Article

01544 ／つべつちょう

Hokkaido 網走郡

Tsubetsu Town

Castle-inspired building atop the pass.

Tsubetsu Pass viewing facility

Photo by 221.20 (Public domain)

01 ／ Former Kitami-Aioi Station

A former national railway station, kept as it was;restored trains stand on the original platform.

The town says Aioi Railway Park makes use of the former Japanese National Railways Kitami-Aioi Station as it was, with the trains that once ran there restored and displayed on the original platform. The Aioi Line opened in 1925. Michi-no-Eki Aioi's own site calls it a railway park keeping the station building and cars of the national railway era.

Aioi Line opened in 1925 (town)
Railway park with the station building and cars (Michi-no-Eki Aioi)
Trains restored and displayed on the original platform (town)

02 ／ Junseiji Temple Main Hall

A Jodo Shinshu main hall built in 1935is a nationally Registered Tangible Cultural Property.

The Agency for Cultural Affairs says the main hall of Junseiji Temple, a Jodo Shinshu hall built in 1935, is a single-story wooden building with a sheet-metal roof and a floor area of 203 m². Its commentary describes round interior pillars and a design that is solid yet splendid overall. It was registered on July 31, 2007.

Registered Tangible Cultural Property (building)
Built 1935, single-story wooden, 203 m² floor area
Registered July 31, 2007

03 ／ Forest-Loving Town

Declared a "forest-loving town" in 1982,with about 86% of its area forested.

The town says Tsubetsu declared itself a "forest-loving town" in 1982, ahead of the rest of Japan. National and Hokkaido forests make up about 86% of its total area. A town document says the new town hall of March 2021 was built with 90% of its timber from within the town and 10% from elsewhere in Hokkaido.

Declared in 1982 (town)
About 86% of the total area is forest (town)
90% of the new town hall's timber is local (town document)

Tsubetsu 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 2004)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

An inland town spreading 37.2 km east-west and 34.1 km north-south.

about 4,000 people
Rural district town

The town says Tsubetsu lies inland in the Okhotsk region of eastern Hokkaido, with a total area of about 716.80 km². Its mountains consist of the outer rim ranges of the Akan and Kussharo calderas and the ranges along the border with Kitami. Summers can be quite hot, winters are cold, and sunny days are many.

People living here: 4,373people
Area: 716.8km²
Households: 2,043households
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.

Tsubetsu Town in Japan43.706°N 144.025°E

to KitamiLocal bus52min

Travel times follow 北海道北見バス公式『バス運行時刻表郊外線①』（令和8年4月1日改定。PDF https://www.h-kitamibus.co.jp/wp-content/themes/h-kitamibus/img/download/suburbroute1-timetable-202604.pdf を2026-10-29に読み、表を画像でも目で見た）の『開成・津別線』。北見発→津別バスターミナル着：9:00→9:52・14:50→15:42・19:13→20:05 は52分、17:07→18:04 は57分。津別バスターミナル発→北見着：10:10→11:02・18:14→19:06 は52分、6:56→7:53・15:57→16:54 は57分。表の『青枠は土曜・日曜・祝日運休』に当たるのは北見発7:15→津別8:07（これも52分）の1便だけで、それを除いた毎日運転の最速は往復とも52分。 (checked 2026-10-29). They vary by time of day.

Shape

Borders 7 municipalities.

Territory of Tsubetsu 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

34.1km

Bihoro Town, Rikubetsu Town, Kushiro City, Kitami City, Kunneppu Town, Teshikaga Town, Ashoro Town

Tsubetsu Town isthis kind of town.

01The town says the Tsubetsu Pass viewing facility stands at 947 m on Tsubetsu Pass, with an exterior modeled on a medieval European castle. It overlooks Lake Kussharo and, far off, the Sea of Okhotsk. It is open from June 1 to October 31
02Former Kitami-Aioi Station was a station on the Aioi Line of the national railway, and now shows the trains that once ran there as Aioi Railway Park. The main hall of Junseiji Temple, built in 1935, was registered as a national Registered Tangible Cultural Property in 2007
03Tsubetsu Town, Hokkaido declared itself a "forest-loving town" in 1982, and about 86% of its area is forest. It spans 37.2 km east-west and 34.1 km north-south, about 716.80 km² inland. The gateway to the town is the Town Office

If something caught your eye, ask the town itself.

Tsubetsu Town official site ↗Wikipedia ↗

From this town's themes