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Enjoy food culture
Enjoy the Red-crowned Cranes
Enjoy Great Nature
Enjoy the spectacular sunset
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＜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.
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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
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.
Enjoy “Kushiro Pride Kushiro Fish Bowl” at WASHO Market.
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.
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
MAP
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.
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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?
Take the “Starlight Kushiro / Kushiro New-Star Express” highway bus (reservation required) from Sapporo Station to Kushiro Station (approximately 5 hours 15 minutes to 6 hours 10 minutes)
Hokkaido Chuo Bus
Hokkaido Bus
Take the JR “Super Ozora” express train from Sapporo Station to Kushiro Station (approx. 4 hours)
JR HOKKAIDO (RAILWAY)
Fly from Haneda Airport to Kushiro Airport (100 min.) and take a connecting bus to Kushiro Station (about 45 min.)
Kushiro Airport Introduction
Bus (highway bus)
Kushiro Tourism and Convention Association
3-3 Saiwaicho, Kushiro-shi, Hokkaido TEL +81-154-31-1993
Business hours : 9:00a.m. – 5:30p.m.
Hokkaido, Kushiro – Lake Akan Travel Guide [Official]