Ōtsuchi (大槌町, Ōtsuchi-chō) is a town located in Kamihei District, Iwate Prefecture, in the Tōhoku region of northern Japan.

The inland portion of the town is within the Kitakami Mountains Iwate Prefecture Ōtsuchi has a humid climate (Köppen Cfa) characterized by mild summers and cold winters.

The area of present-day Ōtsuchi was part of ancient Mutsu Province, dominated by the Nambu clan from the Muromachi period.

[6] The tsunami obliterated the harbor and low-lying areas, while higher parts of the town were spared, though they did suffer damage from the earthquake and the many aftershocks.

[14] In the aftermath of the tsunami, local resident Itaru Sasaki opened a wind phone, a telephone booth in which visitors could hold one-way conversations with deceased loved ones.

Sanriku Railway – Rias Line As a youth Ken Sasaki noted that his home of Ōtsuchi is located on the same latitude as Fort Bragg, California and in 2001 he contacted then Mayor Lindy Peters and visited with a delegation to open discussions on a sister city agreement.

[16][17] Following the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami devastation Mayor Turner ordered that city flags be flown half staff until the end of March to honour the thousands of lives lost.