernmost - large but sparsely populated - island in modern Japan.-Background:...
, but the rebellion was crushed in May 1869. Ezochi was subsequently put under control of Hakodate-fu . When establishing the Development Commission , the Meiji Government changed the name of Ezochi to Hokkaidō .
The primary purpose of the development commission was to secure Hokkaidō before the Russians extended their control of the Far East beyond
VladivostokVladivostok is Russia's largest port city on the Pacific Ocean and the administrative center of Primorsky Krai. It is situated at the head of the Golden Horn Bay not far from Russia's border with China and North Korea...
.
Kuroda KiyotakaCount , , also known as Kuroda Ryōsuke , was a Japanese politician of the Meiji era, and the second Prime Minister of Japan from 30 April 1888 to 25 October 1889.-As a Satsuma samurai:...
was put in charge of the venture. His first step was to journey to the United States and recruit
Horace CapronHorace Capron was an American businessman and agriculturalist, a founder of Laurel, Maryland, a Union officer in the American Civil War, the United States Commissioner of Agriculture under U.S. Presidents Andrew Johnson and Ulysses S...
, President
Grant'sUlysses S. Grant was general-in-chief of the Union Army from 1864 to 1869 during the American Civil War and the 18th President of the United States from 1869 to 1877....
Commissioner of Agriculture. From 1871 to 1873 Capron bent his efforts to expounding Western agriculture and mining with mixed results. Capron, frustrated with obstacles to his efforts returned home in 1875. In 1876
William S. ClarkWilliam Smith Clark was a professor, Massachusetts State Senator, founder and first functioning president of the Massachusetts Agricultural College and president of Sapporo Agricultural College .- Early life :William Smith Clark, the son of Atherton and Harriet Clark, was born in Ashfield,...
arrived to found an agricultural college in Sapporo. Although he only remained a year, Clark left lasting impression on Hokkaidō, inspiring the Japanese with his teachings on agriculture as well as Christianity. His parting words,
"Boys, be ambitious!" can be found on public buildings in Hokkaidō to this day. Whatever the impact these Americans had, the population of Hokkaidō boomed from 58,000 to 240,000 during that decade.
In 1882, the Development Commission was abolished, and Hokkaidō was separated into three prefectures, Hakodate , Sapporo , and Nemuro . In 1886, the three prefectures were abolished, and Hokkaidō was put under the Hokkaidō Agency . Hokkaidō became equal with other prefectures in 1947, when the revised Local Autonomy Law became effective. The Japanese central government established the Hokkaidō Development Agency as an agency of the
Prime MinisterThe is the usual English-language term used for the head of government of Japan, although the literal translation of the Japanese name for the office is Minister for the general administration of the Cabinet...
's Office in 1949 to maintain its executive power in Hokkaidō. The Agency was absorbed by the
Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and TransportThe , abbreviated MLIT, is a ministry of the Japanese government. It is the largest Japanese ministry in terms of employees, and the second-largest organ of the Japanese government after the Ministry of Defense.-Background:...
in 2001. The Hokkaidō Bureau and the Hokkaidō Regional Development Bureau of the Ministry still have a strong influence on public construction projects in Hokkaidō.
Naming of Hokkaidō
When establishing the Development Commission , the Meiji Government decided to change the name of Ezochi. Matsuura Takeshirō submitted six ideas, including names such as
Kaihokudō and
Hokkaidō to the government. The government eventually decided to use the name Hokkaidō, but decided to write it as , as a compromise between and because of the similarity with names such as
TōkaidōThe was originally an old Japanese geographical region that made up the gokishichidō system and was situated along the southeastern edge of Honshū, its name literally means 'Eastern Sea Way'....
. According to Matsuura, the name was thought up because the Ainu called the region
Kai. Historically, many peoples who had interactions with the ancestors of the Ainu called them and their islands
Kuyi,
Kuye,
Qoy, or some similar name, which may have some connection to the early modern form
Kai. The
Kai element also strongly resembles the Sino-Japanese reading of the characters (Sino-Japanese /ka.i/, Japanese
kunKun may refer to:* Kun and Peng, two forms of a creature from Chinese mythology* Kun is in Finnish mythology* Kunqu or Kun Opera, a Chinese opera genre* kun , a Japanese honorific* the kun'yomi reading of Kanji...
/emisi/), which have been used for over a thousand years in China and Japan as the standard orthographic form to be used when referring to Ainu and related peoples; it is possible that Matsuura's
Kai was actually an alteration, influenced by the Sino-Japanese reading of
Ka-i, of the
NivkhNivkh or Gilyak is a language spoken in Outer Manchuria, in the basin of the Amgun , along the lower reaches of the Amur itself, and on the northern half of Sakhalin. 'Gilyak' is the Manchu appellation...
exonym for the Ainu, namely
Qoy or /kʰuɣi/.
