Category: Destinations

The tranquil agricultural town of Assabu (厚沢部) is Japan’s northern limit of hinoki-asunaro (thujopsis) forest.

Otobe (乙部) is popular in summer for its beach and that has attractive geographical features. Gennadai is Hokkaido’s only ‘the 100 best beaches in Japan’.

Kaminokuni (上ノ国) is said that Hokkaido’s first Japanese settlement dates back to 1189.

Northwest of Haboro in the Sea of Japan are the remote pair of tiny islands Teuri-to (天売島) and Yagishiri-to (焼尻島), both fishing hamlets offer unique ecosystems and scenic cycling.

Obira (小平) was also once a herring fishing village. You will find Hokkaido’s largest wooden fishing hut and a pleasant beach.

Shosanbetsu’s Misakidai Park is a good place to stopover or spend for one night a journey.

At the mouth of Japan’s forth-longest river Teshio-gawa, this town was one of Northern Hokkaido’s major trading posts until the early 20th-century.

The main reason to visit Haboro (羽幌) is to catch the ferry to Teuri-to and Yagishiri-to islands. Central Haboro occupies a grid of streets with a few modesty sights.

The windy town of Tomamae (苫前) is known for the worst bear attack in Japanese history. There is a scenic onsen, beach and interesting museum in the town center.

On the road to Eastern Shiretoko, Shibetsu (標津) is best known for its salmon fishing. There are a few attractions worth visiting around the town center.

Betsukai (別海) is two times larger than Tokyo’s 23 wards. Some 15,000 people and 120,000 cows living this grand-scale town.

Nakashibetsu (中標津) is considered the center of the Konsen Plateau and a transport hub for other areas. There is an airport close to the town center.

Best knowns for Japan’s largest sunflower fields, this small agricultural town is one of Central Hokkaido’s popular destinations in summer.

About 60km northeast of Sapporo Route 275, the agricultural town of Urausu has some great picnic spots around Tsurunuma Park.

Founded as Hokkaido’s first prison Kabato Shujikan in 1881, this town was named after the first warden Tsukigata Kiyoshi.

Japan’s second smallest city by population, however Mikasa (三笠) holds some of the first-in-Hokkaido. The area is known for both its fossil-rich mountains.