Article

01219 ／もんべつし

Mombetsu City

A travelers' inn built near a gold mine.

Former Kami-Mobetsu Ekiteisho

Photo by Ozizo (Public domain)

01 ／ Drift ice

The city records the day drift ice first appears,and the first day ships can no longer sail.

The city's fisheries division announces the first drift-ice day, when drift ice first appears on the sea within view, and the first drift-ice landing day, the first day when ice reaches the shore or fuses with fast ice, the coastal channel disappears, and ships cannot sail. In 2026 they fell on Jan. 25 and Feb. 2.

2026 first drift-ice day: Jan. 25
2026 first landing day: Feb. 2
Normal (1991-2020): Jan. 24 and Feb. 8

02 ／ Omusaro pit dwellings

On a coastal terrace, dwelling remains from theearly Jomon to the Ainu culture period.

A Hokkaido-designated historic site. Cultural Heritage Online says that on a coastal terrace 10 to 15 m above sea level there are 208 pit dwelling remains in total, and many square pit dwelling remains of the Satsumon period can be seen. Area C at the south end is Omusaro Ruins Park, which recreates the Satsumon period of about a thousand years ago.

Hokkaido-designated site (Oct. 3, 1964)
208 pit dwelling remains (A: 60, B: 57, C: 91)
Coastal terrace 10 to 15 m above sea level

03 ／ Mombetsu Lighthouse

Lit for the first time in December 1960,it watches over the sea off Mombetsu.

The Mombetsu Coast Guard Office says the lighthouse has watched over the Sea of Okhotsk off Mombetsu since it was first lit in December 1960. It is 13.4 m tall from the ground to the top and 80.4 m from the water surface to the light. The city says it is a concrete tower painted white with two red horizontal bands.

Established Dec. 28, 1960
13.4 m from the ground to the top
80.4 m from the water surface to the light

Mombetsu City 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 September 2023)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

A port town on a coast that curves like a bow.

about 20,000 people

According to the city's overview, Mombetsu lies near the middle of the Sea of Okhotsk coast. The coastline curving like a bow from a cape is a natural harbor sheltered from wind and waves, and the city calls it one of the leading port towns on the Sea of Okhotsk. The climate is cool, and winter is cold, with the arrival of drift ice.

People living here: 21,215people
Area: 830.67km²
Households: 11,214households
Rent (average for rentals): 29,850yen
Healthcare: 3 hospitals ／ 9 clinics

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

Children waiting for childcare: —5 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.

Mombetsu City in Japan44.356°N 143.354°E

Territory of Mombetsu City

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

45.5km

Takinoue Town, Engaru Town, Okoppe Town, Yubetsu Town

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

Mombetsu City isthis kind of town.

01The former Kami-Mobetsu Ekiteisho, built in 1926 and extended in 1934, is a nationally registered tangible cultural property. The Mombetsu tourism association says an ekitei, a post station, is a building of a Hokkaido-specific system after the Meiji era that combined transport, communication and lodging, including relays of people and horses and lodging for travelers. The Hokkaido Shimbun reports that it was opened near a gold mine
02The city's fisheries division announces the first drift-ice day and the first drift-ice landing day, which were Jan. 25 and Feb. 2 in 2026. The Omusaro Plateau pit dwellings are a Hokkaido-designated historic site with 208 pit dwelling remains, and the Mombetsu Lighthouse is a white tower with two red bands, established in December 1960
03The city says winter is cold, with the arrival of drift ice. There is no railway station in the city, and the gateway is Mombetsu City Hall

If something caught your eye, ask the town itself.

Mombetsu City official site ↗Wikipedia ↗

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