Shiretoko
Shiretoko is a peninsula at the north-eastern tip of Hokkaido, reaching into the Sea of Okhotsk, inscribed as a World Natural Heritage Site in 2005 for the way its forest comes down unbroken to the sea.
The Shiretoko coast from the water
- Region
- Hokkaido
- Journeys
- One of our journeys
overview
Where the forest meets the sea and the road stops.
The name comes from the Ainu sir etok, usually read as the end of the earth. The peninsula runs about seventy kilometres into the Sea of Okhotsk, a spine of volcanoes rising to Mount Rausu at 1,661 metres, and its northern half has no road at all. Waterfalls drop straight from the cliffs into the sea, and the forest of oak, birch and fir runs down to the tideline.
UNESCO inscribed it for the meeting of sea and land. The Sea of Okhotsk is the most southerly sea in the northern hemisphere to freeze, and in winter its drift ice comes down to these shores, carrying the nutrients that feed one of the richest marine chains on earth. Salmon run up its rivers, and the brown bears of the peninsula come down to the water to fish for them, one of the densest populations of brown bears in the world. Steller's sea eagles and white-tailed eagles winter on the coast, and in the strait off Rausu whales and dolphins pass.
The peninsula has two small towns: Utoro on the western, Okhotsk shore, and Rausu on the eastern side, facing the island of Kunashiri across the Nemuro Strait. A single road crosses between them over the Shiretoko Pass. The wild coast is best seen from the water, and The Wild North Tour of Hokkaido takes to it by boat.
Our tours stay overnightOur tours visit for the dayOn a Custom Tour of Japan
see and do
What to see in Shiretoko
The roadless coast by boat
A boat from Utoro up the western shore of the peninsula, past basalt cliffs and waterfalls dropping into the sea, where brown bears may be seen walking the tideline and fishing in the streams.
Shiretoko Five Lakes
Five small lakes in the forest beneath the mountains of the peninsula, reached by an elevated boardwalk of about 800 metres, level and accessible, with the mountains reflected in the first lake.
Furepe Falls
A waterfall that seeps from the cliff and falls a hundred metres into the Sea of Okhotsk, called the Maiden's Tears, reached by a level walk across the meadow from the nature centre.
Oshinkoshin Falls
A twin waterfall that divides into two streams on the rock face beside the road into Utoro, one of the largest waterfalls of the peninsula.
Shiretoko Pass
The pass of 738 metres on the road between Utoro and Rausu, with Mount Rausu above it and, on a clear day, Kunashiri across the strait.
The Nemuro Strait at Rausu
The deep strait between Rausu and Kunashiri, where boats go out to see whales, orca and dolphins, and in winter the great sea eagles on the drift ice.
Oronko Rock and Cape Puyuni
The rock above the harbour at Utoro and the cape just south of the town, both turned to the west, where the sun goes down into the Sea of Okhotsk.
Shiretoko Nature Center
The visitor centre of the national park above Utoro, with a large-screen film of the peninsula, exhibits on its wildlife, and the meadow path to Furepe Falls beginning at its door.
experiences
The best of Shiretoko
The coast from the sea
A day on the roadless coast by boat, a skipper who knows the water reading the cliffs, the waterfalls and the bears on the shore.
The forest with a naturalist
The Five Lakes and the meadows above the sea with a naturalist from the peninsula, who reads the tracks, the birds and the plants of the forest.
An onsen over the Okhotsk
An evening in an open-air onsen at Utoro as the sun goes down into the Sea of Okhotsk, followed by dinner of crab, salmon and sea urchin from the waters off the peninsula.
The sea eagles of Rausu
A boat out of Rausu into the Nemuro Strait to see Steller's sea eagles and white-tailed eagles, the largest birds of prey in the region, against the mountains of Kunashiri.
Dinner from the Okhotsk
A dinner of the peninsula's sea: hairy crab, kelp from Rausu, scallops and the salmon that run up its rivers, cooked simply so the produce leads.
plan your visit
Shiretoko on a journey through Japan
- How long to stay
- Two or three nights; three allows a full day on the coast by boat, a day for the Five Lakes and the pass, and evenings at Utoro.
- Getting there
- By air from Tokyo Haneda to Memanbetsu Airport in about an hour and three quarters, then about two hours by private car to Utoro. Nakashibetsu Airport is about an hour and a half from Utoro and an hour from Rausu. Lake Akan is about three hours away by road.
- Pairs well with
- Shiretoko ends a journey across eastern Hokkaido: Lake Mashu and Lake Akan lie to the south-west, and the cranes of Kushiro and the gorge of Sounkyo are each a day's road away.Lake AkanLake MashuKushiroSounkyo
where to stay
Luxury hotels and ryokan in Shiretoko
Most travellers stay at Utoro, the town on the western shore, whose hotels look out over the Sea of Okhotsk and the setting sun. The hotel of The Wild North Tour of Hokkaido stands above the harbour there, its rooms turned to the sea, its terrace rooms with an open-air onsen of their own, and an onsen hall of glass facing the sunset.
journeys
Tours of Japan that include Shiretoko
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
Shiretoko: questions answered
How do you get to Shiretoko?
By air from Tokyo to Memanbetsu Airport, then about two hours by private car to Utoro, or to Nakashibetsu Airport, about an hour and a half from Utoro.
How many days do you need in Shiretoko?
Two or three nights. Three allows a full day on the coast by boat, a day for the Five Lakes and the Shiretoko Pass, and time at Utoro.
Can you see bears in Shiretoko?
Yes. Shiretoko has one of the densest populations of brown bears in the world, and they are often seen from the boats along the coast, walking the shore and fishing in the streams.
Why is Shiretoko a World Heritage Site?
It was inscribed in 2005 for the unbroken meeting of forest and sea, and the chain of life that runs from the drift ice of the Sea of Okhotsk to the salmon, the bears and the eagles.
What are the Shiretoko Five Lakes?
Five small lakes in the forest beneath the mountains of the peninsula, reached by a level, elevated boardwalk of about 800 metres.
Is there an onsen in Shiretoko?
Yes. Utoro has onsen hotels facing the Sea of Okhotsk, and some of their rooms have open-air onsen of their own.
Can you see drift ice in Shiretoko?
Yes, in winter the drift ice of the Sea of Okhotsk comes down to the coast at Utoro and into the Nemuro Strait at Rausu, where boats go out among it to see the sea eagles.
Which Luxury Japan Travel journeys include Shiretoko?
The Wild North Tour of Hokkaido spends nights in Shiretoko. On dates of your own, a Custom Tour of Japan can include Shiretoko too.
Can Shiretoko 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, Shiretoko included. If you would rather travel independently, the Expert Japan Itinerary plans every day for you.
hokkaido
More in Hokkaido
Every place in Hokkaido
Shiretoko, planned for you.
Tell us when you would like to travel and what draws you to Shiretoko, 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.