Geography
The island of Hokkaidō is located at the north end of Japan, near
RussiaRussia , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia . It is a semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
, and has coastlines on the
Sea of JapanThe Sea of Japan is a marginal sea of the western Pacific Ocean, bordered by Japan, South Korea, North Korea and Russia. It is referred to in North Korea as the Korea East Sea and in South Korea as the East Sea. Like the Mediterranean Sea, it has almost no tides due to its nearly complete enclosure...
, the
Sea of OkhotskThe Sea of Okhotsk is a part of the western Pacific Ocean, lying between the Kamchatka Peninsula on the east, the Kuril Islands on the southeast, the island of Hokkaidō to the far south, the island of Sakhalin along the west, and a long stretch of eastern Siberian coast along the west and north...
, and the
Pacific OceanThe Pacific Ocean is the largest of the Earth's oceanic divisions. Its name is derived from the Latin name Tepre Pacificum, "peaceful sea", bestowed upon it by the Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan. It extends from the Arctic in the north to Antarctica in the south, bounded by Asia and...
. The center of the island has a number of mountains and
volcanic plateauA volcanic plateau is a plateau produced by volcanic activity. There are two main types: lava plateaus and pyroclastic plateaus.-Lava plateau:...
s, and there are coastal plains in all directions. Major cities include
Sapporois the fifth-largest city in Japan by population. It is the capital of Hokkaidō Prefecture, located in Ishikari Subprefecture, and an ordinance-designated city of Japan....
and
Asahikawais a city located in Kamikawa Subprefecture, Hokkaidō, Japan. The city is the capital of the subprefecture and the second-largest city in Hokkaidō, next to Sapporo. It has been a Core city since April 1, 2000. The city is currently well-known for the Asahiyama Zoo and Asahikawa Ramen.As of 2008,...
in the central region and the port of
Hakodateis a city and port located in Oshima, Hokkaidō, Japan. It is the capital city of Oshima Subprefecture.As of March 2008, the city has an estimated population of 287,691 and a density of 442.24 persons per km²...
facing
Honshūor Honshu is the largest island of Japan. The nation's main island, it is south of Hokkaidō across the Tsugaru Strait, north of Shikoku across the Inland Sea, and northeast of Kyūshū across the Kanmon Strait...
.
The
governmental jurisdictionThe prefectures of Japan are the country's 47 sub-national jurisdictions: one "metropolis" , Tokyo; one "circuit" , Hokkaidō; two urban prefectures , Osaka and Kyoto; and 43 other prefectures . In Japanese, they are commonly referred to as...
of Hokkaidō incorporates several smaller islands, including
RishiriRishiri Island rises out of the Sea of Japan off the coast of Hokkaidō, Japan. The island is formed by the cone-shaped extinct volcanic peak of Mount Rishiri. Along with Rebun and the coastal area of Sarobetsu, Rishiri forms the Rishiri-Rebun-Sarobetsu National Park. The main industries of Rishiri...
,
Okushiri Islandis an island in Hokkaidō, Japan. It has an area of . The town of Okushiri and Hiyama Prefectural Natural Park encompass the entire island.-History:It was the site of a powerful earthquake and tsunami in 1993....
, and
RebunRebun Island lies in the Sea of Japan off the northwestern tip of Hokkaidō, Japan. Rebun stretches 29 kilometers in the north-south direction and 8 kilometers east-west, covering about 80 square kilometers. The island is known for its alpine flowers and the 8-Hour Hiking Course which runs from one...
. (By Japanese reckoning, Hokkaidō also incorporates several of the
Kuril IslandsThe Kuril Islands or Kurile Islands in Russia's Sakhalin Oblast region, is a volcanic archipelago that stretches approximately northeast from Hokkaidō, Japan, to Kamchatka, Russia, separating the Sea of Okhotsk from the North Pacific Ocean...
.) Because the prefectural status of Hokkaidō is denoted by the
dō in its name, it is rarely referred to as "Hokkaidō Prefecture", except when necessary to distinguish the governmental entity from the island.
The island ranks 21st in the world
by area. It is 3.6% smaller than the island of
IrelandIreland is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island in the world. It lies to the north-west of continental Europe and is surrounded by hundreds of islands and islets. To the east of Ireland, separated by the Irish Sea, is the island of Great Britain...
while
HispaniolaHispaniola is a major island in the Caribbean, comprising Haiti and the Dominican Republic. It is located between the islands of Cuba to the west, and Puerto Rico to the east, directly within the hurricane belt...
is 6.1% smaller than Hokkaidō.
