Photo/Illutration Snow sculptures of the municipal mascots Shibare-kun and Tsurara-chan of Rikubetsu, Hokkaido, which calls itself the “coldest town in Japan,” on Feb. 1 (Chieko Hara)

RIKUBETSU, Hokkaido—Residents of this inland community of 2,200 are relieved and delighted to see their municipality defend its title as “the coldest town in Japan” for the fifth year in a row.

Located in the northern island’s Tokachi region, Rikubetsu proudly embraces its frosty climate as one of its attractions.

The annual ranking is conducted in the town itself at the Shibare technical development center, though its victories are determined by facts rather than local pride. Volunteers from Rikubetsu have compiled and released the list to the public since 2007, using nationwide data available from the Japan Meteorological Agency. 

The core principle of the project is that “winter cold should not be judged solely by the lowest temperature in a single instance, but by overall temperatures throughout the coldest part of winter.”

The nationwide list is thus based on the lowest morning temperatures recorded from January through February, with points awarded daily and totaled for the final ranking.

Rikubetsu logged 215 points this season and was closely trailed by the Nukanai district of Hokkaido’s Makubetsu in the final days, with the latter ultimately placing second with 197 points.

Each day, the country's 10 coldest places are given points corresponding to where they fall on that list, with the coldest registered receiving 10 points, the second-lowest earning nine and so on.

Rikubetsu only clinched the top spot toward the very end on Feb. 27 with an 18-point lead, meaning no point awarded on Feb. 28, the final day, does not matter.

This is the 13th time the municipality has claimed the top spot, double the titles earned by six-time winner Shimukappu that is also in Hokkaido.

Shimukappu did, however, clinch the single coldest day of the entire survey period when the temperature dropped to negative 25.6 degrees on Jan. 19. For comparison, Rikubetsu reached minus 24.6 degrees on Jan. 5, placing fourth.

While other sites reported more extreme daily lows, the center concluded that Rikubetsu can be considered “the coldest town across Japan due to its constantly frigid readings.”

These newest statistics also reveal this was a relatively “warmer winter” for the town.

The average morning low in Rikubetsu during the ranking period was minus 13.9 degrees.

This figure is higher than the minus 15.2 degrees recorded in 2020 when the town lost its top position and finished second in the overall ranking. Rikubetsu’s lowest average temperature of the past decade was minus 21.8 degrees in 2023, followed by negative 18.2 degrees in 2016.

Like last year, Rikubetsu did not dip below minus 30 degrees. Taketoshi Sorai, an official from the Shibare institution who has been analyzing weather data in Rikubetsu for 19 years since 2007, stressed the significance of this as a gauge for the seasons.

“People consider a winter extremely cold when temperatures reach minus 30 degrees,” Sorai explained.

According to Sorai’s accounts, locals acknowledge the “true arrival of winter” when readings hit sub-30, while they deem morning temperatures below minus 25 degrees as simply “chilly.”

Regardless, Sorai appears to be content with the recent results.

“I'm delighted that my hometown still claimed the No. 1 spot, even with a warm winter and no frigid days,” said Sorai. “Entering the 20th season, I will continue dedicating myself to this project while monitoring readings and the emotional highs and lows that accompany them.”

The full ranking can be seen on the dedicated Japanese website at (https://www.rikubetsu.info/ranking2025.html).

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