Article

01304 ／しんしのつむら

Hokkaido 石狩郡

Shinshinotsu Village

Lit lanterns rise over winter fields.

Tappu Ohashi, Ishikari River

Photo by Peee (CC BY-SA 3.0)

01 ／ Village origins

Ground first cleared in 1883,the village counts as its start.

The village's yearbook chronology treats 1883, when Kumada Naoyuki first put a hoe to the land, as the founding of the village. It records that in 1896 the village separated from Shinotsu Village and became Shinshinotsu. It explains the name as the Ainu word Shinotsu (upper reaches of a river) with "new" added.

1883: Kumada Naoyuki breaks the first ground
1896: separated from Shinotsu Village
Shinotsu: upper reaches of a river

02 ／ Starry Sky Town

On observatory nights,the street lamps go off.

The Ministry of the Environment's award document says Shinshinotsu fitted street lamps with on/off switches, turns them off when the observatory is open, and nearby companies and groups switch off their site lights too. The village won the Council Chair's Award in the fiscal 2025 Starry Sky Town and Blue Sky Town awards.

Fiscal 2025 Council Chair's Award
Street lamps off when the observatory opens
2023: observatory with 50 cm telescope opens

03 ／ Lake Shinotsu

Summer brings canoes and yachts,and winter puts an ice lid on the lake.

The village says that in summer children enjoy canoes and yachts on Lake Shinotsu, and that in winter the lake is covered with an ice "lid" and freezes completely. The yearbook chronology records "winter pastime of smelt fishing begins" in 1964.

Summer: canoes and yachts (village)
Winter: freezes completely (village)
1964: smelt fishing begins

Shinshinotsu Village 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 June 2012)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 station; 27 minutes by bus from Iwamizawa.

about 3,000 people
Rural district town

There is no railway station in the village. On the Shinshinotsu Kotsu bus Hokushin Line (timetable revised December 1, 2023), it takes 27 minutes with no change from Iwamizawa Terminal to the Shinshinotsu Shigai stop, on weekdays, weekends and holidays alike.

People living here: 3,044people
Area: 78.04km²
Households: 1,051households
Rent (average for rentals): —
Healthcare: 0 hospitals ／ 3 clinics

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

Children waiting for childcare: —0 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.

ACCESS

Where you can go from here.

Shinshinotsu Village in Japan43.225°N 141.649°E

to IwamizawaLocal bus27min

Travel times follow 新篠津交通（有限会社新篠津交通）の路線バス『北新線』（新篠津温泉〜岩見沢ターミナル）の時刻表（『令和5年12月1日改正』。公式サイト route.html の表と timetable02.pdf〈Last-Modified 2023-11-18〉が同じ）。岩見沢ターミナル発→新篠津市街着：平日10便・土日祝9便とも27分（7:30→7:57・8:00→8:27・9:10→9:37 ほか）。新篠津市街発→岩見沢ターミナル着：平日10便・土日祝9便とも27分（6:49→7:16・7:09→7:36 ほか）。平日ダイヤと土日祝ダイヤの両方があり、毎日運行で分数も同じ (checked 2026-10-29). They vary by time of day.

Shape

Borders 4 municipalities.

Territory of Shinshinotsu Village

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

14.3km

Iwamizawa City, Tobetsu Town, Ebetsu City, Tsukigata Town

Shinshinotsu Village isthis kind of town.

01The Shinshinotsu Tento (lantern) Festival sends lit lanterns into the winter sky at Shinotsu Park, and the village calls it a winter tradition. The village's road sign shows Shinotsu Park, Tappu Ohashi bridge over the Ishikari River, and rice ears
02The village counts the 1883 clearing as its start and separated from Shinotsu Village in 1896. Dimming street lamps to match the observatory's opening won it a Starry Sky Town Council Chair's Award
03The village has no railway station; a Shinshinotsu Kotsu bus runs from Iwamizawa Terminal to the Shinshinotsu Shigai stop

If something caught your eye, ask the town itself.

Shinshinotsu Village official site ↗Wikipedia ↗

From this town's themes