Wakkanai, Hokkaido

Wakkanai was originally home to an Ainu population. The first Japanese settlement was established in 1685.[4]

• 1879: The village of Wakkanai was founded.
• 1897: Sōya Subprefecture established.
• 1901: Wakkanai village became Wakkanai town.
• 1949: Wakkanai town became Wakkanai city.
• 1955: Soya village was merged into Wakkanai city.
• 1959: Wakkanai Airport opened.

During World War II: The Imperial Japanese Navy used the harbor and port as a submarine base. Wakkanai was far enough north to be outside the range of American heavy bombers and was safe from air attack. Until the early to mid-1960s, the northern portion of the harbor remained divided by concrete sub-mooring pens. The large breakwater structure (which still exists) was actually a sub-repair facility. At the shore end there was a huge winching mechanism capable of hauling subs up into the partially enclosed structure where they could be repaired while completely out of the water. Built into the hills above the city there were several reinforced concrete bunker-type caves where (anecdotally) they were used either to store ammunition and armament, or as air raid shelters for the civilian populace. History would suggest the former use, rather than the latter. During a re-build/renovation of the harbor sometime during the 1960s or 1970s, the harbor was cleared of the concrete pens and the machinery was removed from the breakwater structure which was reconfigured.

Japan's northernmost point, Cape Sōya is located in Wakkanai, which is on a peninsula jutting towards Sakhalin Island in Russia, which it is 43 kilometres (27 miles) away from; on a clear day, the Russian island can be easily seen. There is also Benten-jima located northwest of Cape Sōya.

• Rivers: Koetoi River
• Lakes: Ōnuma Lake

Wakkanai has a humid continental climate (Köppen: Dfb) typical of Hokkaido but with strong influence of the ocean as island portions near the great land masses (such as the smaller islands of Nova Scotia),[5] with cold winters, warm summers and generally heavy precipitation from the Aleutian Low, whose winds hit the city direct from the Sea of Japan but with strong oceanic influence (46 °C). The winter is cold enough not to fall in a "Cfb" climate and the summers although very mild for typical climate "b" is warm enough to fall into a "Dfc", both in the classification of Koppen.[6] The mean annual temperature, at 6.8 °C (44.2 °F), is the second lowest for a significant population centre in Japan after Nemuro. Snowfall at 6.6 metres (260 in), the third highest for a big city in Japan after Asahikawa and Aomori and one of the highest anywhere in the world. For comparison, Nain in Canada receives 194 inches (4.9 m) of snow.

The Aleutian Low also makes the sunshine hours the lowest of Japan's major population centres and in the winter the wind speeds are the highest in Japan with an average of 20.2 km/h (12.6 mph), which adds to the −4.7 °C (23.5 °F) cold of a typical winter day. The city's port is usually usable throughout the year, but does occasionally freeze in cold winters.

Shore of Wakkanai

Wakkanai lighthouse in 2006

• The Daisuke Matsuzaka Museum, dedicated to the baseball pitcher "Dice-K" and opened in 2008, is located in Wakkanai, which is his father's hometown.[9]
• Wakkanai Park, home to the Centennial Tower, commemorating the 100th anniversary of the founding of the city,[10] and the Hoppo Memorial Museum[11]
• Cape Sōya, home to a monument to the northernmost point in Japan[10]
• Hokumon Jinja, a Shinto shrine

• Wakkanai travel guide from Wikivoyage
• Media related to Wakkanai, Hokkaido at Wikimedia Commons
• Official Website (in Japanese)