Article

01403 ／とまりむら

Hokkaido 古宇郡

Tomari Village

Built for master and crew's shared life.

Herring Mansion Tomari

Photo by 皓月旗 (CC BY 4.0)

01 ／ Benten Island

The symbol of the hot spring districtis an island afloat in the sea.

The village tourism site presents Benten Island, floating near a hot spring district, as the district's symbol mark. The coast there has a shallow, rocky shore, and the island off the beach is a good spot for rock fishing. A legend of a girl who prayed for love also remains.

Symbol mark of the hot spring district
The coast: shallow, rocky shore
Island off the beach: good for rock fishing

02 ／ Coal Mine Site

A black stone picked up by a fishermanbegan the history of a coal mine.

The village tourism site introduces it as the oldest coal mine in Hokkaido, begun when a fisherman picked up a black stone in 1856. In 1869, it says, an iron-rail track was laid, three years before Japan's first railway. Today the remains of the slag heap can be seen.

1856: a fisherman picked up a black stone
1862: full-scale mining began
1869: an iron-rail track was laid

03 ／ Coffered Ceiling

Every picture on the coffered ceilingis different, flowers and birds alike.

According to the village tourism site, this Soto-school temple was built in 1862. On each panel of its coffered ceiling is a different picture, such as flowers, birds, landscapes, people and the zodiac animals. A traveler passing through in the mid-Meiji era is said to have painted them over many days.

Each ceiling picture is different
Flowers, birds, landscapes, people, zodiac
Built 1862, per the village tourism site

Tomari 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 May–September 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, with five hamlets along the road.

about 2,000 people
Rural district town

There is no railway station in the village. According to the village, five hamlets lie scattered along National Route 229. The village spans 11.8 km east to west and 14.6 km north to south, and of its total area of 82.35 km2, forest covers 70.57 km2.

People living here: 1,569people
Area: 82.27km²
Households: 813households
Rent (average for rentals): —
Healthcare: 0 hospitals ／ 3 clinics

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 3 municipalities.

Tomari Village in Japan43.063°N 140.499°E

Territory of Tomari 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

14.6km

Kamoenai Village, Kyowa Town, Furubira Town

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

Tomari Village isthis kind of town.

01Herring Mansion Tomari is the relocated and restored Former Kawamura Family Lodge and Former Takei Residence guest hall. The village tourism site describes the lodge as built with a distinctive structure for the master and the fishermen he hired to live together
02Benten Island, near a hot spring district, is the district's symbol mark, and the village tourism site says the old coal mine began in 1856 when a fisherman picked up a black stone
03The village has no railway station, and five hamlets lie along National Route 229. The coffered ceiling of a Soto-school temple bears a different picture on each panel

If something caught your eye, ask the town itself.

Tomari Village official site ↗Wikipedia ↗

From this town's themes