By population it ranks 20th, between Ireland and
SicilySicily is the largest island in the Mediterranean Sea. It is an autonomous region of Italy. Several much smaller islands surrounding it are considered to be part of Sicily....
. Hokkaidō's population is 4.7% less than that of the island of Ireland, and Sicily's is 12% lower than Hokkaidō's.
Seismic activity
Like the rest of Japan, Hokkaidō is
seismicallySeismology is the scientific study of earthquakes and the propagation of elastic waves through the Earth...
active. Aside from numerous
earthquakeAn earthquake is the result of a sudden release of energy in the Earth's crust that creates seismic waves. Earthquakes are recorded with a seismometer, also known as a seismograph...
s, the following volcanoes are still considered active (at least one eruption since 1850):
- Mount Koma
- Mount Usu
is an active stratovolcano in the Shikotsu-Toya National Park, Hokkaidō, Japan. It has erupted four times since 1900: in 1910, 1944-45 , 1977, and most recently on March 31, 2000. To the north lies Lake Toya...
and Showashinzanis a volcanic lava dome in the Shikotsu-Toya National Park, Hokkaidō, Japan, next to Mount Usu. The mountain was created between 1944 and 1945. Initially, a series of strong earthquakes shook the area, and wheat fields were rapidly uplifted. Lava broke through the surface and the current peak...
- Mount Tarumae
is located in the Shikotsu-Toya National Park in Hokkaidō, Japan. It is located near both Tomakomai and Chitose towns and can be seen clearly from both. It is on the shores of Lake Shikotsu, a caldera lake. Tarumae is a 1,041 metre active andesitic stratovolcano, with a lava dome. It is a rare...
- Mount Tokachi
is an active volcano located in Daisetsuzan National Park, Hokkaidō, Japan. It is the tallest volcano of the Tokachi Volcanic Group. It is one of the 100 famous mountains in Japan....
- Mount Meakan
is an active stratovolcano located in Akan National Park in Hokkaidō, Japan. It is the tallest mountain in the Akan Volcanic Complex.The volcano consists of nine overlapping cones that grew out of the Akan caldera, on the shores of Lake Akan. Mount Meakan has a triple crater at its summit...
In 1993, an earthquake of
magnitude 7.8The Richter magnitude scale, also known as the local magnitude scale, assigns a single number to quantify the amount of seismic energy released by an earthquake. It is a base-10 logarithmic scale obtained by calculating the logarithm of the combined horizontal amplitude of the largest displacement...
generated a
tsunamiA is a series of water waves that is caused by the displacement of a large volume of a body of water, such as an ocean. The original Japanese term literally translates as "harbor wave." Tsunamis are a frequent occurrence in Japan; approximately 195 events have been recorded...
which devastated
Okushiriis a town encompassing all of Okushiri Island, located in Okushiri District, Hiyama, Hokkaidō, Japan.As of 2008, the town has an estimated population of 3,442 and a density of 24.5 persons per km²...
, killing 202. An
earthquakeAn earthquake is the result of a sudden release of energy in the Earth's crust that creates seismic waves. Earthquakes are recorded with a seismometer, also known as a seismograph...
of
magnitude 8.0The Richter magnitude scale, also known as the local magnitude scale, assigns a single number to quantify the amount of seismic energy released by an earthquake. It is a base-10 logarithmic scale obtained by calculating the logarithm of the combined horizontal amplitude of the largest displacement...
struck near the island on September 25, 2003, at 19:50:07 (UTC).
National Parks and quasi-national parks
There are still many undisturbed forests in Hokkaidō, including:
| National parks |
Shiretoko National Parkcovers most of the Shiretoko Peninsula at the northeastern tip of the island of Hokkaidō, Japan.The word "Shiretoko" is an Ainu word meaning "end of the Earth"....
* |
知床 |
Akan National Parkis a national park located on the island of Hokkaidō, Japan. Along with Daisetsuzan National Park, these are the two oldest national parks in Hokkaidō. The park was established December 4, 1934....
|
阿寒 |
| Kushiro Shitsugen National Park is a national park located in the east of the island of Hokkaidō, Japan. It was designated as a national park on 31 July 1987, and is the 28th and most recent of Japan's national parks. The park is known for its wetlands ecosystems....
|
釧路湿原 |
| Daisetsuzan National Park , or Taisetsuzan is located in the mountainous center of the northern Japanese island of Hokkaidō. At 2267.64 square kilometers, Daisetsuzan is the largest national park in Japan....
|
大雪山 |
| Shikotsu-Toya National Park is a national park in the central part of the island of Hokkaidō, Japan. Named after the volcanic caldera lakes of Lake Shikotsu and Lake Tōya, it has a total area of 993.02 square kilometers...
