Kushiro
Kushiro is a harbour city on the Pacific coast of eastern Hokkaido, beside the Kushiro Marshland, the largest wetland in the country and the home of the red-crowned crane.
Red-crowned cranes in winter, Kushiro
- Region
- Hokkaido
- Journeys
- One of our journeys
overview
A great marsh of reed and winding river, and the cranes that dance in it.
North of the city, the Kushiro River winds in loops through a flat expanse of reed, sedge and alder that runs to the horizon: the Kushiro Marshland, the largest wetland in Japan. In 1980 it became the first site in the country listed under the Ramsar Convention, and in 1987 it was made a national park. It is a landscape of great space and quiet, best seen from the observatories on its rim, where the river shines in its curves and the marsh stretches away in every direction.
The marsh is the home of the tancho, the red-crowned crane, a tall white bird with black wings and a cap of red, revered in Japan as a symbol of long life and fidelity. Hunting and the loss of the wetlands brought it close to extinction, and in 1924 only a small number were found here. Protected, and fed through the hardest months by farmers and conservationists, the cranes have returned to well over a thousand birds in eastern Hokkaido, and their courtship dance in the snow is one of the great sights of Japan.
Kushiro itself is a working port with a fine market, harbour sunsets and the charcoal grills of robatayaki. It is the gateway to the east of Hokkaido: to the marsh and the cranes, and to the lakes of Akan-Mashu National Park within an hour or two.
Our tours stay overnightOur tours visit for the dayOn a Custom Tour of Japan
see and do
What to see in Kushiro
Kushiro Marshland National Park
The largest wetland in Japan, made a national park in 1987 and the country's first Ramsar site, where the Kushiro River meanders through reed beds and alder woods with almost no sign of people.
Hosooka Observatory
A viewpoint on the eastern rim of the marsh, looking over the great bends of the Kushiro River to the mountains of Akan in the distance, known for the evening light over the reeds.
Kushiro Marshland Observatory
A visitor centre and viewing tower on the western edge of the marsh, with exhibits on its plants and birds and a wooden boardwalk out into the wetland.
Akan International Crane Center
A centre west of the city devoted to the red-crowned crane, with a feeding ground where the birds gather, a museum of their history and an aviary where they can be seen at close range.
Tsurui-Ito Tancho Sanctuary
A sanctuary in the village of Tsurui, north of the marsh, where the cranes come to open fields to feed and dance, watched from a quiet viewing area at the edge.
Otowa Bridge
A bridge over the Setsuri River in Tsurui, where the cranes roost standing in the shallow water and photographers gather to watch them in the river mist.
Washo Market
The city market near Kushiro Station, opened in 1954, known for katte-don: a bowl of rice you top yourself with sea urchin, salmon roe, crab and sashimi chosen from the stalls.
Nusamai Bridge
The bridge over the mouth of the Kushiro River, with four bronze statues on its rails, where the sun sets over the harbour and the fishing boats come home.
experiences
The best of Kushiro
The cranes with a naturalist
A day among the crane grounds of Tsurui and Akan with a guide who knows the birds, their families and their dance, watching from the quiet edge of the fields.
The marsh from above
An afternoon at the observatories on the rim of the marsh, with the river shining in its curves below and the space of eastern Hokkaido all around.
Seafood at the source
Kushiro is one of the great fishing ports of Japan, and its crab, sea urchin, salmon and kelp are at their best here, at the market counters and the robatayaki grills of the harbour.
The way east
From Kushiro, the lakes of Akan and Mashu and the peninsula of Shiretoko open up in turn, a journey through the wildest country in Japan by private car.
plan your visit
Kushiro on a journey through Japan
- How long to stay
- One night in or near Kushiro, or a day from Lake Akan, is enough for the cranes and the marsh; two let you add the city and the coast.
- Getting there
- By air from Tokyo Haneda to Kushiro Airport in about an hour and a half, and from the airport about forty-five minutes by car to the city. Lake Akan is about an hour and a quarter by car, and Sapporo about four hours by limited express.
- Pairs well with
- Kushiro opens the east of Hokkaido: Lake Akan and Lake Mashu are within easy reach, Shiretoko lies beyond, and Tokachi is on the road back west.Lake AkanLake MashuShiretokoTokachiDaisetsuzan
where to stay
Luxury hotels and ryokan in Kushiro
Kushiro is a working city, and most guests see the cranes and the marsh as a day from Lake Akan, where the onsen ryokan are. For a night in the city, a hotel stands on the Kushiro River near the harbour and Nusamai Bridge, within reach of the market and the restaurants of the port.
For the crane grounds of Tsurui and the eastern rim of the marsh, small inns and lodges in the farmland north of the city put the birds close at hand, though the onsen ryokan of Lake Akan are an hour away.
journeys
Tours of Japan that include Kushiro
Open a journey below for its route, its dates and its price. On dates of your own, a Custom Tour of Japan can bring you here and anywhere else in Japan you would like to go.
questions
Kushiro: questions answered
Where can you see red-crowned cranes in Hokkaido?
In the Kushiro region of eastern Hokkaido: at the Akan International Crane Center, the Tsurui-Ito Tancho Sanctuary and from the Otowa Bridge in Tsurui, and in the Kushiro Marshland itself.
Do the red-crowned cranes live in Hokkaido all year?
Yes. Unlike the cranes of the Asian mainland, the Hokkaido population does not migrate, nesting in the marshes and gathering at the feeding grounds near Kushiro.
How many red-crowned cranes are there in Hokkaido?
Well over a thousand today, from only a small number found in the Kushiro Marshland in 1924, thanks to a century of protection and feeding.
How big is the Kushiro Marshland?
It is the largest wetland in Japan, made a national park in 1987 and listed in 1980 as the first Ramsar site in the country.
How far is Kushiro from Lake Akan?
About an hour and a quarter by car, which is why many travellers stay at Lake Akan and see the cranes and the marsh as a day out.
What is katte-don?
A rice bowl you build yourself at the Washo Market in Kushiro, choosing sashimi, crab, sea urchin and salmon roe from the stalls to lay over the rice.
Which Luxury Japan Travel journeys include Kushiro?
The Wild North Tour of Hokkaido visits Kushiro for the day. On dates of your own, a Custom Tour of Japan can include Kushiro too.
Can Kushiro be part of a private tour of Japan?
Yes. The Custom Tour of Japan is created around your party alone, on your dates, with your own Tour Director, and it can go anywhere in the country, Kushiro included. If you would rather travel independently, the Expert Japan Itinerary plans every day for you.
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Every place in Hokkaido
Kushiro, planned for you.
Tell us when you would like to travel and what draws you to Kushiro, and we will answer with the journey that suits you best: one of our published tours, a journey of The Private Collection, or a Custom Tour of Japan created around your party alone.