Obihiro, Hokkaidō
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Obihiro 帯広市 |
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Main Street in Obihiro
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 Location of Obihiro in Hokkaido (Tokachi Subprefecture) |
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 Obihiro
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| Coordinates: 42°55′N 143°12′E / 42.917°N 143.200°ECoordinates: 42°55′N 143°12′E / 42.917°N 143.200°E | ||
| Country | Japan | |
| Region | Hokkaido | |
| Prefecture | Hokkaido (Tokachi Subprefecture) | |
| Government | ||
| • Mayor | Norihisa Yonezawa (since April 2010) | |
| Area | ||
| • Total | 618.94 km2 (238.97 sq mi) | |
| Population (August 31, 2011) | ||
| • Total | 168,546 | |
| • Density | 275/km2 (710/sq mi) | |
| Symbols | ||
| • Tree | Japanese white birch | |
| • Flower | Fritillaria camschatcensis | |
| • Bird | Lark | |
| Time zone | Japan Standard Time (UTC+9) | |
| City hall address | West 5 South 7-1, Obihiro-shi, Hokkaidō 080-8670 |
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| Website | www |
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Obihiro (帯広市 Obihiro-shi?) is a city in Tokachi Subprefecture, Hokkaido, Japan. Obihiro is the only designated city in the Tokachi area. The next most populous municipality in Tokachi is the adjacent town of Otofuke, with less than a third of Obihiro's population. The city had approximately 500 foreign residents in 2008. The city contains the headquarters of the fifth division of the northern army of the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force. It also hosts the Rally Japan World Rally Championship-event.
In 2008, Obihiro was designated as a 'model environmental city' in Japan.
The Tokachi-Obihiro Airport is located to the northeast of downtown Obihiro, but is still within the city's borders. It takes 50 minutes by car or 1 hour by bus from Obihiro Station to the airport. The next major airport nearby is New Chitose Airport. From Obihiro, it takes 2 hrs 30 mins to get New Chitose Airport by train and just over 4 hours to get there by car. Both airports have direct flights to and from Haneda Airport.
Obihiro was the area first settled by Benzō Yoda in May 1883. It became a city on April 1, 1933. In 1957 the villages of Taishō and Kawanishi merged with Obihiro, bringing it to its current size.
Obihiro, along with most of Tokachi, has a large agricultural sector that revolves around large scale farming operations. Farms within the boundaries of Obihiro have an average of approximately 24 hectares of arable land; exceeding the Hokkaido average (17.41 ha) and the national average (1.57 ha). The main crops produced are wheat, potatoes, beets, and beans, but there has also been progress in the production of nagaimo (Dioscorea polystachya) and gobō (Arctium lappa); two of Tokachi's specialty products. The headquarters of 3 nationally renowned pastry companies (Rokkatei, Ryugetsu, and Cranberry) are also located in Obihiro.
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