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Bifuka

美深町
Bifuka 美深町
Town
	Bifuka town hall
	Flag Emblem
	Location of Bifuka in Hokkaido (Kamikawa Subprefecture)
	Bifuka Location in Japan
	Coordinates: 44°29′N 142°21′E / 44.483°N 142.350°E
Country	Japan
Region	Hokkaido
Prefecture	Hokkaido (Kamikawa Subprefecture)
District	Nakagawa (Teshio)
Area
• Total	672.14 km2 (259.51 sq mi)
Population (October 1, 2020)
• Total	4,145
• Density	6.2/km2 (16/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+09:00 (JST)
Climate	Dfb
Website	www.town.bifuka.hokkaido.jp

Bifuka (美深町, Bifuka-chō) is a town in Kamikawa Subprefecture, Hokkaido, Japan. As of October 2020^[update], the town had an estimated population of 4,145 and a population density of 6.2 persons per km². The total area is 672.14 square kilometres (259.51 sq mi).^[1]

Geography

Bifuka is located in a valley in the north central region of the island of Hokkaido. The town is surrounded by mountains. The Teshio River flows roughly northwest through Bifuka.

Neighboring municipalities

Bifuka borders six other municipalities, which span Kamikawa, Okhotsk, and Sōya subprefectures:

Kamikawa Subprefecture
- Nayoro
- Otoineppu
- Nakagawa
- Horokanai
Okhotsk Subprefecture
- Ōmu
Sōya Subprefecture
- Esashi

Climate

Climate data for Bifuka (1991−2020 normals, extremes 1977−present)
Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Year
Record high °C (°F)	6.4 (43.5)	9.9 (49.8)	13.3 (55.9)	26.7 (80.1)	32.2 (90.0)	34.0 (93.2)	36.6 (97.9)	35.9 (96.6)	31.5 (88.7)	25.7 (78.3)	21.1 (70.0)	9.8 (49.6)	36.6 (97.9)
Mean daily maximum °C (°F)	−4.1 (24.6)	−2.7 (27.1)	2.0 (35.6)	9.2 (48.6)	17.4 (63.3)	22.1 (71.8)	25.5 (77.9)	25.8 (78.4)	21.4 (70.5)	14.2 (57.6)	5.3 (41.5)	−1.8 (28.8)	11.2 (52.1)
Daily mean °C (°F)	−8.6 (16.5)	−8.0 (17.6)	−3.0 (26.6)	3.8 (38.8)	10.7 (51.3)	15.4 (59.7)	19.4 (66.9)	20.1 (68.2)	15.4 (59.7)	8.5 (47.3)	1.5 (34.7)	−5.3 (22.5)	5.8 (42.5)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F)	−14.7 (5.5)	−15.0 (5.0)	−9.0 (15.8)	−1.6 (29.1)	4.3 (39.7)	9.6 (49.3)	14.5 (58.1)	15.5 (59.9)	10.3 (50.5)	3.4 (38.1)	−2.4 (27.7)	−10.0 (14.0)	0.4 (32.7)
Record low °C (°F)	−34.9 (−30.8)	−37.0 (−34.6)	−31.5 (−24.7)	−16.5 (2.3)	−4.3 (24.3)	−0.8 (30.6)	3.3 (37.9)	4.7 (40.5)	0.6 (33.1)	−5.6 (21.9)	−19.6 (−3.3)	−28.3 (−18.9)	−37.0 (−34.6)
Average precipitation mm (inches)	81.0 (3.19)	60.2 (2.37)	60.2 (2.37)	47.5 (1.87)	60.1 (2.37)	64.8 (2.55)	121.1 (4.77)	131.6 (5.18)	136.2 (5.36)	130.7 (5.15)	139.2 (5.48)	126.0 (4.96)	1,158.6 (45.62)
Average snowfall cm (inches)	200 (79)	157 (62)	138 (54)	46 (18)	0 (0)	0 (0)	0 (0)	0 (0)	0 (0)	3 (1.2)	111 (44)	244 (96)	899 (354.2)
Average rainy days	19.4	15.8	15.6	11.2	10.7	8.8	10.3	11.1	13.3	16.9	20.8	23.7	177.6
Average snowy days	21.2	17.8	17.1	7.2	0	0	0	0	0	0.3	9.7	22.1	95.4
Mean monthly sunshine hours	42.5	66.3	108.4	150.2	181.1	162.3	148.5	140.1	134.7	111.1	48.1	26.5	1,319.8
Source 1: JMA^[2]
Source 2: JMA^[3]

Demographics

Per Japanese census data,^[4] Bifuka has undergone significant population decline over the past half-century.

Historical population
Year	Pop.	±%
1970	11,433	—
1980	8,350	−27.0%
1990	7,103	−14.9%
2000	6,040	−15.0%
2010	5,178	−14.3%
2020	4,145	−19.9%

Education

Hokkaido Bifuka High School is located in the town.

Museum

Bifuka is home to the Bifuka Sturgeon Museum, a small facility which maintains eight species of sturgeon. Sturgeon were found in the Teshio River as far as Bifuka until the Meiji Period.^[5]

Transportation

Bifuka is served by the JR Hokkaido Sōya Main Line, which runs from Asahikawa to Wakkanai.

The town is linked with Route 40 linking Wakkanai and southern Hokkaido. Another route the Route 275 is also connected.

Culture

Mascots

Bifuka's mascot are Bifuka-kun (美深くん) and Mimi-chan (美深ちゃん). They are pumpkins who are best friends. Both wear hats made of birch trees. However, Bifuka-kun is a green pumpkin who wears a tie that resembled a sturgeon while Mimi-chan is an orange pumpkin who carries a bag that resembled a sturgeon.^[6]