|
支笏洞爺 |
| Rishiri-Rebun-Sarobetsu National Park is a national park on the Rishiri Island, Rebun Island, coasts of Wakkanai and Wakkasakanai and Sarobetsu Plain and the north-western edge of Hokkaidō, Japan.-External links:* http://www.biodic.go.jp/english/jpark/np/risiri_e.html...
|
利尻礼文サロベツ |
| Quasi-national parks (準国立公園) |
| Abashiri Quasi-National Park is a quasi-national park in Japan. The park protects the waters and surrounding coastline of the lakes and lagoon along the Sea of Okhotsk on Hokkaidō. This includes such lakes as Lake Abashiri and Lake Notoro as well as Lake Tōfutsu and Lake Saroma. Lake Saroma is the fourth largest lake in Japan...
|
網走 |
| Hidaka Sanmyaku-Erimo Quasi-National Park is the largest quasi-national park in Japan. The park includes the Hidaka Mountains and Cape Erimo and is located in southeast Hokkaidō. The park was designated Erimo Prefectural Park in 1950 and Erimo Prefectural Nature Park in 1958 until it was raised to a quasi-national in 1981...
|
日高山脈襟裳 |
| Niseko-Shakotan-Otaru Kaigan Quasi-National Park is a quasi-national park in Hokkaidō, Japan. On the coast of the Sea of Japan, there is a Marine Protected Area covering the west and north coast of Shakotan peninsula from Kamoenai to Otaru...
|
ニセコ積丹小樽海岸 |
| Ōnuma Quasi-National Park is a quasi-national park on the Oshima Peninsula in southwest Hokkaidō, Japan. The park encompasses the volcanic as well as the and ponds, which abut against the west slope of the mountain...
|
大沼 |
| Shokanbetsu-Teuri-Yagishiri Quasi-National Park is a quasi-national park in Hokkaidō, Japan....
|
暑寒別天売焼尻 |
- Twelve prefectural natural parks (道立自然公園). The prefectual natural parks cover 146,802 ha, the largest area of any prefecture.
- Akkeshi Prefectural Natural Park
- Furano Ashibetsu Prefectural Natural Park
- Hiyama Prefectural Natural Park
- Kamome Island Prefectural Natural Park
- Kariba-Motta Prefectural Natural Park
- Kita Okhotsk Prefectural Natural Park
- Matsumae-Yagoshi Prefectural Natural Park
- Nopporo Forest Park Nopporo Shinrin Prefectural Natural Park
- Notsuke-Furen Prefectural Natural Park
- Okumonobe Prefectural Natural Park
- Sharidake Prefectural Natiural Park
- Teshiodake Prefectural Natural Park
| Ramsar sites The Ramsar Convention is an international treaty for the conservation and sustainable utilization of wetlands, i.e., to stem the progressive encroachment on and loss of wetlands now and in the future, recognizing the fundamental ecological functions of wetlands and their economic, cultural,...
|
| | | Kiritappu WetlandKiritappu Wetland Kiritappu Wetland Kiritappu Wetland (霧多布湿原, きりたっぷしつげん）is a 3,168ha. wetland area in Hamanaka-cho, Akkeshi-gun, Hokkaidō, Japan. It is also called Wetland of flowers (花の湿原) because numerous flowers can be seen in summer....
| :ja:霧多布湿原 |
|
|---|
|
:ja:厚岸湖・別寒辺牛湿原 |
|
|
:ja:宮島沼 |
|
|
:ja:雨竜沼湿原 |
|
| Sarobetsu Mire |
:ja:サロベツ原野 |
|
:ja:濤沸湖 |
|
:ja:阿寒湖 |
|
:ja:野付半島・:ja:野付湾 |
|
:ja:風蓮湖・:ja:春国岱 |
Subprefectures
Hokkaidō is one of eight prefectures in Japan that have
subprefecturesCertain prefectures of Japan are now, or once were, divided into subprefectures. The subprefecture is the jurisdiction surrounding a of the prefectural government. Normally, the area of a subprefecture consists of a few to a dozen cities, towns, and/or villages. Subprefectures are formed to...
(支庁
shichō). However, it is the only one of the eight to have such offices covering the whole of its territory outside the main cities (rather than having them just for outlying islands or remote areas). This is mostly due to its great size: many parts of the prefecture are simply too far away to be effectively administered by Sapporo. Subprefectural offices in Hokkaidō carry out many of the duties that prefectural offices fulfill elsewhere in Japan.
- Abashiri
is a subprefecture of Hokkaidō, Japan. It has an area of 10,690.09 square kilometers and a population of 329,446 as of July 31, 2004. It was established in 1897.Abashiri Subprefecture has two airports. Monbetsu Airport is located in the City of Monbetsu...
- Hidaka
is a subprefecture of Hokkaidō, Japan. The west side of the Hidaka mountains occupies most of the area. Hidaka is sparsely populated and has many of Hokkaidō's natural resources...
