Nemuro, Hokkaido

Nemuro (根室市) is a city and port located in Nemuro Subprefecture, Hokkaido, Japan. It is the capital city of Nemuro Subprefecture. Much of the city lies on the Nemuro Peninsula. As of February 29, 2012, the city has an estimated population of 29,087, with 12,966 households, and a population density of 56.74 persons per km2 (147.0 persons per sq. mi.). The total area is 512.63 km2.

History
Nemuro was developed by fisheries. In the early Meiji period, it was the largest city in eastern Hokkaido.
 * 1900 Nemuro town was founded.
 * 1906 Wada village was founded.
 * 1945 Bombed by American naval aircraft, 393 people were killed.
 * 1915 Habomai village was founded.
 * 1957 Nemuro town and Wada village was merged to form Nemuro city.
 * 1959 Habomai village was merged into Nemuro city.

Climate
Nemuro, like most of Hokkaido, has a humid continental climate (Köppen climate classification Dfb), but not far from a marine climate (Koppen: Cfb) due to its low amplitude for a location close to mainland Asia and average temperatures during the winter. It has mild to warm summers and cold snowy winters. Like the more northerly Kuril Islands, it has an extremely strong seasonal lag, with the highest temperatures in August and September and lowest in February, though it is not so gloomy as extremely foggy North Pacific islands like Simushir or the Aleutian Islands in general. Its peninsular location makes Nemuro very windy, especially during autumn and winter, with mean wind speeds as high as 22.7 km/h in November.

Air
Nearby Nakashibetsu Airport serves Nemuro.

Rail

 * Hokkaido Railway Company – Nemuro Main Line
 * Stations in the city: Nemuro - Higashi-Nemuro - Nishi-Wada - Kombumori - Ochiishi - Bettoga - Attoko

Road

 * National Route 44
 * National Route 243

Sightseeing

 * Cape Nosappu
 * Cape Hanasaki, including "Kurumaishi", a car wheel-shaped stone natural monument
 * Cape Ochiishi, a fishing port
 * The Ruins of Chashi in the Nemuro Peninsula
 * Roadside station Swan 44 Nemuro
 * Lake Furen
 * Shunkunitai Wild Bird Sanctuary
 * Habomai Fishing Port
 * Kotohira Shrine
 * Meiji Park
 * Ohashi Bridge
 * Lake Onnetō

Cuisine
One local specialty of Nemuro is "escalope". This consists of tonkatsu (breaded deep-fried pork cutlets) over butter fried rice with a special demiglace sauce.

Nemuro is well known by the people of Hokkaido as one of the best places to eat sushi because of the seafood caught there. Nemuro is also the origin of two sushi restaurants in Hokkaido: Matsuriya and Hanamaru. Nemuro's seafood delicacies include their fresh Pacific saury, salmon, king crab, and shrimp.

Other delicacies in Nemuro include yakitori bento, Holland sanbei (waffle-like snack), soft serve ice cream, and monjayaki.

Economy
Nemuro's economy is based on its fishing industry as many types of marine animals are found in the area all year long. Dairy processing is also an important part of the local economy. Local businesses like restaurants and tourism also plays a significant role in the economy. Nemuro boasts the largest catches of saury in all of Japan, which has led to efforts to export saury to Southeast Asia, especially Vietnam.

High schools

 * Hokkaido Nemuro High School

Mascot
Nemuro's mascot is Nemuro-kun (ねむろうくん). He is a fisherman owl who stores seafood products in his pocket. He is asleep and usually sleep-walks during the day but is active during the night. He was unveiled in April 2016.

Sister cities
Nemuro is twinned with the following sister cities:
 * 🇺🇸 Sitka, Alaska, United States
 * 🇷🇺 Severo-Kurilsk, Russia
 * 🇯🇵 Kurobe, Toyama, Japan
 * 🇲🇾 Tebedu, Sarawak, Malaysia