| Okushiri | |||
| Native Name Lang: | ja | ||
| Settlement Type: | Town | ||
| Seal Type: | Chapter | ||
| Pushpin Map: | Japan | ||
| Pushpin Map Caption: | Location in Japan | ||
| Coordinates: | 42.1667°N 170°W | ||
| Subdivision Type: | Country | ||
| Subdivision Name: | Japan | ||
| Subdivision Type1: | Region | ||
| Subdivision Name1: | Hokkaido | ||
| Subdivision Type2: | Prefecture | ||
| Subdivision Name2: | Hokkaido (Hiyama Subprefecture) | ||
| Subdivision Type3: | District | ||
| Subdivision Name3: | Okushiri District, Hokkaido | ||
| Leader Title: | Mayor | ||
| Leader Name: | Takumi Shimmura | ||
| Leader Title1: | Vice Mayor | ||
| Unit Pref: | Metric | ||
| Area Total Km2: | 142.98 | ||
| Population Total: | 2,812 | ||
| Population As Of: | 30 September 2016 | ||
| Population Density Km2: | auto | ||
| Timezone1: | JST | ||
| Utc Offset1: | +09:00 | ||
| Blank Name Sec1: | City hall address | ||
| Blank Info Sec1: | 806 Okushiri, Okushiri-chō, Okushiri-gun, Hokkaidō 043-1498 | ||
| Blank Name Sec2: | Climate | ||
| Blank Info Sec2: | Cfa | ||
| Module: |
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is a town on Okushiri Island, located in Hiyama Subprefecture, Hokkaido, Japan.
As of September 2016, the town has an estimated population of 2,812, and a density of 20 persons per km2. The total area is 142.98 km2.
Hiyama Prefectural Natural Park encompasses the entire island and town.
The name Okushiri comes from the Ainu name Ikusyun-shiri. Iku means other side and shiri means island.[1] However, the Japanese meaning of the two kanji used for the name mean "deep inside/innermost" and "buttocks/hips".
On July 12, 1993, the Southwest Hokkaido Open Sea earthquake (北海道南西沖地震) of magnitude 7.8 in the Sea of Japan off southwest Hokkaido created a devastating tsunami. This tsunami killed 198[2] people in the town, despite a tsunami warning system and a seawall, and also caused landslides on the hills above. Another 32 people were missing, including 3 in Russia and 129 were injured. The subsequent fire burned down much of what remained. The island was reshaped by the tsunami, which was 10 meters high in town. The tsunami struck within five minutes of the earthquake, leaving residents absolutely no warning.
Okushiri has a humid continental climate (Köppen Dfa) closely bordering on a humid subtropical climate (Cfa). The average annual temperature in Okushiri is . The average annual rainfall is with August as the wettest month. The temperatures are highest on average in August, at around, and lowest in January, at around . The highest temperature ever recorded in Okushiri was on 10 August 1999; the coldest temperature ever recorded was on 2 February 1996.
Okushiri Island is accessible by air or sea. Okushiri Airport serves the island with daily flights to and from Hakodate Airport. Regular ferry services to and from Esashi (2 hours and 20 minutes) and Setana (1 hour and 40 minutes) are provided by Heartland Ferry, and time timetable changes seasonally.[3]
A local bus service operates year-round.