, also known as Embetsu, is a town located in Rumoi, Hokkaidō, Japan. As of 2013, the town had an estimated population of 2,966 and a density of 5 persons per km². The total area is . The town is bisected by the Enbetsu River, which flows from the Teshio Mountains directly into the Sea of Japan. Enbetsu is the northernmost area of rice production in Japan. Etymology The name of the town of Enbetsu has its origin in the Ainu language. Three possibilities exist: Wen-pet, meaning "bad river"; "We-bet", meaning "forked river"; or "E-ye-pet", meaning "meeting place river", as Enbetsu was a meeting place of the seaside Ainu and the Ainu of the Teshio Mountains. Geography Enbetsu is located at the north-northwest of the island of Hokkaido and overlooks the Japan Sea. The town occupies the drainage basin of the Enbetsu River from its origin on the western slopes of the Teshio Mountains to its mouth at the Sea of Japan. The west of the town is forested and sparsely inhabited. The small commercial and residential center of the town is located at the mouth of the river on the Japan Sea. Enbetsu is home to an onsen hot spring resort, the Asahi Spa in Kotoura. A small mud volcano is located in the marshes in the immediate vicinity of the hot spring. Rivers The Enbetsu River () flows from its source in the Teshio Mountains on the border of Enbetsu and Horokanai, north-northwest through the town and into the Sea of Japan. The city center and town hall are all located at the mouth of the Enbetsu. Major tributaries of the Enbetsu include the Takinosawa, Kumanosawa, Nupuripaomanai, Nupurikeshiomappu, and Rubeshube rivers. Nearly of the Enbetsu is used for rice paddy agriculture. The rice paddies of the Enbetsu make up the northernmost border of the wide belt of rice production in Japan; the town is therefore known as the northernmost area of rice production in the country. A stone monument to the history of rice production in Japan was constructed in Enbetsu in 1957. Mountains Mount Pisshiri (), the highest point in Enbetsu, is located to the very south of the town on its border with the towns Haboro and Horokanai. Pisshiri is the highest peak in the Teshio Mountains, and is also the source of the Enbetsu River. Neighboring municipalities Enbetsu borders on five municipalities in Hokkaido Prefecture,