East Hokkaido Tourism Navi | Introducing Sightseeing Information & Model Courses for Eastern Hokkaido!

Spectacle Rock and starry sky in Kushiro City

A new side
of
Hokkaido awaits.

What kind of a place is East Hokkaido, anyhow?

East Hokkaido (also known as Doto) refers to the vast expanse of lush nature that stretches across eastern Hokkaido. Boasting lakes, wetlands, rare flora and fauna, drift ice that stretches as far as the eye can see, and the largest number of national parks in Hokkaido, East Hokkaido wows with dynamic sights that you can't experience anywhere else. Guests can even savor local cuisine featuring fresh seasonal seafood and mountain produce.

Area Introduction

Kushiro-Nemuro

Area

Akan-Mashu-Lake Kussharo

Area

Abashiri-Kitami-Monbetsu

Area

Shiretoko

Area

Tokachi

Area

The Kushiro-Nemuro Area is home to a gorgeous national park on the Pacific Coast, as well as Japan's largest stretch of wetland, the Kushiro Wetlands. The fresh seafood caught in the coastal waters of Kushiro has attracted fans across the country and is a must try for visitors to the area. Kushiro is also counted among the three most beautiful sunset spots in the world. Recognized as such by sailors who've traveled the world, this is a sight you absolutley cannot miss.

View buses and experiencesin the Kushiro-Nemuro Area

Kushiro Marsh

Kushiro Wetlands

The Kushiro Shitsugen National Park is said to house the largest stretch of wetland in the country. One portion of the 28,788 hectare park is protected under the Ramsar Convention. You can enjoy different sides to the wetlands from the many observation decks installed in the park, including panoramic views of the wetlands and Kushiro City, spots perfect for snapping shots of trolley trains, and places where you can witness the area's gorgeous sunrise. If you're lucky you might even encounter some of the local wildlife, like cranes, deer, and foxes. Particulary popular are the Kushiro Shitsugen Norokko Train, that snakes through the park, and the SL Fuyu-no-Shitsugen Train, that spouts white smoke as it charges through the winter air. Whether you're exploring the park by your choice of canoe, horse, or bike, or relaxing in a sauna with a view of the wetlands, the park offers limitless opportunities for fun.

Nusamai Bridge

If you visit Kushiro, be sure to check out Nusamai Bridge. Famous for its sunsets, it's considered one of Hokkaido's three great bridges. As the sun sets over the bridge, everything in sight is dyed orange. Depending on the season, you can board the Sunset Sightseeing Cruise to get the most out of the sight. As night falls yet another gorgeous sight awaits in the form of the bridge's gas lamps, which produce a mystical atmosphere as they illuminate the surroundings. The bridge is also famous as a photo spot, drawing visitors from all across the country.

Gourmet food in Kushiro

Kushiro Cuisine

The high-heat robata charcoal grilling style has its roots in Kushiro. In addition to the town's many robata-yaki shops, you can also enjoy fresh, lip-smackingly delicious fish and shellfish. We've also got to mention supakatsu, a thick tonkatsu pork cutlet with rich meat-sauce spaghetti on top, as well as Kushiro Washo Market's katte-don, a sort of build-your-own seafood bowl with an abundance of options.

View buses and experiencesin the Kushiro-Nemuro Area

The Akan-Mashu-Lake Kussharo Area is bursting with nature, including the vast Akan-Mashu National Park. You can view many precious plants and animals unique to Hokkaido in the park, including a special natural monument in the Lake Akan marimo moss ball, longtailed tits, and Ezo Ural owls. Also popular are Lake Mashu, famous for the mysterious atmosphere born from the mist that settles upon it, and Lake Kussharo, popular for the hot springs that well up along its shoreline. Also, at Lake Akan, you can visit a kotan settlement, where Hokkaido's indigineous Ainu people once dwelled, and learn more about their culture.

View buses and experiencesin the Akan-Mashu-Lake Kussharo Area

Lake Akan

Lake Akan, located within Akan-Mashu National Park, is the fifth largest lake in Hokkaido. It's also one of only two places in the world with marimo that can grow to 30 cm in diameter. In the midst of this vast nature, a kotan constructed by the indigenous Ainu still yet remains. It's one of the very few places featuring traditional Ainu woodcarving crafts, cuisine, and dances. Also popular are guided walking tours of the area's nature.

Lake Mashu

The clearest lake in Japan, Lake Mashu, is famous for the "Mashu blue" born from its transparency. It's also often referred to as "Misty Mashu" for the mist that shrouds it for a third of the year. This mist is breathtakingly gorgeous when struck by sunlight. The lake is also home to three observation decks, including Lake Mashu No. 1 Observation Deck Lake Mashu Kamuy Terrace, from which you can experience a 360 degree panoramic view of the lake. From the No. 3 Observation Deck, you get a close-up view of Kamuishu Island, and from the Ura-Mashu Observation Deck, a relatively fog-free, mystical view of the lake. If you visit in the dawn before the sun rises, you might just be able to see a sea of clouds.

Lake Kussharo

It's said that 80% of Lake Kussharo's water comes from natural springs. The lake is the largest caldera lake in Japan. The grand scale of the nature surrounding the lake never fails to move the hearts of visitors. Owing to its beatiful waters, the lake has become a popular spot for actvities like camping and canoeing. There are several onsen hot springs around the lake. Among them, Kawayu Onsen, with its fragrant sulfur, draws fans from across the country as one of the great onsen of the north.

