Article

01643 ／まくべつちょう

Hokkaido 中川郡

Makubetsu Town

The station site became a park in 1987.

Churui Station site, Hiroo Line

Photo by Misei sen (CC BY-SA 4.0)

01 ／ Fossil

Naumann's elephant fossils found by chanceat a farm-road site; 46 bones excavated.

In July 1969, fossils of Naumann's elephant were found by chance at a farm-road work site in Churui. Three excavations yielded 46 fossil bones: teeth (tusks and molars), trunk, forelegs and hind legs. Seen from above, the museum is designed to suggest the elephant's form.

Found in July 1969
46 fossil bones
23 replica skeletons made

02 ／ Sport

The town's site says park golf wasborn in Makubetsu in 1983.

The town's site says park golf was born in Makubetsu Town in 1983 (Showa 58). Taking a hint from ground golf, a 7-hole course with vinyl-pipe holes was made in Makubetsu Sports Park. In 1985 the present Tsutsuji Course, with nine holes each for A and B, was completed.

Born in Makubetsu Town in 1983 (town)
The first course had 7 holes
Tsutsuji Course: 726 m, par 66

03 ／ Archaeological site

At a Paleolithic site, some obsidianturned out to come from Oketo Town.

The Satsunai K Site stands on a terrace between the Satsunai and Tobetsu rivers. A 2007 survey found Paleolithic items including boat-bottom-shaped stone tools. The town's site says analysis showed obsidian from Oketo Town was also used, and gives a date value of about 12,500 years ago.

Third survey in 2007
About 1,000 Paleolithic items
Date value: about 12,500 years ago

Makubetsu 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 2022)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

In 2006 it merged with Churui Village to become today's town.

about 30,000 people
Rural district town

The town's chronology records that Makubetsu Town and Churui Village merged on February 6, 2006, creating the new Makubetsu Town. According to the town's overview, the population at the end of March 2026 was 24,919. The JR Nemuro Main Line stations in the town are Makubetsu Station and Satsunai Station, and the gateway is Makubetsu Station.

People living here: 25,766people
Area: 477.64km²
Households: 11,029households
Rent (average for rentals): 41,724yen
Healthcare: 1 hospital ／ 13 clinics

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

Population from 2010 onward (municipal boundary changed).2006-02-06 に編入合併（忠類村）。2010年調査から市域が変わっている。

Children waiting for childcare: —6 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 6 municipalities.

Makubetsu Town in Japan42.908°N 143.356°E

Territory of Makubetsu 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

48.2km

Toyokoro Town, Obihiro City, Taiki Town, Sarabetsu Village, Ikeda Town, Otofuke Town

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

Makubetsu Town isthis kind of town.

01Churui Station opened on October 10, 1930 on the JNR Hiroo Line; the town's site says that after the line closed, the station grounds became a transport park and the station is used as a railway museum
02Naumann's elephant fossils were found by chance in July 1969 at a farm-road work site in Churui; 46 fossil bones were excavated (Churui Museum of Naumann's Elephant)
03Park golf was born in Makubetsu Town in 1983, by the town's site, and the Satsunai K Site is where a 2007 survey found Paleolithic stone tools and obsidian from Oketo Town

See the town as it is now.

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

If something caught your eye, ask the town itself.

Makubetsu Town official site ↗Wikipedia ↗

From this town's themes