Enjoy Slow
Travel in Hokkaido "Kushiro Area"
＜Overview of Kushiro City＞
■Kushiro Sta. – Akanko Onsen (about 2 hours by bus)
Eating katte-don at Washo Market / Observing the red-crowned crane, a special natural treasure / The world’s top three sunset spots / Kushiro Wetlands National Park’s scenic spots / Kushiro City is a place where the Ainu and Japanese traders traded with each other.
Kushiro’s population growth began when the city became a trading post between the Ainu and the Japanese (Kusuri-ba: around Shiroyama, Tsurugatai, and Urami in Kushiro City).
After that, the area flourished as a port of call for shipping (food and coal supply).
In the 20th century, the population grew as key industries (agriculture, fishing, forestry, paper manufacturing, coal mining, etc.) developed and the area became the core of eastern Hokkaido.
Kushiro Shitsugen National Park and Akan-Mashu National Park are located in the area, and the nature conservation movement is thriving in the area.
With the spread of the Internet, the number of individual travelers transmitting information has increased rapidly. The area is attracting attention from all over the world.
※Around Kusuriba
Kusuri Bridge, Kusuri Dori, Tsurugatai Park, Kushiro City Museum of Art, Yonemachi Furusato Kan, Manabotto Nusamai,Harutorucharankechashi Site, Harukari Lake, Kushiro City Museum, Chijin no Oka Observation Hill, Itsukushima Shrine
Enjoy Kushiro's food culture
Katte-don in Washo Market
The area off Kushiro Port is a rich fishing ground where the Kuroshio and Oyashio currents collide, and the largest catch of seafood in Hokkaido is landed here. Among them, seasonal fish that the producers are proud of are called “Kushiro Pride Kushiro Fish”.
Washo Market near Kushiro Station is Kushiro’s largest seafood market, and a popular menu item here is katte-don. Katte-don is a bowl of rice topped with the ingredients of your choice, allowing you to enjoy the freshest seasonal seafood to your heart’s content.
※Kushiro is read as “Sen,” which means “fresh fish” in Japanese, and is a play on the Japanese word for “fresh fish.
How to construct katte-don
- Decide how much rice you want in your bowl (buy the rice first).
- Ask for (and purchase) as much neta (toppings) as you like at the restaurant that carries the neta, and enjoy asking for today’s recommended neta. You can also walk around multiple stores to enjoy the neta.
- Have wasabi and soy sauce dipped in it.
- Eat at the dine-in space.
- After eating, put the container in the trash.
Enjoy Special Natural Monuments
Let's go see the red-crowned cranes!
The red-crowned crane is a member of the crane family and is a special natural treasure found only in the Doto district of Hokkaido in Japan. It is a large bird, measuring 140 cm in length and 10 kg in weight, with a wingspan of 240 cm. The white-feathered, graceful red-crowned crane (tancho in Japanese) is named after its red head, with “tan” meaning “red” and “cho” meaning “head.
The red-crowned crane is a male-female pair that spends its entire life together, foraging for food and nesting in waterside and grassland areas such as the Kushiro Marsh.
Akan International Crane Center (Grus) and Branch Tancho Observation Center
The red-crowned crane is Japan’s national bird and is loved by many people for its beauty and rarity. However, the red-crowned crane is in danger of extinction due to habitat loss and environmental pollution.
This facility is unique to Japan in its purposes to conserve the tancho crane while providing research and information about these magnificent birds. Within the facility are informative displays, and outdoors visitors may observe tancho cranes being raised in a situation similar to nature throughout the year. From November to March, artificial feeding is carried out at the neighboring “Branch Tancho Observation Center”, with as many as 300 wild tancho cranes visiting on a busy day (from the website of the association).
Birthplace of artificial feeding (saved from extinction)
Opening hours: 9:00a.m. – 5:00p.m.
* Tancho Crane Observation Center open 8:30a.m. – 4:30p.m. (closes 4:00p.m. Nov-Jan)
Closed days: Open all year round
* Tancho Crane Observation Center closed Apr-Oct
Entry Fees: Adult (High school and above) 480 yen, elementary or junior high 250 yen
Enjoy Kushiro's Great Nature
Kushiro Shitsugen National Park
Kushiro Shitsugen National Park is known as the largest marshland in Japan. This park was designated as a national park in 1987 and protects a vast 28,000 hectares of nature. A diverse array of flora and fauna thrive here, and rare creatures such as red-crowned cranes and Ezo sika deer can be observed. Kushiro Marsh is a treasure of Japan and is cherished for its beauty and richness to be passed on to future generations.
Viewing Spots
A day to enjoy Kushiro's spectacular scenery
Kushiro's Sunset / The World's Three Greatest Sunsets
Kushiro’s sunsets are so beautiful that they have been praised by sailors who have cruised the world’s oceans. It is said to be “one of the three most beautiful sunsets in the world” along with Bali and Manila. Kushiro’s sunsets are most attractive on clear days in autumn and winter. During this season, the air is clear and the water vapor rising from the Kushiro Marsh and the sea reflects the sun’s rays and turns them bright red. Kushiro’s sunset is an impressive sight that will be deeply etched in your mind. Why don’t you come and witness its beauty?
Sunset Spot
Access
Recommended route: From Sapporo
Take the "Starlight Kushiro" highway bus (reservation required) from Sapporo Station to Kushiro Station (approximately 5 hours 15 minutes to 6 hours 10 minutes)
Recommended route: From Sapporo
Take the JR "Super Ozora" express train from Sapporo Station to Kushiro Station (approx. 4 hours)
Recommended route: From Tokyo
Fly from Haneda Airport to Kushiro Airport (100 min.) and take a connecting bus to Kushiro Station (about 45 min.)
- Akanko Bus Center ←→JR Kushiro Station, about 2 hrs
- Kitami ←→ JR Kushiro Station, about 3hrs
- Akanko Onsen ←→ Kushiro Airport, about 1hr 10min
- JR Kushiro Sta. ←→ Kushiro Airport, about 45 min
- From JR Abashiri Station, about 150 km, about 2 hr 40 min
- From Akanko Bus Center, about 70 km, about 1 hr 30 min
- From JR Obihiro Station, about 120 km, about 2 hr 30 min
- From JR Asahikawa Station, about 265 km, about 4 hr 30 min
- JR Abashiri Sta. – JR Kushiro Sta. (limited express): about 3 hr 40 min
- JR Obihiro Sta. – JR Kushiro Sta. (limited express): about 1 hr 34 min
- JR Nemuro Sta. – JR Kushiro Sta. (limited express): about 2 hr 30 min
- JR Sapporo Sta. – JR Kushiro Sta. (limited express): about 4 hr 15 min
- Kushiro – Sapporo 45 min
- Kushiro – Tokyo 95 min
- Kushiro – Osaka 120 min
Kushiro Tourism and Convention Association
3-3 Saiwaicho, Kushiro-shi, Hokkaido TEL +81-154-31-1993
Business hours : 9:00a.m. – 5:30p.m.
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