- Hiyama
is a subprefecture of Hokkaidō, Japan located on the Oshima Peninsula on the Sea of Japan side. It includes Okushiri Island. It was established in 1897.-Towns and villages by district:* Hiyama District** Assabu** Esashi ** Kaminokuni* Kudō District...
- Iburi
is a subprefecture of Hokkaidō, Japan.- Geography :Located in south-central Hokkaido, Iburi stretches East-West and North-South. Iburi covers an area of . Iburi borders Oshima subprefecture to the West, Shiribeshi, Ishikari, and Sorachi subprefectures to the North, and Hidaka subprefecture to the...
- Ishikari
is a subprefecture of Hokkaidō prefecture, Japan, located in the western part of the island. Its population in 2003 was 2,279,943.There are 6 cities, three towns, and one village under its jurisdiction. The subprefectural capital is Sapporo, also the capital of Hokkaidō prefecture...
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Kamikawa is a subprefecture of Hokkaidō, Japan. The name is derived from Kamikawa no hitobito no Shūraku , a translation of the Ainu Peni Unguri Kotan. Settlement began in 1867...
Kushirois a subprefecture of Hokkaidō, Japan.-Towns and villages by district:* Akan District** Tsurui* Akkeshi District** Akkeshi** Hamanaka* Kawakami District** Shibecha** Teshikaga* Kushiro District** Kushiro* Shiranuka District** Shiranuka- History :...
Nemurois a subprefecture of Hokkaidō, Japan. The Japanese claim the disputed Southern Kurile Islands as part of this subprefecture....
Oshimais a subprefecture of Hokkaidō, Japan. As of 2004 it had a population of 456,621 and an area of 3,715.38 km².Hakodate Airport is located in the City of Hakodate.- Geography :-Towns and villages by district:* Futami District** Yakumo* Kameda District...
Rumoiis a subprefecture of Hokkaidō, Japan. As of 2004, it had a population of 63,406 and an area of 4,019.97km².-Towns and villages by district:* Mashike District** Mashike* Rumoi District** Obira* Teshio District** Enbetsu** Horonobe** Teshio...
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Shiribeshi is a subprefecture of Hokkaidō, Japan. The subprefecture's capital is Kutchan. As of July 31, 2004, the estimated population was 256,184 and the area was 4,305.65 km².-Towns and villages by district:* Abuta District** Kimobetsu...
Sorachiis a subprefecture of Hokkaidō, Japan. As of 2004, its estimated population is 373,736 and its area is 6,558.26 km².-Cities:* Akabira* Ashibetsu* Bibai* Fukagawa* Iwamizawa * Mikasa* Sunagawa* Takikawa* Utashinai* Yūbari...
Sōyais a subprefecture of Hokkaidō, Japan. Its population is estimated to be 77,500 as of July 31, 2004 and its area is 4,050.84 km². It is the northernmost subprefecture of Japan.Wakkanai Airport is located in Wakkanai...
Tokachiis a subprefecture of Hokkaidō, Japan corresponding to the old province of Tokachi. As of 2004 its estimated population is 360,802 and its area is 10,830.99 km².Tokachi-Obihiro Airport is in the city of Obihiro.- Geography :-Towns and villages by district:...
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There is a plan to reorganize the 14 subprefectures as 9 , but as of 2009, the implementation of the plan has stalled.
Before the current political divisions and after 1869, Hokkaidō was divided into provinces. See
Former Provinces of HokkaidōIn 1869, the island of Hokkaidō, Japan was divided into 11 provinces and 86 districts. The provinces were dissolved in 1882, and replaced with Hakodate Prefecture, Sapporo Prefecture and Nemuro Prefecture. In 1886, the three prefectures were replaced with Hokkaidō-chō .-Oshima Province:Oshima :...
.
Climate
Hokkaidō is known for its cooler summers and icy winters. Most of the island falls in the
humid continental climateThe humid continental climate is a climate found over large areas of landmasses in the temperate regions of the mid-latitudes where there is a zone of conflict between polar and tropical air masses. The humid continental climate is marked by variable weather patterns and a large seasonal...
zone (
KöppenThe Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by the Russian climatologist Wladimir Köppen in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen himself notably in 1918 and 1936...
Dfa (humid continental) in some inland lowlands,
Dfb (
hemiborealHemiboreal means halfway between the temperate and subarctic zones. The term is most frequently used in the context of ecosystems....
