Nemuro, Hokkaido

Nemuro (根室市, Nemuro-shi; Ainu: ニ・ム・オロ Ni-mu-oro) is a city and port located in Nemuro Subprefecture, Hokkaido, Japan. It is the capital city of Nemuro Subprefecture. Much of the city lies on the Nemuro Peninsula. As of February 29, 2012, the city has an estimated population of 29,087, with 12,966 households, and a population density of 56.74 persons per km² (147.0 persons per sq. mi.). The total area is 512.63 km² (197.93 sq mi).

Not to be confused with Memuro.

Nemuro 根室市
City
Nemuro City in 2019
Flag Seal
Location of Nemuro in Hokkaido (Nemuro Subprefecture)
Nemuro Location in Japan
Coordinates: 43°19′48″N 145°34′58″E
Country	Japan
Region	Hokkaido
Prefecture	Hokkaido (Nemuro Subprefecture)
First official recorded	1635
City settled	August 1, 1957
Government
• Mayor	Masatoshi Ishigaki
Area
• Total	512.63 km2 (197.93 sq mi)
Population  (September 30, 2016)
• Total	27,109
• Density	56.74/km2 (147.0/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+09:00 (JST)
City hall address	2-27 Tokiwachō, Nemuro-shi, Hokkaido 087-8711
Website	www.city.nemuro.hokkaido.jp
Symbols
Bird	Swan
Flower	Yukiwarikozakura (Primula modesta var. fauriei)
Tree	Chishimazakura (Prunus nipponica var. kurilensis)

History

Nemuro was developed by fisheries. In the early Meiji period, it was the largest city in eastern Hokkaido.^[1]

• 1900 Nemuro town was founded.
• 1906 Wada village was founded.
• 1945 Bombed by American naval aircraft, 393 people were killed.^[2]
• 1915 Habomai village was founded.
• 1957 Nemuro town and Wada village was merged to form Nemuro city.
• 1959 Habomai village was merged into Nemuro city.

Climate

Nemuro, like most of Hokkaido, has a humid continental climate (Köppen climate classification Dfb), but not far from a marine climate (Köppen climate classification: Cfb) using the −3.0 °C (27 °F) isotherm due to its low amplitude for a location close to mainland Asia and average temperatures during the winter.^[3] It has mild to warm summers and cold snowy winters. Like the more northerly Kuril Islands, it has an extremely strong seasonal lag, with the highest temperatures in August and September and lowest in February, though it is not so gloomy as extremely foggy North Pacific islands like Simushir or the Aleutian Islands in general. Its peninsular location makes Nemuro very windy, especially during autumn and winter, with mean wind speeds as high as 22.7 kilometres per hour (14.1 mph) in November.

