Iwamizawa
岩見沢市
Panorama view of downtown Iwamizawa urban area
Panorama view of downtown Iwamizawa urban area
Flag of Iwamizawa
Official seal of Iwamizawa
Location of Iwamizawa in Hokkaido (Sorachi Subprefecture)
Location of Iwamizawa in Hokkaido (Sorachi Subprefecture)
Iwamizawa is located in Japan
Iwamizawa
Iwamizawa
Location in Japan
Coordinates: 43°12′N 141°47′E / 43.200°N 141.783°E / 43.200; 141.783
CountryJapan
RegionHokkaido
PrefectureHokkaido (Sorachi Subprefecture)
Government
  MayorSatoru Matsuno
Area
  Total481.02 km2 (185.72 sq mi)
Population
 (July 31, 2023)
  Total75,949
  Density160/km2 (410/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+09:00 (JST)
City hall address1-1-1, Hatogaoka, Iwamizawa-shi, Hokkaido
068-8686
ClimateDfb
Websitewww.city.iwamizawa.hokkaido.jp
Symbols
BirdPigeon
FlowerRose
TreeKobushi Magnolia

Iwamizawa (岩見沢市, Iwamizawa-shi) is a city in Sorachi Subprefecture, Hokkaido, Japan. It is the capital of Sorachi Subprefecture.

As of July 31, 2023, the city had an estimated population of 75,949 and the density of 158 persons per km².[1] The total area is 481.02 km2 (186 sq mi).

On March 27, 2006, the town of Kurisawa, and the village of Kita (both from Sorachi District, Sorachi Subprefecture) merged into Iwamizawa.[2]

History

The name of "Iwamizawa" is derived from Japanese word "Yuamisawa" (浴澤).Yuami () and sawa () means "Bathing" and "A swamp".[3]

Iwamizawa was developed as a hub of land transportation around Iwamizawa Station.[2]

  • 1906 - Iwamizawa village became Iwamizawa town.
  • 1943 - Iwamizawa town became Iwamizawa city.
  • 2006 - Kurisawa town and Kita village were merged into Iwamizawa city.

Climate

Iwamizawa has a humid continental climate (Köppen climate classification Dfb) with warm summers and cold winters. Precipitation is significant throughout the year, but is heaviest from August to October.

Climate data for Iwamizawa, Hokkaido (1991−2020 normals, extremes 1946−present)
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °C (°F) 8.7
(47.7)
10.3
(50.5)
16.3
(61.3)
26.8
(80.2)
33.1
(91.6)
33.6
(92.5)
35.5
(95.9)
35.7
(96.3)
32.7
(90.9)
25.9
(78.6)
20.2
(68.4)
13.7
(56.7)
35.7
(96.3)
Mean daily maximum °C (°F) −1.9
(28.6)
−0.9
(30.4)
3.5
(38.3)
11.2
(52.2)
17.7
(63.9)
21.7
(71.1)
25.1
(77.2)
26.1
(79.0)
22.4
(72.3)
15.7
(60.3)
7.6
(45.7)
0.5
(32.9)
12.4
(54.3)
Daily mean °C (°F) −5.3
(22.5)
−4.6
(23.7)
−0.4
(31.3)
6.1
(43.0)
12.1
(53.8)
16.3
(61.3)
20.2
(68.4)
21.3
(70.3)
17.4
(63.3)
10.8
(51.4)
3.9
(39.0)
−2.6
(27.3)
7.9
(46.2)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F) −9.2
(15.4)
−8.9
(16.0)
−4.5
(23.9)
1.3
(34.3)
7.1
(44.8)
12.0
(53.6)
16.6
(61.9)
17.6
(63.7)
12.9
(55.2)
6.2
(43.2)
0.2
(32.4)
−6.0
(21.2)
3.8
(38.8)
Record low °C (°F) −24.3
(−11.7)
−23.0
(−9.4)
−22.0
(−7.6)
−10.9
(12.4)
−3.6
(25.5)
2.5
(36.5)
5.2
(41.4)
6.9
(44.4)
−1.0
(30.2)
−4.0
(24.8)
−14.6
(5.7)
−22.6
(−8.7)
−24.3
(−11.7)
Average precipitation mm (inches) 199.4
(7.85)
85.5
(3.37)
59.4
(2.34)
52.7
(2.07)
83.9
(3.30)
69.5
(2.74)
111.5
(4.39)
161.1
(6.34)
142.2
(5.60)
110.4
(4.35)
118.8
(4.68)
144.5
(5.69)
1,248.5
(49.15)
Average extreme snow depth mm (inches) 187
(7.4)
137
(5.4)
72
(2.8)
8
(0.3)
0
(0)
0
(0)
0
(0)
0
(0)
0
(0)
1
(0.0)
70
(2.8)
200
(7.9)
664
(26.1)
Average rainy days 19.2 15.9 12.7 9.8 10.0 8.3 9.5 9.9 10.3 13.7 17.4 21.3 158
Average snowy days 21.7 19.5 15.9 3.1 0 0 0 0 0 0.3 8.6 21.6 90.7
Average relative humidity (%) 81 78 74 68 71 78 81 81 79 77 78 81 77
Mean monthly sunshine hours 90.2 111.3 161.9 176.6 196.5 173.6 156.2 158.8 161.9 138.5 84.7 69.0 1,679.1
Percent possible sunshine 33 40 46 46 46 27 42 40 36 42 21 13 37
Source 1: Japan Meteorological Agency[4][5]
Source 2: MSN Weather[6]

Transportation

Rail

In the past, Horonai Line and Manji Line ran from Iwamizawa.

Road

Education

Universities

High schools

  • Hokkaido Iwamizawa Higashi High School
  • Hokkaido Iwamizawa Nishi High School
  • Hokkaido Iwamizawa Agricultural High School
  • Hokkaido Iwamizawa Ryokuryo High School

Culture

Mascot

Iwamizawa's mascot is Iwami-chan (いわみちゃん). He is a playful onion who likes food. He is unveiled on 3 October 2010. He is assisted by Kuri-chan (クリちゃん) who is a female squirrel from Kita.[7][8]

Iwami-chan and Kuri-chan, the city's mascots

Religion

Sister cities

References

  1. "Official website of Iwamizawa City" (in Japanese). Japan: Iwamizawa City. Retrieved 15 May 2017.
  2. 1 2 "The history of Iwamizawa". Archived from the original on 2016-03-05. Retrieved 2015-05-16.
  3. The origin of the name
  4. "IWAMIZAWA WMO Station ID:47413 Lat 43o12.7'N Lon 141o47.1'E". Japan Meteorological Agency. Retrieved August 28, 2021.
  5. "Extremes". Japan Meteorological Agency. Retrieved August 28, 2021.
  6. "Iwamizawa City, Japan". MSN. Retrieved August 28, 2021.
  7. "プロフィール". Iwami-chan.
  8. "クリちゃんのプロフィール(岩見沢市)". Kawaii Hokkaido.
  9. "Pocatello, Idaho". Sister Cities International. Retrieved 19 April 2014.
  10. "Fostering International Exchange in Iwamizawa". Archived from the original on 2016-03-05. Retrieved 2015-05-16.
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