is a town located in Kahoku District, Ishikawa Prefecture, Japan. , the town had an estimated population of 37,694 in 13873 households, and a population density of 430 persons per km2. The total area of the town was . Geography Tsubata is located near the middle of Ishikawa Prefecture. It plays an important role as a crossroads between the Kaga region, the Noto region, and Toyama Prefecture. To the east, valleys and dales branch out through the low hills, while a flat plain 2-3 kilometers in width spreads out to the west. Natural features of Tsubata are Mount Sangoku, Kohokugata Lake and the Tsubata and Omi rivers. The town has a humid continental climate (Köppen Cfa) characterized by mild summers and cold winters with heavy snowfall. The average annual temperature in Tsubata is 14.2 °C. The average annual rainfall is 2512 mm with September as the wettest month. The temperatures are highest on average in August, at around 26.9 °C, and lowest in January, at around 3.0 °C. Neighbouring municipalities Ishikawa Prefecture Kanazawa Kahoku Uchinada Hōdatsushimizu Toyama Prefecture Oyabe Takaoka Demographics Per Japanese census data, the population of Tsubata has recently plateaued after a long period of growth. Tsubata's total population increase and population growth rate were the highest in the prefecture as of the 2000 census, but growth has slowed since then. History The area around Tsubata was mostly part of ancient Kaga Province, with a small region in its northeastern side as part of Noto Province. The area became part of Kaga Domain under the Edo period Tokugawa shogunate. Following the Meiji restoration, the area was organised into Kahoku District, Ishikawa. The town of Tsubata founded on April 1, 1889 with the establishment of the modern municipalities system. The town merged with neighbouring villages of Nakajo, Kasatani, Inoue and Agata on March 31, 1954, and the village of Kaaidani on May 16, 1954, followed by the village of Kurikara on February 1, 1957. Economy Commerce and light manufacturing are important to the local economy. Education Tsubata has nine public elementary schools and two public middle schools operated by the town government. The town has two public high schools operated by the Ishikawa Prefectural Board of Education. High Schools National Institute of Technology, Ishikawa college (NIT, Ishikawa College) Ishikawa Prefectural Tsubata High School Junior High Schools Tsubata Junior High School Tsubata Minami Junior High School Elementary school Jonan Elementary