View buses and experiencesin the Akan-Mashu-Lake Kussharo Area

The Abashiri-Kitami-Monbetsu Area is home to Kitami, renown for its connection to curling, Abashiri, famous for its prison which has been featured in countless films, and the Okhotsk Area, which boasts the delicious seafood of Monbetsu. In addition to the iconic Abashiri Prison and Kitami-style yakiniku, you can also experience drift ice which stretches on until the horizon in winter.

View buses and experiencesin the Abashiri-Kitami-Monbetsu Area

Abashiri Prison Museum

In the past, the old Abashiri Prison was feared among prisoners as the toughest prison in Japan, a reputation that was cemented by its use as a setting in many famous manga. Today, the prison building has been preserved as a museum, which exhibits the harsh conditions of the prisoners who were once held there. Additionally, at the Prison Cafeteria, you can eat the same meals that the prisoners of the modern Abashiri Prison eat.

Drift Ice Cruise

As winter visits the seaside cities of Abashiri and Monbetsu, you can witness drift ice that covers the ocean as far as the eye can see. This one of a kind spectacle can be viewed from the sightseeing icebreakers Aurora and Garinko, as they cruise through the ice fields. If the timing's right, you might even be able to spot Steller's sea eagles and white-tailed eagles resting on the ice.

Kitami Yakiniku

Kitami-Style Yakiniku

Kitami-style yakiniku became famous for its use in outdoor barbecue events held in winter weather colder than 20 degrees below zero celcius. The practice spread thanks to the easy access to fresh meat that a slaughterhouse near the old Kitami Station provided. It's said that, today, yakiniku restaurants outnumber even convenience stores, with offal and skirt steak being particularly delicious items.
*The image is for illustrative purposes only.

View buses and experiencesin the Abashiri-Kitami-Monbetsu Area

Shiretoko, meaning "the end of the earth" in Ainu, boasts magnificent, untouched nature. Owing to the region's preservation of its wildlife, it was registered as a UNESCO World Natural Heritage Site in 2005. There's also so much you can only experience in Shiretoko: the fresh seafood of a port town, sightseeing cruises, nature tours, and guided walking tours of drift ice.

View buses and experiencesin the Shiretoko Area(Shari Bus)

View buses and experiencesin the Shiretoko Area(Akan Bus)

Shiretoko Goko Lakes

Shiretoko Five Lakes

These five lakes lie nestled within a primeval forest, as the Shiretoko Mountain Range looms in the background. They offer a space where you can enjoy mountains, lakes, the sea, and the forest, all in one. There are even areas with large populations of wild animals, where you can observe their natural lifestyles up close. In addition to elevated boardwalks that ensure safe exploration of the area, you can also request guided tours that take you along ground level paths.

Shiretoko Peninsula Cruise

You can board a cruise from Utoro Port to experience the untouched nature of the Sea of Okhotsk. These are sights that you can only see from the safety of a ship. You might even spot a bear chasing a salmon or a pod of dolphins swimming along.

Gourmet food in Utoro

Utoro Cuisine

The Shiretoko-Shari Area boasts the largest hauls of salmon in the country. Paricularly famous is the Utoro Area, with its fresh salmon, firm and juicy salmon roe, and celebrated high quality urchin. Utoro is the perfect spot for those who want to enjoy Hokkaido's delicious seafood at a reasonable price, which you can do at popular local eateries or shops run by local fishermen.

View buses and experiencesin the Shiretoko Area(Shari Bus)

View buses and experiencesin the Shiretoko Area(Akan Bus)

The Tokachi Area is popular for its vast pastoral landscapes and nature. It's also loved for its panoramic blue skies and "Tokachi sunshine," the result of its particularly high percentage of sunny days. The region is blessed with bountiful and delicious foodstuffs, boasting a food self-sufficiency rate of 1,132%. Notably delicious are its agricultural products, its cheese and soft-serve icecream that uses raw milk, and its pork bowls containing carefully raised pork. With many sightseeing spots to boot, you'll probably want to spend more than one day here!

View buses and experiencesin Tokachi Area

Banei Horse Racing

Ban'ei Horse Racing

At Obihiro Racetrack, you can enjoy Ban'ei Horse Racing, where sleds drawn by horses, often weighing over a ton, test the limits of their speed, endurance and power. Competing in the races are the draft horses of the Hokkaido Pioneering Era, officially registered as a "Hokkaido Heritage." The intensity of the race, which is conducted on a 200 m track with two hills, is sure to wow any viewer. At the neighboring Tokachi Mura facility, you can also try the delectable local cuisine, before perusing the fresh vegetables and other products on sale.

Tokachi Farm

Tokachi Ranch

At Tokachi Ranch, you can experience the unique majesty of Tokachi's nature. Its rows of white birches, used in both television dramas and films, are a hugely popular photo spot. From the observation deck located in the back of the ranch, you can take in the gorgeous spectacle of the cows feasting on grass against the backdrop of the massive mountain range. Whereever you take a picture, it's sure to come out like a painting. In winter, from January to February, the ranchers take the horses out to keep them active, creating yet another majestic sight. It's quite the thrill to watch the horses blast off running, as the ranchers chase them on their own horses.

Lake Shikaribetsu

Lake Shikaribetsu is often called the "Lake in the Sky," owing to it being the lake located at the highest altitude in Hokkaido. One must-visit location is the Lake Shikaribetsu Underwater Railroad Tracks, where a set of railroad tracks can be seen beneath the clear water, continuing on until it disappears into the deep. It's like something out of a movie, and you can always find people taking photos of it. When the lake freezes over in winter, the Lake Shikaribetsu Kotan opens up shop, with an open air bath and ice bar that serves drinks in glasses made out of ice. Even wedding ceremonies are hosted here in an ice chapel. You can also enjoy rafting and riding snow mobiles here.