Mutsu occupies most of
Shimokita Peninsula and is bordered by
Mutsu Bay to the south and
Tsugaru Strait to the north, and is the northernmost city on the island of
Honshū. The volcanic
Osorezan Mountain Range extends across the western and central portion of the city, and includes a number of
caldera lakes. Mount Hiuchidake, 781 meters above sea level, is on the north side, and Mount Osore is on the south side. At the center of Mount Osore is a caldera with a diameter of about 3 kilometers, inside which is a caldera lake called Lake Usori. Mount Kamabu (elevation 879 m) is located southeast of the caldera's outer rim, and is the highest point of Mount Osore. The Tanabe River, which originates from the Shimokita Hills, flows through Tanabu, the center of Mutsu City, and the Tanabe Plain spreads out in the basin. The population is concentrated in the Tanabe, Ōhira, and Ōminato neighborhoods. Ōminato is located at the foot of Mount Kamabu, facing Ōminato Bay, where the waves are calm. There is a sand spit called Ashizaki in Ōminato Bay, and the inside of the sand spit is called Ashizaki Bay, which is a natural harbor. The Shimokita hills stretch in the southeastern part of the city. Parts of the city is within the limits of the
Shimokita Hantō Quasi-National Park, including Mount Osore,
Yagen Valley, and
Taijima.
Neighboring municipalities Aomori Prefecture •
Higashidōri •
Kazamaura •
Ōma •
Sai •
Yokohama Climate Mutsu has a rare
oceanic climate (
Köppen:
Cfb) or
warm-summer humid continental climate (
Dfb) by 0 °C isoterm, the south of the city being the northern boundary of the
hot-summer type (
Dfa) in
Aomori, disregarding rural areas in the west. The city is characterized by warm summers and cool to cold winters with heavy snowfall. The average annual temperature in Mutsu is 9.8 °C. The average annual rainfall is 1339 mm with September as the wettest month. The temperatures are highest on average in August, at around 20.3 °C, and lowest in January, at around -4.6 °C. {{Weather box ==Demographics==