About Obihiro

Background: Obihiro, Hokkaido

            Nicole was given a house in Urahoro, Hokkaido. The house itself is nothing to sneeze at—how many undergrads get a regular government paycheck, three-bedroom, one bathroom (with shower and tub), living room, clothes washer, fridge, stove, and company car straight out of school—all to themselves, at that!

Nicole serves at least three schools in and around Obihiro, with children all elementary aged or younger. Obihiro (帯広市 Obihiro-shi) is a city located in Tokachi, Hokkaido, Japan. Obihiro is the only designated city in the Tokachi area. Obihiro is also a sister city of Madison, WI. It’s rather fitting, since the two cities have almost the same latitude, and have similar climates. Hokkaido even has Black Bears in the woods around the mountains.

Map of Hokkaido Prefectures: 

              

To give a few ideas about the weather during the winter, I have Nicole’s permission to post the following photographic evidence: 

                    

Nicole's House, Obscured by a Snow Pile
January 10, 2012

 

Nicole's Street, After the Plow
January 10, 2012

Nicole's Car, Snowed In
March 6, 2012

Compared to the rest of the country, the rail lines in Hokkaido are practically nonexistent. Here is a map of the major rail lines. Keep in mind, in an average cityblock of Tokyo you may have twice as many lines as you see in the whole of this island:

The Green Line is the one I'll be taking from Sapporo to Ikeda, but I'll go into more detail during the Planning section.