Tōbetsu, Hokkaidō

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Location of Tōbetsu in Ishikari Subprefecture

Tōbetsu Town Office (March 2005)

Tōbetsu (当別町, Tōbetsu-chō^?) is a town located in Ishikari District, Ishikari, Hokkaidō, Japan.

As of 2008, the town has an estimated population of 19,330 and a density of 47.69 persons per km². The total area is 422.71 km².

Located on the north part of the Ishikari Subprefecture of Hokkaidō, the shape of the municipality is elongated north to south. It overlaps with the catchment area of the Tōbetsu river approximately. Tōbetsu means 'river from marsh' in Ainu language and in Japanese it is called 'Tōbetsu gawa(river)'. Low mountains occupy the northern area of the municipality. The southern area is a part of the Ishikari plains.

Sapporo, the largest city of Hokkaidō, lies on southwest of the Tōbetsu. The large river of Ishikari divided Tōbetsu from Sapporo until 1934, when the Sasshō Line railroad connected the two cities. Several more bridges built in the latter half of 20th century have further reduced the traffic obstacle. Tōbetsu has produced rice and recently flowers. Residential buildings are increasing modestly because of its better access to Sapporo.