Nakatonbetsu, Hokkaido

Nakatonbetsu is located in northeast Hokkaido in an inland area of the Soya region. It is located in a mountainous area and is surrounded by mountains on all sides. 80% of the town's area is forested.

• Mountains: Mount Polonupuri (841m), Mt. Chikoma (529m), Mt. Panke (632m), Mt. Pinneshiri (704m)
• Rivers: Tonbetsu River, Hiragauchi River, Hyochana River, Ama River, Icchannai River, Sasano River

• Hokkaido
• Esashi
• Hamatonbetsu
• Horonobe
• Nakagawa
• Nakatonbetsu
• Otoineppu

Nakatonbetsu has cold and temperate climate considered to be Dfb according to the Köppen-Geiger climate classification. There is a considerable amount of rainfall even during months that typically experience dry weather. The average annual temperature in Nakatonbetsu is 5.3 °C. Each year, there is an approximate 1112 mm of precipitation. The temperatures are highest on average in August, at around 19.1 °C, and lowest in January, at around -7.9 °C.[https://en.climate-data.org/asia/japan/hokkaido/nakatonbetsu-37565/ Nakatonbetsu climate: Average Temperature, weather by month]

{{Weather box

|width = auto

|collapsed = Y

|single line = Y

|metric first = Y

|location = Nakatonbetsu (1991−2020 normals, extremes 1977−present)