) in most other areas). The average August temperature ranges from 17 °C to 22 °C (63 °F to 72 °F), while the average January temperature ranges from −12 °C to −4 °C (10 °F to 25 °F) depending on elevation and latitude. The island tends to see isolated snowstorms that develop long-lasting snowbanks, in contrast to the constant flurries seen in the
Hokuriku regionis a region in the northwestern part of Honshū, the main island of Japan. It lies along the Sea of Japan within the Chūbu region.The Hokuriku region includes the prefectures of Toyama, Ishikawa and Fukui...
.
Unlike the other major islands of Japan, Hokkaidō is normally not affected by the June-July
rainy seasonThe wet season, or rainy season, is the time of year, covering one or more months, when most of the average annual rainfall in a region falls. The term green season is also sometimes used as a euphemism by tourist authorities. Areas with wet seasons are dispersed across portions of the tropics...
and the relative lack of humidity and typically warm, rather than hot, summer weather makes its climate an attraction for tourists from other parts of Japan.
In winter, the generally high quality of powder snow and numerous mountains in Hokkaidō make it one of Japan's most popular regions for snow sports. The snowfall usually commences in earnest in November and ski resorts (such as those at Niseko, Furano and Rusutsu) usually operate between December and April. Hokkaidō celebrates its winter weather at the
Sapporo Snow FestivalThe Sapporo Snow Festival is a famous festival held annually in Sapporo, Japan over seven days in February. Currently, Odori Park, Susukino, and Tsudome are the main sites of the festival. In 2009, it was held from February 5 to February 11.- Overview :The festival is one of Japan's largest most...
.
During the winter, passage through the
Sea of OkhotskThe Sea of Okhotsk is a part of the western Pacific Ocean, lying between the Kamchatka Peninsula on the east, the Kuril Islands on the southeast, the island of Hokkaidō to the far south, the island of Sakhalin along the west, and a long stretch of eastern Siberian coast along the west and north...
is often complicated by large ice floes broken loose from the
Kamchatka PeninsulaThe Kamchatka Peninsula is a 1,250-kilometer long peninsula in the Russian Far East, with an area of 472,300 km². It lies between the Pacific Ocean to the east and the Sea of Okhotsk to the west...
. Combined with high winds that occur during winter, this brings air travel and maritime activity almost to a halt on the northern coast of Hokkaidō.
Major cities and towns
Hokkaidō's largest city is the capital, Sapporo. Other major cities include
Hakodateis a city and port located in Oshima, Hokkaidō, Japan. It is the capital city of Oshima Subprefecture.As of March 2008, the city has an estimated population of 287,691 and a density of 442.24 persons per km²...
in the south and
Asahikawais a city located in Kamikawa Subprefecture, Hokkaidō, Japan. The city is the capital of the subprefecture and the second-largest city in Hokkaidō, next to Sapporo. It has been a Core city since April 1, 2000. The city is currently well-known for the Asahiyama Zoo and Asahikawa Ramen.As of 2008,...
in the central region. Other important population centers include
Kushirois a city located in Kushiro, Hokkaidō, Japan. It is the capital city of Kushiro Subprefecture, as well as the most populous city in eastern Hokkaidō....
,
Obihirois a city located in Tokachi, Hokkaidō, Japan.Obihiro is the only city in the Tokachi area. The next most populous municipality in Tokachi is the town of Otofuke, with less than a third of Obihiro's population....
,
Abashiriis a city located in Abashiri Subprefecture, Hokkaidō, Japan. Abashiri is the dryest city in Japan.Abashiri is best known as the site of the Abashiri Prison, a Meiji-era facility used for the incarceration of political prisoners. The old prison has been turned into a museum, but the city's new...
,
Nemurois a city and port located in Nemuro, Hokkaidō. It is the capital city of Nemuro Subprefecture. Much of the city lies on the Nemuro Peninsula.As of 2008, the city has an estimated population of 30,560 and the density of 60.2 persons per km²...
.
Hokkaidō has the highest rate of depopulation in Japan. In 2000, 152 (71.7%) of Hokkaidō's 212 municipalities were shrinking. Altogether, shrinking municipalities in Japan in the same year numbered 1,171.
Economy
Although there is some
light industryLight industry is usually less capital intensive than heavy industry, and is more consumer-oriented than business-oriented...
(most notably paper milling, beer brewing) most of the population is employed by the service sector. In 2001, the service sector and other tertiary industries generated more than three quarters of the gross domestic product.
However, agriculture and other primary industries play a large role in Hokkaidō's economy. Hokkaidō has nearly one fourth of Japan's total arable land. It ranks first in the nation in the production of a host of agricultural products, including wheat, soybeans, potatoes, sugar beet, onions, pumpkins, corn, raw milk, and beef. Hokkaidō also accounts for 22% of Japan's forests with a sizable timber industry. The prefecture is also first in the nation in production of marine products and aquaculture.
