title: Shirataki, Hokkaido
text: # Shirataki, Hokkaido
  
  Shirataki (白滝村, Shirataki-mura) was a village located in Monbetsu District, Abashiri Subprefecture (now Okhotsk Subprefecture), Hokkaido, Japan.
  
  As of 2004, the village had an estimated population of 1,305 and a population density of 3.81 persons per $km^2.$ The total area was 342.96 $km^2.$
  
  On October 1, 2005, Shirataki, along with the towns of Ikutahara and Maruseppu (all from Monbetsu District), was merged into the expanded town of Engaru.
  
  An Upper Palaeolithic site at Shirataki is the source of some Yubetsu technique stone blades dating from c 13,000 years ago.
  
  Shirataki is considered the birthplace of Aikido. Leading a group of settlers, Morihei Ueshiba refined his martial art and developed the techniques he would later call Aikido.
  
  ## Climate
  
  Climate data for Shirataki (1993−2020 normals, extremes 1993−present) :
  
  | Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
  | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
  | Record high °C (°F) | 7.3 (45.1) | 14.0 (57.2) | 17.4 (63.3) | 25.4 (77.7) | 33.4 (92.1) | 33.4 (92.1) | 34.0 (93.2) | 33.6 (92.5) | 31.0 (87.8) | 26.1 (79.0) | 20.1 (68.2) | 12.3 (54.1) | 34.0 (93.2) |
  | Average high °C (°F) | −5.0 (23.0) | −3.8 (25.2) | 0.8 (33.4) | 8.3 (46.9) | 16.1 (61.0) | 20.1 (68.2) | 23.6 (74.5) | 23.7 (74.7) | 19.4 (66.9) | 12.6 (54.7) | 4.4 (39.9) | −2.6 (27.3) | 9.8 (49.6) |
  | Daily mean °C (°F) | −8.5 (16.7) | −7.8 (18.0) | −3.6 (25.5) | 3.1 (37.6) | 9.9 (49.8) | 14.2 (57.6) | 18.1 (64.6) | 18.5 (65.3) | 14.0 (57.2) | 7.3 (45.1) | 0.5 (32.9) | −5.8 (21.6) | 5.0 (41.0) |
  | Average low °C (°F) | −12.6 (9.3) | −12.3 (9.9) | −8.2 (17.2) | −1.9 (28.6) | 4.0 (39.2) | 8.9 (48.0) | 13.9 (57.0) | 14.0 (57.2) | 9.1 (48.4) | 2.6 (36.7) | −3.2 (26.2) | −9.3 (15.3) | 0.4 (32.7) |
  | Record low °C (°F) | −24.2 (−11.6) | −23.8 (−10.8) | −21.5 (−6.7) | −11.6 (11.1) | −4.4 (24.1) | −1.7 (28.9) | 5.1 (41.2) | 4.5 (40.1) | −0.7 (30.7) | −6.6 (20.1) | −14.8 (5.4) | −21.6 (−6.9) | −24.2 (−11.6) |
  | Average precipitation mm (inches) | 37.5 (1.48) | 29.9 (1.18) | 39.4 (1.55) | 38.1 (1.50) | 56.2 (2.21) | 65.8 (2.59) | 109.9 (4.33) | 143.5 (5.65) | 116.8 (4.60) | 94.4 (3.72) | 76.6 (3.02) | 59.0 (2.32) | 870.8 (34.28) |
  | Average snowfall cm (inches) | 133 (52) | 109 (43) | 114 (45) | 43 (17) | 2 (0.8) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | 6 (2.4) | 63 (25) | 143 (56) | 604 (238) |
  | Average precipitation days (≥ 1.0 mm) | 13.0 | 11.6 | 12.5 | 10.9 | 10.4 | 10.3 | 10.7 | 12.1 | 12.3 | 14.0 | 16.2 | 15.6 | 149.6 |
  | Average snowy days (≥ 3 cm) | 14.7 | 13.9 | 14.3 | 5.6 | 0.3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.7 | 7.1 | 16.5 | 73.1 |
  | Mean monthly sunshine hours | 71.4 | 80.5 | 120.4 | 155.6 | 176.7 | 160.1 | 166.4 | 149.4 | 142.2 | 129.0 | 74.7 | 56.9 | 1,484.3 |
  | Source: JMA ||||||||||||||
  