Китами: Город на Севере Хоккайдо

Kitami (北見市) is a city in Okhotsk Subprefecture, Hokkaido, Japan. It is the most populous city and the commercial center in the subprefecture, although the subprefecture capital is Abashiri. Kitami is physically in the middle of Okhotsk Subprefecture. The Kitami Mountains are nearby and are the main reason behind the city's name. The city is the result of the merger of Kitami, Tanno, Tokoro and Rubeshibe towns in 2006 administrative reform. Kitami developed mainly in commerce and industry/service industries, Tanno in agriculture, Tokoro in fishery and agriculture, and Rubeshibe in forestry and tourism on hot springs. Due to the characteristics of the region, Kitami has the highest onion and white flower bean production in Japan. Scallop fishing also flourishes, which makes it the "birthplace of scallop farming" in the country. In addition, the region is home to historical and tourist places like the Pearson Museum, Wakka Wild Flower Garden, and Tokoro Ruins, which are listed as "Hokkaido Heritage" sites. As of July 31, 2023, the city had a population of 112,185, citizens in 61,793 households. The population density is The total area is .

The name came as a suggestion of the Japanese explorer and cartographer Matsuura Takeshirō during the Meiji Era, when imperial bureaucrats were registering the place for initiating the region's development through the Hokkaidō Development Commission. Before the imperial intervention, there was no Ainu name for the region. The meaning of the name consists of the kanji's combinations of characters 北 (North) 見 (See) and 市 (City), which means "City of the North View". The reason behind this meaning is due to the region's mountains, which allow the view of the sea and the Russian island of Sakhalin. Originally, the name refers to a vast area between the mountains and the Sea of Okhotsk. Since the merger of Kitami City with the surrounding Tokoro, Rubeshibe and Tanno towns in 2006, it is often referred to as the area around the Kitami Basin, the so called Kitami Inland Area, excluding the former Tokoro Town area in the coastal area.

The Edo period is the period between 1603 and 1867 in the history of Japan, when Japan was under the rule of the Tokugawa shogunate and the country's 300 regional daimyo. During this period, there is no registration of continuous human settlement in this place. The nearest populations were composed of Ainu Tribes. Nowadays, one of their old settlements has become the Tokoro Ruins. The history began to appear in the final years of the Edo period, as a result of the Meiji Restoration and the Boshin War. 1856: Japanese explorer Matsuura Takeshirō passed over the region for the first time on the Tokoro River.

The Meiji era is an era of Japanese history that extended from October 23, 1868, to July 30, 1912. In this period, the Boshin War was over and the short lived Ezo Republic was conquered by the Japanese Imperial Army. Due to the risk of having new revolts in the border of the empire and the constant expansion of the Russian Empire at the north, the imperial bureau started the mass colonisation of the region and the "Japanization" of the natives through forced assimilation and segregation. 1869 (Meiji 2): The Meiji government renames Ezo as "Hokkaido" and creates the Hokkaidō Development Commission. 1872 (Meiji 5): The village of (ノツケウシ村) is founded, starting the process of settle in the region. 1882 (Meiji 15): Hokkaidō Development Commission is abolished, and the first three prefectures are established in Hokkaido. This area belonged to Nemuro prefecture, one of those firstly created. 1897 (Meiji 30): 112 immigrants arrives and settle, which led to the substantial growth of the region. 1899 (Meiji 32): Is produced the first mint in the region. 1904 (Meiji 37): Rice cultivation begins. 1910 (Meiji 43): Train service arrives (then called the Ikeda Railway Line), connecting the village to Sapporo, capital of Hokkaido. 1914 (Taisho 3): Pearson Museum is opened in the old house of the Pearson, an American couple of missionaries. 1915 (Taisho 4): Tokoro Village is created. 1921 (Taisho 10): Rubeshibe Town is created.

Is the period corresponding to the reign of Emperor Akihito from 8 January 1989 until his abdication on 30 April 2019. Heisei's era was marked by turbulent politics and a prolonged economic slowdown. Since the economic downturn, Kitami never recovered its economic dimensions since the burst of the Japanese financial crisis and its population started to slowly decrease until nowadays. In this era, the actual city administrative divisions were created. 1991 (Heisei 3): "Solar Challenge in Hokkaido" (solar car race) held for the first time (ended in 2003). 1996 (Heisei 8): Marks the 100th anniversary of the creation of Kitami. 1997 (Heisei 9): The "Kaoryanse Festival" is held for the first time. 1999 (Heisei 11): Hokkaido's Japanese Red Cross College of Nursing is opened in the city. 2000 (Heisei 12): "Kitami Severe Cold Yakiniku Festival" was held for the first time. 2001 (Heisei 13): The Pearson Museum and Wakka Wild Flower Garden are selected as "Hokkaido Heritage". 2004 (Heisei 16): A record blizzard hits (snow cover Ancient archaeological sites along the Okhotsk coast including the Tokoro archaeological site are selected as "Hokkaido heritage". 2006 (Heisei 18): Kitami, Tokoro, Rubeshibe and Tanno surges as City of Kitami. 2008 (Heisei 20): The first community broadcast "FM Okhotsk" opens. 2009 (Heisei 21): "Kitami Half Marathon" held for the first time. 2014 (Heisei 26): Kitami's daily maximum temperature recorded the highest value until 2019 (37.2 °C).