Tourism is an important industry, especially during the cool summertime when visitors are attracted to Hokkaidō's open spaces from hotter and more humid parts of Japan. During the winter, skiing and other winter sports bring other tourists, and increasingly international ones, to the island.
Abashiri brewery
The Abashiri brewery in Hokkaidō sells a range of beers, including
Bilk, a blend of beer and milk.
Bilk has a fruity taste, and is sold in 330 ml bottles. It was developed in response to declining milk consumption resulting in a milk surplus.
Transportation
Hokkaidō's only land link to the rest of Japan is the
Seikan TunnelThe Seikan Tunnel is a railway tunnel in Japan, with a long portion under the seabed. It is the longest undersea tunnel in the world, although the Channel Tunnel between the United Kingdom and France has a longer under-sea portion...
. Most travelers to the island arrive by air: the main airport is
New Chitose Airport, is an airport located south southeast of Chitose and Tomakomai, Hokkaidō, Japan, serving the Sapporo metropolitan area. By land area, it is the largest airport in Hokkaidō.In FY 2006, it served 18,536,350 passengers, third in Japan to only Narita and Haneda....
at
Chitose-Places:*Chitose, Hokkaido, a city on the island of Hokkaidō*Chitose River, a river on the island of Hokkaidō*Chitose, Ōita, a small village located in Ōno District, Ōita Prefecture-Aviation:*New Chitose Airport, serving the Sapporo metropolitan area...
, just south of Sapporo. Tokyo-Chitose is in the top 10 of the
world's busiest air routesThe busiest air routes in the world appear to involve pairs of large cities in close proximity, but which rely more on air transport due to a lack of viable transport infrastructure for other modes, and the distance is large enough to discourage car driving....
, handling 45 widebody round trips on four airlines each day. One of the airlines, Air Do was named after Hokkai
dō. Hokkaidō can also be reached by ferry from
Sendaiis the capital city of Miyagi Prefecture, Japan, and the largest city in the Tōhoku region. The city has a population of one million and is one of Japan's seventeen designated cities. The city was founded in 1600 by the daimyo Date Masamune, and is well known by its nickname, the...
,
Niigatais the capital and the most populous city of Niigata Prefecture, Japan. It lies on the northwest coast of Honshū, the largest island of Japan, and faces the Sea of Japan and Sado Island....
and some other cities, with the ferries from Tokyo dealing only in cargo .
Within Hokkaidō, there is a fairly well-developed railway network (see
Hokkaidō Railway CompanyThe is one of the constituent companies of Japan Railways Group , and thus often known as . It operates intercity rail services in Hokkaidō, Japan. The company will introduce Kitaca, a smart card ticketing system, from autumn 2008....
), but many cities can only be accessed by road.
Hokkaidō is home to one of Japan's three Melody Roads, which is made from grooves cut into the ground, which when driven over causes a tactile
vibrationOscillation is the repetitive variation, typically in time, of some measure about a central value or between two or more different states. Familiar examples include a swinging pendulum and AC power...
and audible rumbling transmitted through the wheels into the car body.
Education
The
Hokkaidō Prefectural Board of EducationHokkaido Prefectural Board of Education is a governmental agency that mainly oversees public schools in Hokkaidō in Japan.The board directly oversees high schools and provides educational services in Hokkaidō.-Abashiri:...
oversees public schools in Hokkaidō. The board directly operates public high schools.
http://www.ipec.hokkaido-c.ed.jp/links/gakkou.html has a list of public high schools in Japanese.
Sports
The
1972 Winter OlympicsThe 1972 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XI Olympic Winter Games, were a winter multi-sport event which was celebrated from February 3 to February 13, 1972 in Sapporo, Hokkaidō, Japan...
were held in Sapporo.
The sports teams listed below are based in Hokkaidō.
Association Football/Soccer
- Consadole Sapporo
is a Japanese professional football club, currently playing in the J-league Division 1. The team is located in Sapporo, on the island of Hokkaidō....
(Sapporo)
Baseball
- Hokkaidō Nippon Ham Fighters
The are a Japanese professional baseball team based in Sapporo, Hokkaidō. They compete in the Pacific League of Nippon Professional Baseball, playing the majority of their home games at the Sapporo Dome. The Fighters also host a select number of regional home games in cities across Hokkaidō,...
(Sapporo)
Ice Hockey
- Nippon Paper Cranes
The are an Asia League Ice Hockey team based in Kushiro City in Hokkaidō, Japan.The club were founded as Jūjō Papaer Kushiro Ice Hockey Club in 1949. They adopted the new name Nippon Paper Cranes in 1994 when Jūjō Paper and Sanyō Kokusaku Pulp merged to form Nippon Paper.They won the inaugural...
(Kushirois a city located in Kushiro, Hokkaidō, Japan. It is the capital city of Kushiro Subprefecture, as well as the most populous city in eastern Hokkaidō....
