Road trip in DOUTOH【Eastern HOKKAIDO】5 days model course

A free and easy trip around Eastern Hokkaido, the location of designated World Heritage Site, ‘Shiretoko’. Taste the euphoria of cruising along the spacious roads of Eastern Hokkaido. Using a set package inclusive of flight, lodgings and car rental, enjoy 5 days of travel! Let us recommend a travel course filled with lots of exciting sightseeing spots for you.

Note: Travel distance may change with regards to different routes. The above is calculated according to general roads.

After your arrival at Kushiro Airport in the afternoon, let’ s drive over to a spot where you can spot the beautiful birds that epitomizes Japan, the Japanese crane. Situated a short 5 minutes from the airport, ‘Tancho Tsuru Shizen Koen’ (Crane National Park) is a park specially established to protect these national monuments, as these cranes face the danger of extinction. Here is where you can get to see more than 15 cranes gathered together in a natural setting. Their graceful stature, with colors starkly delineated in pure white feathers, jet black necks and bright red heads is a sight oft-depicted in many traditional Japanese paintings. Take your time to appreciate their grace and beauty.

Next, before checking in to a hotel within Kushiro city, let’ s check out a market that epitomizes Hokkaido. Situated next to JR Kushiro Station, ‘Kushiro Washo Ichiba’ is a market for the people, with seafood that Kushiro boasts of and seasonal produce of vegetables and fruits. Check out the rows upon rows of seafood and the choice of crabs filled with sweet and juicy meat. The delicious ‘Katte Don’ (as-you-like-it bowl) is one of the famous fares here. Simply go around the market, choosing the seafood of your choice, and you can put it on top of a bowl of rice to create your very own seafood bowl.

After checking in to your hotel, how about taking a stroll in the rustic shopping district of Kushiro? Kushiro is where the custom of grilling freshly caught seafood by the fireplace originated. Why not sample the seafood in an ‘Izakaya’ (Japanese styled bar) filled with the tantalizing smell of grilled fishes. The ultra-fine ramen unique to Kushiro is also not to be missed.

On the second day, let’ s drive up north of Kushiro city, towards Lake Akan. Before reaching your destination, one of the places you should drop by is ‘Kushiro-shi Shitsugen Tenboudai’ (Kushiro Marsh Observatory), situated a short 15 minutes drive from Kushiro. A 1 hour walkway is situated here and in it, you might even get to meet an Ezo deer.

Drive up north after turning out from Route 38 and into Route 240. Enjoy a 1 hour 30 minutes drive through rolling fields of farmland. Arrive at Lake Akan, famous for the marimo(spherical moss) that was designated as the country’ s natural monument and the habitat for the ‘himemasu’, a form of landlocked salmon in lakes. Fill your eyes with the magnificent panorama of the ‘male’ Mount Oakandake along the eastern lakeside. The sight- seeing ferry that brings visitors closer to the displays of the beautiful four seasons of the lake is one item that must not be missed. The circulatory course that brings you to the ‘Marimo Exhibition and Observation center’ and scenic waterfalls takes about 85 minutes for the sight-seeing ferry and 50 minutes for the high speed boats (Both includes a trip to the Marimo Center). Situated right next to the boarding platform of the sight-seeing ferry is Lake Akan hot springs eastside town with its bustling shops and in the westside, there is a row of crafts-shop and an Ainu Kotan. Filled with the traditional craftwork of Japan’ s indigenous peoples, the Ainu people, you can even observe their traditional dances here.

Tonight’s lodging is among the top-ranked popular hotels in Japan, ‘Akan yuku no sato TSURUGA’ (4-6-10, Akanko Onsen, Akan-cho, Kushiro, Tel.: (+81) 154-67-4000). The reason for their many regular guests is the wonderful hospitality offered in the hotel. Be pampered by the excellent service in this hotel and slowly soak in the garden-styled outdoor hot springs right next to Lake Akan. In addition, the excellent fare offered is so delectable that once you have tried it, you would want to come back for more. Take your time to savor and enjoy the Japanese-styled cuisines in private guestrooms. The buffet at the main dining area also holds many specialties of the restaurant. The fresh seasonal produce exquisitely made into various delicacies ensures that everything will be delicious. Superior in all aspects, allow yourself the highest level of enjoyment that this hotel can offer.

