Haboro, Hokkaidō Prefecture, Hokkaido Region, Japan

🇯🇵 Haboro (羽幌町, Haboro-chō) is a town located in Rumoi Subprefecture, Hokkaido, Japan.

The total area is 472.49 km². The town also administers the two islands of Yagishiri and Teuri.

Haboro was officially designated a town in 1921. The villages of Teuri and Yagishiri were merged into Haboro in 1955 and 1959, respectively.

Etymology The name of the town is from the Ainu language, but of uncertain origin. Haboro may have originated with the Ainu language word hapuru, meaning "a soft sound", or haporopetsu, meaning "the basin of a large river".

In Japanese, the name of the town is written with ateji, or kanji characters used to phonetically represent native or borrowed words. The first, 羽, means "feather" or "wings", and the second, 幌, means "curtain" or "cloth".

Geography Haboro faces the Sea of Japan. Much of the area of the town is within the Teshio Mountains, and much of the town is protected as a national forest. Mount Pisshiri is the highest point in the city at 1,032 metres (3,386 ft). Two rivers cross the town: the Haboro and the Chikubetsu.

Islands The municipality of Haboro includes two sparsely populated islands in the Sea of Japan. • Yagishiri Island (23 km (14 mi)), population 273, is located north-west of Haboro Bay, and is known for its dense forests. • Teuri Island, population 366, is located 3.5 km (2.2 mi) west of Yagashiri, and the two islands are separated by the Musashi Channel. Teuri covers 5.5 square km (2.1 sq mi), and is protected as a bird sanctuary.

Neighboring municipalities Rumoi Subprefecture ◦ Tomamae District：Tomamae, Shosanbetsu ◦ Teshio District：Enbetsu; Kamikawa Subprefecture ◦ Uryū District：Horokanai.

Transport: Rail Haboro was originally connected to other areas of Hokkaido by rail. The Japanese National Railways Haboro Line  extended 141.1 km between Rumoi and Horonobe. Construction on the line dated to 1927, but it was discontinued in 1987 with the establishment of JR Hokkaido during the privatization of Japanese National Railways.

Transport: Road Haboro is crossed by National Route 232, a national highway of Japan that ranges across western Hokkaido between Wakkanai and Rumoi. Teuri and Yagishiri have a single road surrounding the island.

Ferry The islands of Yagishiri and Teuri are served by ferry from the Port of Haboro.

Port of Haboro The Port of Haboro was established in March 1953. It is administered by the town.

Schools High schools • Haboro Senior High School • Teuri Senior High School

Junior high schools • Haboro Junior High School • Teuri Junior High School • Yagishiri Junior High School

Elementary school • Haboro Elementary School • Teuri Elementary School • Yagishiri Elementary School.