)
- Oji Ice Hockey Team (Tomakomai
is a city and port located in Iburi, Hokkaidō, Japan. Though its name implies a small, idyllic town, it is considered the largest city in the Iburi Subprefecture. As of 2008, the estimated population was 173,504 and the density of 310 persons per km²...
)
Basketball
- Rera Kamuy Hokkaido
Rera Kamuy Hokkaido is a Japanese professional basketball team based in the city of Sapporo on the island of Hokkaido. The name Rera Kamuy comes from the language of the Ainu, an ethnic group indigenous to Hokkaido, and means "god of the winds"...
(Sapporo) Japan Basketball LeagueThe Japan Basketball League is a professional basketball league in Japan. It lies below the bj league, which is Japan's top basketball competition, but there is no promotion and relegation between bj and the JBL....
(JBL)
Friendship partners
Hokkaidō has relationships with several provinces, states, and other entities worldwide.
AlbertaAlberta is one of Canada's prairie provinces. It became a province on September 1, 1905.Alberta is located in western Canada, bounded by the provinces of British Columbia to the west and Saskatchewan to the east, the Northwest Territories to the north, and the U.S. state of Montana to the south....
,
CanadaCanada is a country occupying most of northern North America, extending from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, since 1980
Heilongjiang' is a province of the People's Republic of China located in the northeastern part of the country. "Heilongjiang" literally means Black Dragon River, which is the Chinese name for the Amur. The one-character abbreviation is 黑...
,
ChinaChina is a cultural region, an ancient civilization, and, depending on perspective, a national or multinational entity extending over a large area in East Asia....
, since 1980
MassachusettsThe Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. Most of its population of...
, United States of America, since 1988
Sakhalin OblastSakhalin Oblast is a federal subject of Russia comprising the island of Sakhalin and Kuril Islands.The oblast has an area of 87,100 km² and a population of 546,695...
,
RussiaRussia , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia . It is a semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
, since 1998
BusanBusan Metropolitan City, also known as Pusan is the largest port city in South Korea and the fifth largest port in the world. Busan has a population of about 3.6 million. It is South Korea's second largest metropolis, after Seoul. The city is located on the Southeasternmost tip of the Korean...
,
South KoreaSouth Korea, officially the Republic of Korea and often simply referred to as Korea, is a country in East Asia, located on the southern half of the Korean Peninsula. It is neighbored by China to the west, Japan to the east, and North Korea to the north. Its capital is Seoul, the second largest...
, since 2005
Gyeongsangnam-doGyeongsangnam-do is a province in the southeast of South Korea. The provincial capital is located at Changwon.-History:Before 1895, the area corresponding to modern-day Gyeongsangnam-do was part of Gyeongsang Province, one of the Eight Provinces of Korea during the Joseon Dynasty...
,
South KoreaSouth Korea, officially the Republic of Korea and often simply referred to as Korea, is a country in East Asia, located on the southern half of the Korean Peninsula. It is neighbored by China to the west, Japan to the east, and North Korea to the north. Its capital is Seoul, the second largest...
, since 2006
As of July 2008, 73 individual municipalities in Hokkaidō have sister city agreements with 111 cities in 19 different countries worldwide.
See also
- Kuril islands dispute
The Kuril Islands dispute , also known as the Northern Territories dispute , is a dispute between Japan and Russia over sovereignty over the South Kuril Islands...
- 2006 Kuril Islands earthquake
The 2006 Kuril Islands earthquake happened at late evening in local time on November 15, 2006 with epicentre at 46 degrees 42.1 minutes north, 154 degrees 2.8 minutes east. Tsunami hit the Japanese northern coast...
- 2006 Kuril Islands tsunami
The 2006 Kuril Islands tsunami was a small tsunami which served as a test of disaster-preparedness.On November 15, 2006 at about 11:15 AM UTC, a major earthquake struck in the Kuril Islands The magnitude of the quake was estimated as 8.1 and later revised to 8.3.At about 11:45 UTC, tsunami...
- Asia League Ice Hockey
The Asia League Ice Hockey is a professional ice hockey league based in East Asia, with teams from Japan, China, South Korea, and formerly the Russian Far East...
- Former Hokkaidō government office building
is an American-neo-baroque structure constructed in 1888 as a base of the Hokkaidō administration. The nickname is Akarenga or "Red Brick." It is the symbol of Hokkaidō and was designated a Japanese Important Cultural Property in 1969...
- Sankebetsu brown bear incident
The , also referred to as the or the was the worst bear attack in Japanese history. It occurred between December 9 and 14, 1915 in Rokusen-sawa, Sankebetsu Tomamae, Rumoi, Hokkaidō...
Category:People from Hokkaidō
External links