Climate data for Nemuro (1991–2020 normals, extremes 1879–present)
Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Year
Record high °C (°F)	10.3 (50.5)	11.5 (52.7)	14.7 (58.5)	23.3 (73.9)	34.0 (93.2)	32.1 (89.8)	33.1 (91.6)	33.6 (92.5)	29.5 (85.1)	24.7 (76.5)	19.2 (66.6)	13.6 (56.5)	34.0 (93.2)
Mean daily maximum °C (°F)	−0.9 (30.4)	−1.2 (29.8)	2.2 (36.0)	7.4 (45.3)	11.9 (53.4)	14.9 (58.8)	18.7 (65.7)	20.9 (69.6)	19.4 (66.9)	14.7 (58.5)	8.6 (47.5)	2.1 (35.8)	9.9 (49.8)
Daily mean °C (°F)	−3.4 (25.9)	−3.8 (25.2)	−0.8 (30.6)	3.5 (38.3)	7.7 (45.9)	10.9 (51.6)	14.9 (58.8)	17.4 (63.3)	16.2 (61.2)	11.6 (52.9)	5.6 (42.1)	−0.5 (31.1)	6.6 (43.9)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F)	−6.5 (20.3)	−7.1 (19.2)	−3.7 (25.3)	0.5 (32.9)	4.5 (40.1)	8.1 (46.6)	12.1 (53.8)	14.8 (58.6)	13.6 (56.5)	8.5 (47.3)	2.3 (36.1)	−3.6 (25.5)	3.6 (38.5)
Record low °C (°F)	−22.7 (−8.9)	−22.9 (−9.2)	−21.1 (−6.0)	−13.4 (7.9)	−6.7 (19.9)	−4.9 (23.2)	0.4 (32.7)	6.3 (43.3)	1.7 (35.1)	−3.3 (26.1)	−10.6 (12.9)	−15.1 (4.8)	−22.9 (−9.2)
Average precipitation mm (inches)	30.6 (1.20)	23.5 (0.93)	47.0 (1.85)	64.4 (2.54)	96.2 (3.79)	103.0 (4.06)	115.1 (4.53)	132.3 (5.21)	160.0 (6.30)	126.1 (4.96)	83.2 (3.28)	59.0 (2.32)	1,040.4 (40.96)
Average snowfall cm (inches)	43 (17)	39 (15)	36 (14)	12 (4.7)	0 (0)	0 (0)	0 (0)	0 (0)	0 (0)	0 (0)	2 (0.8)	28 (11)	159 (63)
Average precipitation days (≥ 0.5 mm)	9.7	6.3	9.4	10.6	11.3	10.1	11.0	11.8	11.5	10.7	10.8	10.4	123.6
Average relative humidity (%)	71	72	75	78	83	89	91	89	84	76	70	69	79
Mean monthly sunshine hours	154.4	164.1	190.8	180.9	171.6	135.5	117.3	124.6	144.5	162.8	148.2	151.8	1,846.7
Source: Japan Meteorological Agency[4]

See or edit raw graph data.

Transportation

A road to Cape Nosappu

Air

Nearby Nakashibetsu Airport serves Nemuro.

Rail

• Hokkaido Railway Company (JR Hokkaido) – Nemuro Main Line
  • Stations in the city: Nemuro – Nishi-Wada – Kombumori – Ochiishi – Bettoga – Attoko

Road

• National Route 44
• National Route 243

Sightseeing

The ruins of Chashi at Onnemoto, Nemuro

Cape Ochiishi

• Cape Nosappu
• Cape Hanasaki, including "Kurumaishi", a car wheel-shaped stone natural monument
• Cape Ochiishi, a fishing port
• The Ruins of Chashi in the Nemuro Peninsula
• Habomai Fishing Port
• Kotohira Shrine
• Lake Furen
• Lake Onnetō
• Meiji Park
• Ohashi Bridge
• Roadside station Swan 44 Nemuro
• Shunkunitai Wild Bird Sanctuary

Cuisine

One local specialty of Nemuro is "escalope". This consists of tonkatsu (breaded deep-fried pork cutlets) over butter fried rice with a special demiglace sauce.^[5]

Nemuro is well known by the people of Hokkaido as one of the best places to eat sushi because of the seafood caught there.^{[5][6][non-primary source needed]} Nemuro's seafood delicacies include their fresh Pacific saury, salmon, king crab, and shrimp.

Other delicacies in Nemuro include yakitori bento, Holland sanbei (waffle-like snack), soft serve ice cream, and monjayaki.^{[citation needed]}

Economy

Nemuro's economy is based on its fishing industry as many types of marine animals are found in the area all year long. Dairy processing is also an important part of the local economy.^[7] Local businesses like restaurants and tourism also plays a significant role in the economy. Nemuro boasts the largest catches of saury in all of Japan, which has led to efforts to export saury to Southeast Asia, especially Vietnam.^[8]

Education

High schools

• Hokkaido Nemuro High School

Mascot

Nemuro-kun, the town's mascot

Nemuro's mascot is Nemuro-kun (ねむろうくん). He is a fisherman owl who stores seafood products in his pocket. He is asleep and usually sleep-walks during the day but is active during the night. He was unveiled in April 2016.^[9]

Sister cities

Nemuro is twinned with the following sister cities:^[10]

• Kurobe, Toyama, Japan
• Severo-Kurilsk, Russia
• Sitka, Alaska, United States
• Tebedu, Sarawak, Malaysia