Reiwa is the current era of Japan's official calendar. It began on 1 May 2019, the day on which Emperor Akihito's elder son, Naruhito, ascended the throne as the 126th Emperor of Japan. 2019 (first year of Reiwa): On May 26, the highest temperature in the history of observation was observed in Kitami City at 38.1 °C, beating the 2014 record.

Kitami is the result of the administrative unification of small towns with the main city, which was made in 2006. Thanks to this merging, Kitami is the biggest city in the Okhotsk Subprefecture. These small towns still exist as Autonomous Region Districts (自治区). There are 4 autonomous regions/towns in total.

Translated as North View (北見), it is the main urban area of the region. The city flourished during the prewar era through the production of mint, which at the time accounted for 70% of world production. Nowadays Kitami is the commercial, industrial, and service center of the Okhotsk area. The government makes efforts to develop the city through an industry academia government collaboration involving universities and other higher education institutions that are also based in the area.

Translated as Edge Field (端野) which is based in the native Ainu name nufu un keshi (edge of the field), the district is mainly a farm field with smooth hills and a rural landscape in the Tokoro river basin. The district has an educational zone with elementary and junior high schools, social education facilities, and parks in the main centre of the district. The rural landscape is also shaped by farms with urban convenience. In the last population survey (2005) the town had an estimated population of 5,425 and a density of 33 persons per km2. The total area was 163.50 km2.

Agriculture and fisheries thrive in this district with abundant nature, including Wakka Wild Flower Park, where flowers stand out on the sandbar between the Sea of Okhotsk and Lake Saroma. It has a year round curling hall, which is one of the largest of its kind in Japan, as well as historical sites such as the Tokoro Site and the birthplace of scallop cultivation.

Efforts to revitalise the local economy include the "cultivation" of new sales channels and the development of new products with higher added value to overcome the problem of logistics costs. Product development is promoted via inter industry collaboration and by attracting enterprises to the Kitami Industrial Complex and Kitami HighTech Park, both of which make the most of local resources. Kitami Institute of Technology's Cooperative Research & Community Collaboration Center serves as a contact point for joint research with the private sector. The Okhotsk Collaborative Research Center and the Kitami Office of the Hokkaido Branch of the Organization for Small & Medium Enterprises and Regional Innovation have been established as “one stop service bases” to support R&D and commercialization in the local community. Measures to promote local industries, such as the enhancement of technological capabilities and the development of new products, are taken while strengthening industry academia government collaboration. There is important private enterprises installed in the city like Kyocera Corporation and Hitachi, Ltd.

As the central city of the Okhotsk area, Kitami has expanded its retail trading zone in the last years. The commercial district in the downtown area, where retail, service and restaurant establishments are concentrated, has long been a place for interaction among citizens. Various events are held to make the commercial district more attractive. A new shopping zone formed in the suburbs has further livened up the commercial sector of Kitami. Lively and diverse commercial activities are promoted by making the most of local creativity while facilitating the participation of local residents in the development of a community. In financial matters, the annual sales of both wholesale and retail businesses in Kitami City are declining, and the number of business establishments and employees is also declining. This decline occur mainly due the Japanese economic crisis, faster ageing population and urban exodus. In the tourism industry, there are about 1.5 million tourists a year, mainly in Lake Saroma and Onneyu Onsen. However, the total number of overnight guests has been around 450,000 a year, making it a so called “passing type” tourist destination.

The Kitami Winter Festival, held annually during the 2nd week of February. Mint kun and Pepper chan are married squirrels. They ate so much food that they are rounded. Mint kun likes to hack things (he once boosted 70% of the world market) while Pepper chan likes fresh air. They represent technology and cuisine. Nonta kun and Nonta chan are farmers from Tanno. They wear red hat with wheat ears. Their faces looked like onions and their shoes look like rice. They represent agriculture. Matsubo is a pinecone from Rubeshibe. He loves shopping. His charms points are his scales and his eyes. He represents tourism. Tokoro kun is a sporty scallop from Tokoro. He represents sports and fisheries. Ecolon is a seed (which resembled the recycling symbol) with wings. Her hair (seedling) can spin like Doraemon's take copter. When she flies by, everything turns green. She represents the environment.