Obihiro

Sister cities

• Madison
• Matsuzaki
• Tokushima
• Ōita-shi
• Seward
• Chaoyang

History

Obihiro was the area first settled by Yoda Benzō in May 1883. It became a city on April 1, 1933. In 1957 the villages of Taishō and Kawanishi merged with Obihiro, bringing it to its current size. :1883: Benzō Yoda and his "Banseisha" pioneers arrive in Opereperekepu. :1886: The Banseisha constructs the first road and two bridges. :1892: Obihiro's first post office is built. :1905: The Obihiro-Kushiro railway is completed. :1914: First electric lights installed. :1932: Midorigaoka Airport completed. :1933: Obihiro becomes a municipality. Moriharu Watanabe is the first mayor. :1945: Air-raid on Obihiro during World War II. :1949: Obihiro University of Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine constructed. :1954: Emperor Hirohito visits Obihiro. :1960: Ōtani Junior College is built. :1966: Obihiro Station is built. :1985: Obihiro no Mori speed skating rink constructed. :1991: Hokkaido Obihiro Museum of Art is built. :1993: Population reaches 170,000 people. :1996: Tokachi Ōhashi Bridge is completed. :2009: Indoor Speed Skating Facility Completed.

Geography

Obihiro is located in southeastern Hokkaido, almost in the center of the Tokachi Plain, with its boundaries extending to the southwest. The mountainous region is designated as Hidakasanmyaku-Erimo-Tokachi National Park. Approximately half of the plains are farmland, forming a large-scale field cropping area. The Tokachi River, the sixth largest river basin in Japan, flows through the northern part of the city. *Otofuke *Memuro *Sarabetsu *Nakasatsunai *Makubetsu *Biratori *Hidaka *Niikappu Obihiro has one of Japan's most pristine rivers flowing through its city limits. Japan's Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism has chosen Obihiro's Satsunai River, which joins the Tokachi River outside of town, as the cleanest Class A river in Japan seven times since 1991. It is designated as a Class A River by the Japanese government due to its importance to environmental conservation and the national economy. In the Ainu language, Satnay means "dry river", and even today, most of its run is shallow. The city draws most of its drinking water from the Satsunai. The biggest pollutant in the river is nitrates from fertilizer run off from all the farming operations along the river's banks. The other major river in the city is the Tokachi, but its water is not used for drinking as it has much higher pollution levels. In 1974, a plan for the creation of an expansive city recreation space was initiated, and from 1975 to 2004 large groups of Obihiro citizens participated in "Tree Planting Festivals" (). These actions have resulted in the creation of a new forest; the Obihiro no Mori (). Recently, tree planting in the forest has been limited to small projects due to a lack of space to plant more trees. Per Japanese census data, the population of Obihiro has remained…

Most-observed species

• Brown-eared Bulbul

  Hypsipetes amaurotis (Temminck, 1830) · Aves
  353
• Cinereous Tit

  Parus cinereus Vieillot, 1818 · Aves
  349
• Carrion Crow

  Corvus corone Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  302
• Marsh Tit

  Poecile palustris (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  294
• Eurasian Nuthatch

  Sitta europaea Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  257
• Large-billed Crow

  Corvus macrorhynchos Wagler, 1827 · Aves
  242
• Eurasian Tree Sparrow

  Passer montanus (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  210
• Great Spotted Woodpecker

  Dendrocopos major (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  209

Most recent

• M 4.5 — 2026-05-30
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• M 4.4 — 2026-05-04
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• M 5.9 — 2026-04-26
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• M 4 — 2026-03-04
  29 km WSW of Sarabetsu, Japan
• M 4.5 — 2026-02-08
  19 km NE of Honchō, Japan