Ishikari Region’s smallest agricultural village of Shinshinotsu is ideal for rural driving and family vacation. You can enjoy camping and getting into hot water around the pretty lake.
PLAN YOUR OWN TOUR
Shinshinotsu at a Glance
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LINK THIS TOUR: Train Trip Sapporo to Asahikawa
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START: Kami-Horomui Station (Around 10.20am)
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FINISH: Shinshinotsu Onsen (Around 3pm)
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DISTANCE: 10km
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DURATION: 4.5 hours
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BEST TIME TO VISIT: May to October for camping / Late December to early March for ice fishing
START
Kami-Horomui Station
If you start a day trip from Sapporo, take the JR local train (9:37) to Kami-Horomui (10:13).
NEXT ›› From Kami-Horomui (上幌向) bus stop on Route 12, take the Shinshinotsu Kotsu bus (新篠津交通 / 10:23) to Shinshinotsu Onsen (新篠津温泉 / 10:41 / ¥510) terminus. The timetable is shinshinotsu-kotsu.com (in Japanese).
LAKE & WAKASAGI FISHING
Shinotsu-ko
しのつ湖
You will get off the bus at Shinshinotsu Onsen terminus at 10:41. Behind the onsen, the crescent-shaped lake Shinotsu-ko is the village’s big attraction. Swan-boats (10am-4pm; ¥400) can be hired to take out on the lake . There are also fishing gear (¥500 incl feed) and free bike (up to 60min) rentals. It can be crowded with families on weekend.
In winter (from late December to early March), wakasagi-tsuri (わかさぎ釣り: smelt fishing: Reserve ahead on Sat & Sun) on the frozen lake is a popular activity.
OPTIONAL TOUR: CAMPING
Shinotsu Park Camp-jo
しのつ公園キャンプ場 / 46-S3, Shinshinotsu-mura / Tel 0126-58-3508 / May-Oct / www.tappunoyu.com/lake/camp.html
One of around Sapporo’s most popular and busiest campsite on the shore of Shinotsu-ko next to the Tappu-no-yu, Shinotsu Park campsite offers a rental tent (¥5000), sleeping bag (¥1000) and barbecue tool (¥1500). It also has permanent tents (from ¥9000 per person: book ahead) with two meals and onsen tickets. There is a 3-story observation tower (free) on a small hill overlooking the village.
FINISH: HOT SPRING & LUNCH
Shinshinotsu Onsen Tappu-no-yu
しんしのつ温泉たっぷの湯 & 道の駅しんしのつ / 45-N2, Shinshinotsu-mura / Day bathing 6-8am (¥400) & 10am-11pm (¥500) / Wi-Fi / tappunoyuonsen.com
Inside the Michi-no-eki Shinshinotsu facing the lake, Tappu-no-yu is a good place for a soak after activities. It features a wide open-air bath with yellow-brown cloudy hot water. This place has a pleasant accommodation, all rooms have a lake view. You can book an agricultural experience program (in Japanese) at the local farms here.
This onsen has the lake-view restaurant Mominoki (もみの木) that serves a wide variety of dishes using local rice and vegetables, such as vegetable curry (野菜カレー) and ankake yakisoba (あんかけ焼きそば: stir friend with sauce).
During the ice fishing season, this place can be cooked your caught wakasagi (¥500) if you order a meal.
CONTINUE ›› If you go back to Sapporo, take bus from Shinshinotsu Onsen (15:10) to Kami-Horomui Station (15:28), then change the local train (15:44) to Sapporo (16:22). The last bus from Shinshinotsu Onsen is at 19:15.