After enjoying Lake Akan, it is finally time to move on to Shiretoko, a world heritage site, on the third day. Drive along Route 241 and stop by Lake Mashu, a caldera lake filled with a mysterious beauty. After another 1 hour 30 minutes drive, you will reach ‘Lake-Mashu’.

The No. 1 Lake Mashu observatory lies 20 minutes away from the road station. Lake Mashu is a caldera lake that ranks among one of the world’ s top in terms of water clarity. It is so often enveloped in a thick mist that it is sometimes called ‘Lake Mashu of the mist’. This mist lends a certain dream-like quality to the lake so take your time to appreciate the beauty of this place. Drink in the desolate landscape as there is no vegetation due to volcanic gases.

Let’ s go further north on Route 391. Pass through Route 244 and 334, and as you cruise along the coastal road, you will see Oshinkoshin Falls. The source of this waterfall hails from Mount Onnebetsudake in Shiretoko Peninsula. As it breaks into two streams in the middle, it is nicknamed ‘Soubi no Taki’(waterfall of double beauty). A 30 minutes drive will bring you to ‘Shiretoko Goko’(Shiretoko Five Lakes situated within Shiretoko National Park). Surrounded by primeval forests, the largest lake is Lake No. 2, where the reflection of the Shiretoko mountain range is almost a perfect mirror image on the still water. Starting from the entrance of the walkway, it takes about 1 hour to go around all five lakes. If you focus on Lake No. 1 and 2 only, it is possible to finish the tour in 30 minutes.

Be impressed by the immense panorama of the Shiretoko mountain ranges and while ruminating about the beauty you have just witnessed, let’s return to Utoro.

It is now the fourth day of your Eastern Hokkaido trip. Get a deeper appreciation of the rusticity of Utoro fishing port and the power of nature by catching a ride on Utoro port’ s ‘Shiretoko Kanko-sen’ (Shiretoko sightseeing ferry). This is a 3 hours 45 minutes two-way cruise that goes to the tip of Shiretoko Peninsula and it runs from June to September. Admire the desolate expanse of precipitous cliffs and sharp rocks, a landscape that can only be seen from the sea. The Mount Iou-zan route that goes on a two-way cruise to Kamuiwakka Falls runs until late October and the travel time is about 1 hour 30 minutes.

Take a short rest at ‘Koshimizu Gensei Kaen’ , which lies at the 8 km long sand dune sandwiched between Okhotsk Sea and Lake Tofutsu. Continue your drive along Okhotsk coast and head towards ‘Lake Notoro’ , a 31km sea water lake through Abashiri city’ s streets. From September to late October, the wild ‘Sango-so’ (Common Glasswort) spread over the wetlands of the coast changes into fall foliage, transforming into a carpet of bright red.

The most appropriate lodging for the end of your Eastern Hokkaido tour is ‘Hokuten No Oka Lake Abashiri Tsuruga Resort’ , a resort hotel standing at the foot of a hill at Abashiri lake (159 Yobito, Abashiri-shi, Tel.: (+81) 152-48-3211). The concept for the interior is based upon the Northern Peoples and Okhotsk culture. The warmth from the firewood heater in the center of their entrance and lounge comforts and relaxes you.

On the last day, take a long and leisurely stroll along Abashiri coast. You should try to stop by ‘Okhotsk Ryu-hyo Museum’ to experience the mysterious drift-ice of Okhotsk Sea. In addition, the 360 degrees observatory also makes it possible for you to appreciate the beauty of Abashiri’ s nature from a vantage point. The last place for you to visit is ‘Abashiri Prison Museum’. This is an outdoor styled museum created from relocating old parts of the actual prison used during the Meiji Period and from restoring the rest of the original buildings. Don’ t forget to try the ‘Prisoner’ s lunch’ , a re-creation of the meals prisoners had in the past. Served with a main dish of grilled fish from Okhotsk Sea, the meal is surprisingly delicious. From here Memanbetsu Airport is accessible via a 20 minutes car ride.

Get to enjoy the rustic and untouched nature of Eastern Hokkaido and to savor the riches from Okhotsk Sea in a 5 days trip. Unlike busy streets that always end up in traffic jams, Hokkaido, with the wide and spacious roads and few cars, is great for a drive. Enjoy your Hokkaido trip while ensuring that you conform to all traffic safety rules.