Otoineppu
音威子府村
Village
Otoineppu Village Hall
Otoineppu Village Hall
Flag of Otoineppu
Official seal of Otoineppu
Location of Otoineppu in Hokkaido
Location of Otoineppu in Hokkaido
Otoineppu is located in Japan
Otoineppu
Otoineppu
Location in Japan
Coordinates: 44°44′0″N 142°16′0″E / 44.73333°N 142.26667°E / 44.73333; 142.26667
CountryJapan
RegionHokkaido
PrefectureHokkaido
SubprefectureKamikawa Subprefecture
DistrictNakagawa (Teshio)
Incorporated1909
Government
  MayorMasaru Sakon
Area
  Total275.64 km2 (106.43 sq mi)
Elevation40 m (130 ft)
Population
 (2022)
  Total667
  Density2.4/km2 (6.3/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+9 (Japan Standard Time)
Phone number01656-5-3311
Address444-1 Otoineppu
Otoineppu, Nakagawa-gun
Hokkaido 904-2501
ClimateDfb
Websitewww.vill.otoineppu.hokkaido.jp (in Japanese)
Symbols
BirdDollarbird
FlowerMoss phlox
MascotOtokki (おとっきー)
TreePicea glehnii

Otoineppu (音威子府村, Otoineppu-mura) is a village located in Kamikawa Subprefecture, Hokkaido, Japan. As of 2022, the village had an estimated population of 667 among 453 households. The total area of Otoineppu is 275.64 square kilometres (106.43 sq mi). Otoineppu designates itself as the "smallest village in Hokkaido".[1][3][4]

Etymology

In Ainu language, Otoineppu means "muddy river mouth". The name is probably a reference to muddy appearance of the water at the confluence of the Teshio River and one of its many tributaries, the Otoineppu River.[5]

Geography

Otoineppu Post Office

Otoineppu is a landlocked village at the north of Hokkaido. The village sits at the northern tip of the Nayoro Basin, and is flanked by the Kitami Mountains to the east and the Teshio Mountains to the west. The town covers 275.64 square kilometres (106.43 sq mi), measures 22.2 kilometres (13.8 mi) from east to west and 18.6 kilometres (11.6 mi) from north to south. The village sits at an elevation of 40 metres (130 ft). 80% of the village is covered by forest.[1][2]

The Teshio River (256 kilometres (159 mi)), the fourth longest river in Japan, flows north through Otoineppu before turning sharply west near the village center. The JR Hokkaido Sōya Main Line and Japan National Route 40 runs along the Teshio River through Otoineppu.[1]

Neighboring municipalities

Otoineppu borders on four towns in Hokkaido:

Climate

Otoineppu has a humid continental climate (Köppen: Dfb). Otoineppu, which sits only 50 kilometres (31 mi) from both the Sea of Okhotsk and Japan Sea, is located within a maritime climate. The village is ringed in by mountains from all four directions, and sees significant temperature extremes. The average temperatures from December to March are below −6 °C (21 °F), with days as low as −30 °C (−22 °F); temperatures from June to September are typically above 17 °C (63 °F), with some days reaching above 30 °C (86 °F).[2]

Otoineppu is noted for its deep snowfalls; some areas of the village have snowfalls as high as 12 metres (39 ft). In 1998 the village had Hokkaido's second-deepest snowfall on record.[2]

Climate data for Otoineppu (1991−2020 normals, extremes 1977−present)
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °C (°F) 6.5
(43.7)
8.6
(47.5)
13.9
(57.0)
25.3
(77.5)
31.5
(88.7)
33.6
(92.5)
36.6
(97.9)
35.5
(95.9)
31.4
(88.5)
25.7
(78.3)
19.2
(66.6)
10.0
(50.0)
36.6
(97.9)
Mean daily maximum °C (°F) −3.9
(25.0)
−2.7
(27.1)
1.8
(35.2)
8.5
(47.3)
16.4
(61.5)
20.7
(69.3)
24.2
(75.6)
24.8
(76.6)
21.1
(70.0)
14.1
(57.4)
5.3
(41.5)
−1.5
(29.3)
10.7
(51.3)
Daily mean °C (°F) −8.0
(17.6)
−7.7
(18.1)
−2.7
(27.1)
3.6
(38.5)
10.1
(50.2)
14.5
(58.1)
18.5
(65.3)
19.5
(67.1)
15.3
(59.5)
8.7
(47.7)
1.7
(35.1)
−4.8
(23.4)
5.7
(42.3)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F) −13.9
(7.0)
−14.5
(5.9)
−8.4
(16.9)
−1.3
(29.7)
4.3
(39.7)
9.2
(48.6)
14.0
(57.2)
15.2
(59.4)
10.5
(50.9)
4.1
(39.4)
−1.7
(28.9)
−8.8
(16.2)
0.7
(33.3)
Record low °C (°F) −34.8
(−30.6)
−34.9
(−30.8)
−30.1
(−22.2)
−15.0
(5.0)
−4.6
(23.7)
−0.8
(30.6)
4.6
(40.3)
4.8
(40.6)
1.0
(33.8)
−6.7
(19.9)
−19.2
(−2.6)
−27.4
(−17.3)
−34.9
(−30.8)
Average precipitation mm (inches) 106.7
(4.20)
70.7
(2.78)
71.4
(2.81)
56.8
(2.24)
65.5
(2.58)
60.6
(2.39)
120.4
(4.74)
163.9
(6.45)
148.0
(5.83)
164.3
(6.47)
180.3
(7.10)
158.0
(6.22)
1,366.6
(53.81)
Average snowfall cm (inches) 291
(115)
218
(86)
179
(70)
72
(28)
3
(1.2)
0
(0)
0
(0)
0
(0)
0
(0)
3
(1.2)
124
(49)
325
(128)
1,215
(478.4)
Average rainy days 21.1 17.3 16.1 12.1 10.7 8.8 10.2 11.4 13.8 17.5 21.6 25.0 185.6
Average snowy days 24.1 20.8 19.1 10.3 0.5 0 0 0 0 0.3 10.5 24.3 109.9
Mean monthly sunshine hours 41.0 61.7 97.1 144.0 175.1 160.0 139.8 130.8 137.2 108.5 40.3 23.4 1,258.9
Source 1: JMA[6]
Source 2: JMA[7]

