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01575 ／そうべつちょう

Hokkaido 有珠郡

Sobetsu Town

A wheat field rose into a mountain.

Showa-shinzan

Photo by Mugu-shisai (CC BY-SA 3.0)

01 ／ Dammed pond

The tourism association says Showa-shinzan dammedthe Sobetsu River and formed Shinzan-numa Pond.

The Sobetsu tourism association says that the formation of Showa-shinzan dammed the Sobetsu River and created Shinzan-numa Pond. At the pond's observation deck, natural materials are preserved in which strata show deposits from the Donkoro-yama eruption, said to be about 20,000 years ago, and the later eruptions.

Tourism association: the Sobetsu River was dammed
Donkoro-yama eruption said to be about 20,000 years ago

02 ／ Geothermal

The town says greenhouse farming usinggeothermal energy is thriving.

The town's official site introduces its farming as "sun and geothermal heat", saying greenhouse farming using geothermal energy is thriving, with vegetables and flowers harvested in season all year round. In the Bankei district, abundant hot springs are used to supply hot spring water for bathing and heating.

Greenhouse farming using geothermal energy is thriving
Hot spring water supplied in the Bankei district

03 ／ Town name

The town's name is said to come from an Ainu wordmeaning "river of a waterfall".

According to the town's official site, Sobetsu is a changed form of an Ainu word meaning "river of a waterfall". The tourism association introduces Sobetsu Falls, the only outlet of Lake Toya, with a drop of about 18 m, and explains that "so" means waterfall and "betsu" means river.

Ainu word meaning "river of a waterfall"
Sobetsu Falls drop of about 18 m

Sobetsu 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 June 2025)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 in town; the Town Office is the gateway.

about 3,000 people
Rural district town

There is no railway station in the town. The town's official access guide says to change to a Donan Bus from JR Date-Mombetsu Station, about 23 minutes (a section starting outside the town). Local bus routes are run by Donan Bus, and the town lists the routes. The area is 205.01 km², and the town belongs to Usu District.

People living here: 2,743people
Area: 205.01km²
Households: 1,170households
Rent (average for rentals): —
Healthcare: 2 hospitals ／ 1 clinic

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.

Sobetsu Town in Japan42.552°N 140.886°E

Territory of Sobetsu 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

15.8km

Date City, Noboribetsu City, Toyako Town, Shiraoi Town

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

Sobetsu Town isthis kind of town.

01Showa-shinzan is, says the Sobetsu tourism association, a mountain that rose from a wheat field in the 1943 eruptions, and is a Special Natural Monument of Japan (designated June 19, 1957)
02The tourism association says Showa-shinzan dammed the Sobetsu River to create Shinzan-numa Pond, and the town says greenhouse farming using geothermal energy is thriving
03The town's name comes from an Ainu word meaning "river of a waterfall"; there is no railway station, and local buses are run by Donan Bus

If something caught your eye, ask the town itself.

Sobetsu Town official site ↗Wikipedia ↗

From this town's themes