Article

01487 ／てしおちょう

Hokkaido 天塩郡

Teshio Town

230 pit dwellings found in dune forest.

Kawaguchi Site, pit dwellings

Photo by Mukasora (CC BY-SA 3.0)

01 ／ Teshio Gray Whale

A national-forest fossil is regardedas the oldest of the gray whale family.

In 1995 a fossil of a large animal was found in a national forest in the town. It was excavated the next year and, after research in 1997, named the Teshio Kokukujira (Teshio Gray Whale). Among baleen whale fossils of the gray whale family it is regarded as the world's oldest, and the town presents it as about 3 million years old.

1995: fossil found in a national forest
About 3 million years old (town estimate)
Regarded as the oldest gray whale family fossil

02 ／ Teshio River Mouth

A river fourth longest in Japanreaches the Sea of Japan here.

Teshio River Mouth in Teshio Town — Photo by ja:user:Causality-GT (Public domain)

The Teshio River rises at Mount Teshio in the Kitami Mountains and runs about 256 km along its main stream, fourth longest in Japan. It enters the Sea of Japan in Teshio Town, where a local port sits at the mouth and the town center lies along the river. The town charter says the town was opened by the bounty of the river and the sea.

Main stream about 256 km
Fourth longest in Japan
Local port at the mouth

03 ／ Teshio River History Museum

A red-brick town hall, said to belaid partly by its staff, is a museum.

The museum uses the old Teshio Town Office building, completed in 1951 and known as the Red Brick. An anecdote says staff took part in laying bricks brought from Nopporo. Inside are more than 2,000 items, including a traditional river boat.

1951: town office completed
Bricks from Nopporo
Over 2,000 items

Teshio 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–August 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 station; 28 minutes by bus from Horonobe.

about 3,000 people
Rural district town

There is no railway station in the town. On the Engan Bus Horonobe-Rumoi line (timetable revised October 1, 2026), the fastest daily service runs from Horonobe Station on the Soya Main Line to the Teshio stop in 28 minutes, with no change.

People living here: 2,950people
Area: 353.56km²
Households: 1,425households
Rent (average for rentals): —
Healthcare: 1 hospital ／ 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.

ACCESS

Where you can go from here.

Teshio Town in Japan44.888°N 141.745°E

to HoronobeLocal bus28min

Travel times follow 沿岸バス『時刻表① 郊外線総合』令和8年（2026年）10月1日改正（https://www.engan-bus.co.jp/10_pdf/timetable/20261001_timetable_localnetwork.pdf）の 12 幌延留萌線。**幌延駅 → 天塩（新栄通6丁目）**：幌延駅 7:49 → 天塩 8:17、幌延駅 11:59 → 天塩 12:27（どちらも28分）。この2便は凡例『△印＝1月1日〜3日運休』だけの便で、土日祝も走る。（6:10発は●＝土日祝運休、15:29発は◇＝土日祝と8/13〜16運休、16:29発は●で、数えない。）逆向き（天塩 → 幌延駅）の毎日運行の便は 13:33 → 14:05・16:28 → 17:00（どちらも32分。8:01・9:13・18:38・19:58 は●＝土日祝運休、10:33 は☆＝土日祝のみ運行）。 (checked 2026-10-29). They vary by time of day.

Shape

Borders 3 municipalities.

Territory of Teshio 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

25.6km

Horonobe Town, Embetsu Town, Nakagawa Town

Teshio Town isthis kind of town.

01Kawaguchi Site is a group of pit dwellings spread over a dune forest along the Teshio River, 200 m wide and 1.5 km long, and the town counts 230. It records the lives of the Epi-Jomon, Satsumon and Okhotsk cultures, and some dwellings have been reconstructed
02The Teshio Gray Whale, which the town museum presents, is regarded as the oldest fossil of the gray whale family. The Teshio River is fourth longest in Japan and enters the Sea of Japan in the town, and the old town hall of red brick is now a museum
03The town has no railway station; an Engan Bus runs from Horonobe Station to the Teshio stop

If something caught your eye, ask the town itself.

Teshio Town official site ↗Wikipedia ↗

From this town's themes