|Jan record high C = 7.6

|Feb record high C = 8.7

|Mar record high C = 15.8

|Apr record high C = 24.6

|May record high C = 30.9

|Jun record high C = 33.1

|Jul record high C = 35.8

|Aug record high C = 35.8

|Sep record high C = 32.4

|Oct record high C = 25.4

|Nov record high C = 19.7

|Dec record high C = 10.4

|Jan high C = -3.4

|Feb high C = -2.5

|Mar high C = 1.8

|Apr high C = 8.5

|May high C = 15.8

|Jun high C = 19.6

|Jul high C = 23.3

|Aug high C = 24.4

|Sep high C = 21.1

|Oct high C = 14.2

|Nov high C = 5.5

|Dec high C = -1.2

|year high C =

|Jan mean C = -8.4

|Feb mean C = -8.5

|Mar mean C = -3.2

|Apr mean C = 3.5

|May mean C = 9.7

|Jun mean C = 13.8

|Jul mean C = 17.9

|Aug mean C = 19.1

|Sep mean C = 15.0

|Oct mean C = 8.4

|Nov mean C = 1.5

|Dec mean C = -5.3

|year mean C =

|Jan low C = -15.4

|Feb low C = -16.7

|Mar low C = -10.1

|Apr low C = -1.9

|May low C = 3.6

|Jun low C = 8.4

|Jul low C = 13.3

|Aug low C = 14.5

|Sep low C = 9.3

|Oct low C = 2.7

|Nov low C = -2.8

|Dec low C = -10.9

|year low C =

|Jan record low C = -35.9

|Feb record low C = -35.6

|Mar record low C = -30.0

|Apr record low C = -16.7

|May record low C = -6.3

|Jun record low C = -2.6

|Jul record low C = 1.9

|Aug record low C = 3.5

|Sep record low C = -0.6

|Oct record low C = -7.2

|Nov record low C = -18.7

|Dec record low C = -26.9

|precipitation colour = green

|Jan precipitation mm = 92.4

|Feb precipitation mm = 66.3

|Mar precipitation mm = 72.2

|Apr precipitation mm = 56.7

|May precipitation mm = 68.4

|Jun precipitation mm = 66.6

|Jul precipitation mm = 120.2

|Aug precipitation mm = 145.5

|Sep precipitation mm = 141.8

|Oct precipitation mm = 155.8

|Nov precipitation mm = 152.8

|Dec precipitation mm = 126.1

|year precipitation mm = 1264.7

|Jan rain days = 20.5

|Feb rain days = 16.6

|Mar rain days = 15.9

|Apr rain days = 11.3

|May rain days = 10.7

|Jun rain days = 9.4

|Jul rain days = 10.4

|Aug rain days = 11.5

|Sep rain days = 13.7

|Oct rain days = 16.6

|Nov rain days = 20.6

|Dec rain days = 22.4

|Jan snow cm = 219

|Feb snow cm = 172

|Mar snow cm = 136

|Apr snow cm = 41

|May snow cm = 2

|Jun snow cm = 0

|Jul snow cm = 0

|Aug snow cm = 0

|Sep snow cm = 0

|Oct snow cm = 2

|Nov snow cm = 84

|Dec snow cm = 233

|year snow cm = 886

|Jan snow days = 20.8

|Feb snow days = 17.9

|Mar snow days = 14.5

|Apr snow days = 5.5

|May snow days = 0.2

|Jun snow days = 0

|Jul snow days = 0

|Aug snow days = 0

|Sep snow days = 0

|Oct snow days = 0.2

|Nov snow days = 8.0

|Dec snow days = 21.4

|Jan sun = 52.3

|Feb sun = 74.4

|Mar sun = 116.5

|Apr sun = 147.3

|May sun = 176.0

|Jun sun = 156.3

|Jul sun = 135.9

|Aug sun = 134.0

|Sep sun = 154.1

|Oct sun = 124.3

|Nov sun = 55.7

|Dec sun = 33.7

|year sun = 1356.1

|source 1 = JMA{{cite web

| url = https://www.data.jma.go.jp/obd/stats/etrn/view/rank_a.php?prec_no=11&block_no=1051&year=&month=&day=&view=h0

|script-title=ja:観測史上1～10位の値（年間を通じての値）

| publisher = JMA

| access-date = February 21, 2022}}

|source 2 = JMA{{cite web

| url = https://www.data.jma.go.jp/obd/stats/etrn/view/nml_amd_ym.php?prec_no=11&block_no=1051&year=&month=&day=&view=h0

|script-title=ja:気象庁 / 平年値（年・月ごとの値）

| publisher = JMA

| access-date = February 21, 2022}}}}

Per Japanese census data, the population of Nakatonbetsu is as shown below. The town is in a long period of sustained population loss.

{{Historical populations

| 1940 |6724

| 1950 |7592

| 1960 |7375

| 1970 | 5,395

| 1980 | 4,203

| 1990 | 3,056

| 2000 | 2,518

| 2010 | 1,975

| 2020 | 1,637

|align = none

| footnote =

}}

The name of "Tonbetsu" derives from the Ainu language word to-un-pet, which translates "river entering lake", and which referred to the Tonbetsu River which enters Lake Kutcharo. In 1878, the villages of Esashi, Tonbetsu, Utanobetsu, and Rebun were established in Esashi District, Kitami Province. Around 1897, gold dust was discovered in the Tonbetsu River in Nakatonbetsu, leading to a minor gold rush. In 1909 the four villages merged to form the village of Esashi; however, Tonbetsu was separated out in April 1916. In April 1921, Tonbestu was divided into Tonbetsu and Nakatonbetsu villages. Nakatonbetsu was raised to town status on November 1, 1949.

Nakatonbetsu has a mayor-council form of government with a directly elected mayor and a unicameral town council of eight members. Nakatonbetsu, as part of Soya sub-prefecture, contributes one member to the Hokkaido Prefectural Assembly. In terms of national politics, the town is part of the Hokkaido 12th district of the lower house of the Diet of Japan.

The local economy of Nakatonbetsu is centered on agriculture, forestry and dairy farming.

Nakatonbetsu has four public elementary schools and one public junior high school operated by the town government. The town has one public high school operated by the Hokkaido Board of Education.

Nakatonbetsu has not had any passenger railway services since the closing of the JR Hokkaido Tempoku Line in 1989. The nearest railway station is Otoineppu Station on the Sōya Main Line, a 1.5 hour bus ride away.

• {{jct|country=JPN|Route|275}}

{{reflist|refs=

{{cite encyclopedia | encyclopedia = Nihon Daihyakka Zensho (Nipponika) | title = 浜頓別（町） | url = http://rekishi.jkn21.com/ | access-date = 2013-09-06 | year = 2013 | publisher = Shogakukan | location = Tokyo | language = ja | trans-title = Hamatonbetsu | oclc = 153301537 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070825113418/http://rekishi.jkn21.com/ | archive-date = 2007-08-25 | url-status = dead }}

{{cite web | url = http://www.town.hamatonbetsu.hokkaido.jp/juminka/jinkousuii/ | script-title = ja:人口推移 | date = 2013 | publisher = Town of Hamatonbetsu | location = Hamatonbetsu, Hokkaido | language = ja | trans-title = Population Change | access-date = 2013-09-10 | archive-date = 2016-03-04 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160304030225/http://www.town.hamatonbetsu.hokkaido.jp/juminka/jinkousuii/ | url-status = dead }}

}}

• {{Commons category-inline|Nakatombetsu, Hokkaido|Nakatombetsu, Hokkaidō}}
• [http://www.town.nakatombetsu.hokkaido.jp/ Official Website] {{in lang|ja}}

{{Hokkaido}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Nakatombetsu, Hokkaido}}

Category:Towns in Hokkaido

Category:Sōya Subprefecture