Article

01512 ／はまとんべつちょう

Hokkaido 枝幸郡

Hamatonbetsu Town

Springs are vital to salmon spawning.

Usotannai River and its springs

Photo by 保姆虫と登山 (CC BY-SA 4.0)

01 ／ Kinzan Shrine Monument

On a stone wall in the gold field stands adiamond-shaped stone carved "Kinzan Shrine."

The Soya Heritage Archive says more than 10,000 people flocked to the Usotan gold field after gold was found there in 1898. The back of the monument bears the names of 12 people and the date "July, Meiji 45." The archive also lists it as a town-designated historic site.

Gold found in 1898, per the Soya Heritage Archive
12 names and a date on the back
Town-designated site, per the archive

02 ／ Kutcharo Lakeshore Pit Dwellings

On a terrace east of Lake Kutcharo, over173 Satsumon-period pit dwelling sites.

According to Cultural Heritage Online, a flat area about 20 m above sea level on the east shore of Lake Kutcharo holds over 173 Satsumon-period pit dwelling sites. A Jomon shell mound lies to the northeast, and the finds are kept at the town museum.

Hokkaido-designated historic site (July 7, 1966)
173+ Satsumon-period pit dwelling sites
Excavated twice, in 1958 and 1959

03 ／ Beniya Primeval Flower Garden

At the heart of a prefectural park,a primeval garden of 150+ flowers.

The town introduces Beniya Primeval Flower Garden as the center of North Okhotsk Prefectural Natural Park, with flowers of more than 150 kinds in bloom. The best time to see them is mid-May to mid-September. The park was designated in 1968.

150+ kinds of flowers, per the town
Best from mid-May to mid-September
Park designated May 15, 1968

Hamatonbetsu Town from the sky

Now and 1974–78. Tap a photo to zoom in.

Now1974–78

Wide (about 6 km across)

Close (about 1.5 km across)

Now (shot August 2024)Shot 1974–78

Source: Geospatial Information Authority of Japan (GSI) GSI Tiles（全国最新写真（シームレス）／国土画像情報（第一期：1974〜1978年撮影））

Open in GSI Maps (now)Open in GSI Maps (1974–78)

Living here

No railway station; the town is linked by bus.

about 3,000 people
Rural district town

Two railway lines that served the town closed, one in 1985 and one in 1989, so the town has no railway station. The town lists JR as Sapporo-Asahikawa-Otoineppu, and bus routes linking Hamatonbetsu with Sapporo, Asahikawa, Otoineppu, Esashi, Mombetsu and Wakkanai.

People living here: 3,448people
Area: 401.59km²
Households: 1,716households
Rent (average for rentals): —
Healthcare: 1 hospital ／ 3 clinics

Area and habitable land at the same scalee-Stat B1101 / B1103

Children waiting for childcare: —1 nurseries and similar
Home purchase subsidy: —
Average annual temperature: —

These 3 items are waiting on a nationwide data source. We do not fill them with estimates.

Shape

Borders 4 municipalities.

Hamatonbetsu Town in Japan45.124°N 142.360°E

Territory of Hamatonbetsu Town

Boundaries: National Land Numerical Information (Administrative Area Data), MLIT. Processed by Machigatari.Lakes: National Land Numerical Information (Lake Data), MLIT. Processed by Machigatari. Prepared with the approval of the Director-General of the Geospatial Information Authority of Japan, using its Digital Map 25000 (Spatial Data Framework) and Digital Map 25000 (Place Names and Public Facilities). (承認番号平27情使、第585号)

North to south

24.9km

Sarufutsu Village, Nakatonbetsu Town, Esashi Town, Horonobe Town

Travel times per leg are not published by the municipality, so they are not shown.

Hamatonbetsu Town isthis kind of town.

01The town says abundant spring water seeping from a 761 m mountain is vital to the spawning and egg growth of salmon and masu trout. The river it feeds, the Usotannai, is known as a gold river
02Gold was found in the Usotan gold field in 1898, and a natural stone monument carved "Kinzan Shrine" stands there. East of Lake Kutcharo is a Hokkaido-designated site with 173+ pit dwelling sites, and Beniya Primeval Flower Garden, with 150+ flowers, lies at the center of the prefectural park
03Hamatonbetsu Town in Esashi District has no railway station, and buses link it with Sapporo, Esashi, Mombetsu, Wakkanai and other places

See the town as it is now.

Source: Wikidata (P2002, P2003, P2013, P2397)

If something caught your eye, ask the town itself.

Hamatonbetsu Town official site ↗Wikipedia ↗

From this town's themes