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 .
Etymology 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.
Chronology The Edo period 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.
Meiji era 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 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.
Taishō era The Taishō era is a period dating from 30 July 1912 to 25 December 1926, coinciding with the reign of the Emperor Taishō. During this Era, the emperor wasn't capable of using his power due to cerebral meningitis contracted in his childhood. Because of his personal limitations, the imperial government was led informally by an oligarchy of notables called Genrō (元老). Thanks to this power vacuum, Japan developed a political system that allowed a liberal government, with the creation of political parties and a major role of the National Diet.
1914 (Taisho 3): Pearson Museum is opened in the old house of the Pearsons, an American missionary couple. 1915 (Taisho 4): Tokoro Village is created. 1921 (Taisho 10): Rubeshibe Town is created.
Showa Era This chapter of Japanese history corresponds to the reign of Emperor Shōwa (Hirohito) from December 25, 1926, until his death on January 7, 1989. This time represents the most intense changes in Kitami, Hokkaido, and Japan. In the beginning, the city started to specialise in the production of Mint, meanwhile, the Empire of Japan was under a militaristic rule with expansionist actions that led to the participation of the country in the Second World War.
After the end of the conflict, Japan started to concentrate its economic efforts on mass industrialisation, which, in consequence, led Japan to the second most important economy in the world. Kitami had an industrial development during this progress and the city reached its highest population in the middle of the 80s.
1928 (Showa 3): Mr. and Mrs. Pearson leave Kitami and come back to the United States. 1934 (Showa 9): The Japanese Red Cross hospital is completed. 1934 (Showa 9): Kitami's Mint Memorial Hall is opened. 1939 (Showa 14): Kitami's mint production gets 70% of the world market and reaches its peak. 1942 (Showa 17): Kitami becomes a city. 1947 (Showa 22): 50th anniversary of the creation of Kitami City. Enactment of the Kitami City coat of arms. 1954 (Showa 29): "Kitami Commerce and Industry Festival" is held for the first time 1960 (Showa 35): Establishment of the Kitami College of Technology. 1971 (Showa 46): "Kitami Winter Festival" held for the first time. 1979 (Showa 54): The population of Kitami City exceeds 100,000. 1983 (Showa 58): The 100th anniversary of the creation of Tokoro. 1984 (Showa 59): Kitami Cultural Center in the Kitami area opens. 1988 (Showa 63): Tokorocho Curling Hall (currently Tokorocho Curling Hall, Kitami City ) was completed.
Heisei Era 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 Era 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.
Towns and autonomous regions 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 four autonomous regions/towns in total.
City of Kitami 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.
Town of Tanno
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.
Town of Tokoro
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. As of 2004, the town had an estimated population of 4,885 and a density of 17.55 persons per km2. The total area was 278.29 km2.
Town of Rubeshibe
Translated as Legacy of the Detained Pistils (留辺蘂), the district is surrounded by thick forests at the foot of the Taisetsu mountains and along the Muka River. Its key industries are White Flower (shirohana-mame) beans production, for which it boasts the nation's largest yield, and the forest products industry, which uses locally produced wood. As a tourist spot, Yama no Aquarium (Kita no Daichi no Aquarium) in the Onneyu Onsen resort is attracting nationwide attention with its unique display tanks. Before the unification with Kitami, the town had an estimated population of 8,704 and a density of 15.41 persons per km2. The total area was 564.69 km2.
Economy History and actual situation Kitami's first economy was the natural production of Mentha (Mint). At one time (pre-war) the region exported mint (known as hakka locally) on a scale that represented the supply of 70% of the world's mint consumption at its peak. Nowadays it is the most important city of the Okhotsk region. Due to its size, Kitami is the main industrial and commercial pole of the region. The number of employees by industry is divided by 7.6% for the primary industry, 18.8% for the secondary industry, and 73.6% for the tertiary industry (2010). These economic proportions are comparable to major cities in Hokkaido but, in terms of primary industry, the percentage is higher when compared with other cities alike.
Agriculture