History

Otoineppu was known as Tokiwa (常盤村, Tokiwa-mura) until 1963. The name of the village was changed due to the fact that center of the village is in the Otoineppu district, and Otoineppu Station was widely known as a terminus on the JR Sōya and Tenpoku Lines.[1][3]

In the 2017 Japanese general election, 55.97% of Otoineppu's proportional ballots were cast for one of the three parties in the pacifist opposition coalition (the Constitutional Democratic Party, the Social Democratic Party, and the Japanese Communist Party), making it the most left-leaning municipality in the country in this election under that definition.[8]

Transportation

Otoineppu Station

Rail

Otoineppu is served by the JR Hokkaido Sōya Main Line. The Sōya is the northernmost train line in Japan, and runs from Asahikawa Station in Asahikawa in north-central Hokkaido to Wakkanai Station in Wakkanai at the very north of the prefecture. Three stations, Teshiogawa-Onsen, Sakkuru, and Osashima are serviced by local trains; the central Otoineppu is served by both limited express and local trains.[1]

The defunct JNR Tenpoku Line once broke off from the Sōya Main Line at Otoineppu Station and ran north to the coast of the Sea of Okhotsk, and again met the Sōya Main Line at Wakkanai Station. The line was discontinued in 1989 and replaced by bus service.[1]

Roads

Japan National Route (JNR) 40 runs along the Teshio River through Otoineppu, and connects Asahikawa in central Hokkaido to Wakkanai at the northern tip of the prefecture. JNR 275 breaks off from JNR 40 at the village center of Otoineppu and extends on to Hamatonbetsu on the coast of the Sea of Okhotsk.[1]

Education

The Village of Otoineppu maintains two schools, Otoineppu Elementary School and Otoineppu Junior High School. The village also maintains a high school, Hokkaido Otoineppu Arts & Craft High School.

Culture

Mascot

Otokki, the village's mascot

Otoineppu's mascot is Otokki (おとっきー). He is a Picea glehnii who is a friendly park ranger. He sometimes wears a crown as a park ranger hat. He also attends events especially school ones. He is unveiled on 4 August 2013.[9]

Notable people from Otoineppu

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 "音威子府(村)" [Otoineppu]. Nihon Daihyakka Zensho (Nipponika) (in Japanese). Tokyo: Shogakukan. 2013. OCLC 153301537. Archived from the original on 2007-08-25. Retrieved 2013-09-03.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 位置、気象 [Location, Weather] (in Japanese). Mori, Hokkaido: Town of Shakotan. 2013. Retrieved Oct 10, 2013.
  3. 1 2 3 "音威子府村" [Otoineppu]. Nihon Rekishi Chimei Taikei (in Japanese). Tokyo: Shogakukan. 2013. OCLC 173191044. Archived from the original on 2007-08-25. Retrieved 2013-09-03.
  4. 音威子府村の人口 [Population of Otoineppu] (in Japanese). Otoineppu, Hokkaido, Japan: Village of Otoineppu. 2013. Retrieved 2013-09-03.
  5. 村の概要 [Village outline] (in Japanese). Otoineppu, Hokkaido, Japan: Village of Otoineppu. 2013. Retrieved 2013-09-03.
  6. 観測史上1~10位の値(年間を通じての値). JMA. Retrieved February 17, 2022.
  7. 気象庁 / 平年値(年・月ごとの値). JMA. Retrieved February 17, 2022.
  8. "平成29年10月22日執行 衆議院議員総選挙 市区町村別得票数". Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications.
  9. "音威子府村観光協会". Otoineppu.
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