Shiretoko National Park

Brown bears and drift ice in Hokkaido

Shiretoko National Park covers the northern part of the Shiretoko Peninsula in northeastern Hokkaido and is a UNESCO World Natural Heritage site. It's valued for the link between seasonal sea ice and the land, where salmon runs feed brown bears and Blakiston's fish owl. Visitors can walk the Shiretoko Five Lakes, soak in the warm pools of Kamuiwakka Falls, drive over Shiretoko Pass or take a boat along the coast to look for bears. Public transport is thin and many park roads close for winter, so most trips need a rental car or a tour from Utoro or Rausu.

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National Park in Japan

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Safety: 7.2

General Safety:	8
Health & medical:	6
Accessibility:	4
Tap water:	9

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2/5

English is spoken at major hotels, visitor centers, and on guided tours, but less so in small shops and restaurants. Signage is improving, but a translation app is useful for independent travel.

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Last update: Oct 19, 2026

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Shiretoko National Park Summary

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Outstanding for wilderness and wildlife watching. Cruise along dramatic cliffs, hike remote forest trails, spot bears and deer and photograph waterfalls and lakes.

Place score

8.3

Best at:

Natural sites

Wildlife

Sea

Spotless

Hiking

Personal score

Suited for

👶 7

Families

🧓 5

Seniors

♻️ 9

Sustainability

👩 7

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Japan – Quick facts

Guide Etiquette Holidays Other

Power Grid:	100 V, 50 Hz Plug: Type A Type A: Read about power adapters
Currency:	Japanese Yen (JPY) $1 ≈ ¥158
Cashless info:	Rating 4/5 Cashless payments are becoming more common, especially in cities, with some shops still preferring cash. Be prepared for occasional cash-only situations in rural areas. Save with a travel credit card
eSIM providers:	Best value: Saily Flexibility: Airalo Read our in-depth comparison

Tipping:	Tipping is not customary in Japan and can be considered rude. Excellent service is the norm, and tipping is unnecessary in most places.
Public drinking:	Public drinking is legal and commonly accepted, particularly during festivals and events.
Public smoking:	Smoking is prohibited in indoor public places but allowed in designated outdoor areas. Some restaurants may have smoking sections.

New Year (January)	One of the most important holidays, expect crowded temples and high prices. Plan ahead.
Golden Week (April-May)	The busiest travel time, expect high demand for accommodation and transportation.
Obon (August)	A time to honor ancestors, many businesses close, and transportation can be crowded.

Emergency contact:	Emergency Number: 110 (Police), 119 (Fire & Ambulance)
Taxi apps:	Uber, JapanTaxi, DiDi
Other:	Japan is a country of respect, so understanding local customs and etiquette is important. Public transportation is efficient, but can be crowded during peak hours.

Best times to travel

The best times to travel section shows how the months compare for a visit, so you can find the time of year that fits what you want to do.

Background colors of the months:
The color shows the typical temperature: yellow (hot), green (mild) and blue (cold). How strong the color is shows the travel season: full color means high season, soft color means shoulder season and soft-striped means off season.

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Each month has one symbol showing what the weather is typically like, such as hot and sunny, freezing or a rainy or snowy season. Use them to quickly spot months that match the weather you want, or to avoid the ones that don't.

Crowdedness:
The people icon shows how busy the place usually is. The more people, the more crowded it gets.

Additional notes:
The gray info boxes point out special things worth knowing, like recurring weather issues or seasonal events.

for Shiretoko National Park, Japan

🌨️

Jan

🌨️

Feb

🌨️

Mar

🌬️

Apr

🌥️

May

☁️

Jun

☁️

Jul

☁️

Aug

🌤️

Sep

🌦️

Oct

🌬️

Nov

🌨️

Dec

High season:	Feb., July - Sep.
Shoulder season:	Jan., March, May - June, Oct.
Crowdedness:	5 (Moderate tourist numbers)

Tap on a month for more info Hover over a month for more info

Climate details

Shiretoko Pass road (Route 334) closed roughly November to April; Utoro and Rausu sides not linked by road in winter

Wildlife and whale cruises run roughly May to October; brown bears most visible at the coast in summer and autumn

Drift ice arrives late January to March; walks and cruises run roughly February to mid-March

Don't miss

🌲 Walk the scenic Shiretoko Five Lakes boardwalk
🛥️ Take a wildlife boat cruise to see bears
♨️ Hike to Kamuiwakka Hot Falls and soak feet
❄️ Explore the drift ice along the coast in winter
🏞️ Visit the Shiretoko Nature Center for local insights

You've been here?

Why travel to Shiretoko National Park?

Shiretoko is one of the best-known places in Japan to see wild brown bears, with among the highest recorded densities in the world. Boat cruises run from late April to October, mostly from Utoro. Smaller boats get close to the shore where bears forage on rocky beaches. Whale and bird watching trips leave from Rausu. Dolphins, whales and sea lions turn up too, though sightings aren't guaranteed. On land the Shiretoko Five Lakes are in forest below the mountains. An elevated wooden path of about 2,600 ft to the first lake is free and open all season. Longer ground paths go through the forest and take 1.5 to 3 hours. Kamuiwakka Falls is a warm river that drops over four falls, with a pool at the base of the first where you can soak. The pass between Utoro and Rausu is 2,400 ft high at its top. On clear days the view includes Mt. Rausu and, across the Nemuro Strait, Kunashiri Island. In winter drift ice reaches the coast and tours to see it run from Rausu. In autumn salmon return to the rivers. The area is remote, so it works best as a destination of its own for two or three days rather than a stop on the way elsewhere. Utoro on the west side is the easier base because most accessible sights are close by.

🏯Places worth seeing

1 Rausu Visitor Center
2 Shiretoko
3 Oronko Rock

🎡Places for activities

1 Seseki Hot Spring
2 Shiretoko Goko Lakes field House

🏞️Natural landmarks

1 Shiretoko Pass
2 Mount Eirei

🍽️Eat & Drink

1 Utoro Gyokyo Fujinbu Shokudo
Rice bowls of salmon roe and sea urchin, plus ramen, curry rice and fried rice, at a diner run by the fishermen's cooperative wives' group for more than 50 years. It is a 4-minute walk from the Utoro bus terminal.
2 Michi no Eki Utoro Shiriētoku Restaurant
Seafood bowls and set meals with seasonal salmon, a different kind in spring, summer and autumn. The restaurant is inside the roadside station at Utoro and serves local seafood at lunch.
3 Kumanoya
Sashimi sets and grilled hokke, Atka mackerel, plus a house bowl topped with plenty of sea urchin and salmon roe. Champon, a noodle soup, is also on the menu and the sea urchin is caught nearby.
4 Shiretoko Shokudo
Sea urchin rice bowls and other seafood dishes, plus gelato, at a diner inside the roadside station in Rausu. It opens early in the morning, so travelers can eat breakfast there.
5 Tabi no Eki
Seafood rice bowls and set meals at a small restaurant in Utoro, a lunch stop for people driving around Shiretoko. It is open only for a few hours around midday and closes on irregular days.

🎈Events

Drift Ice Festival (Jan–Mar)
Shiretoko Nature Week (June)
Rausu Whale Watching Festival
Utoro Summer Festival
Autumn Foliage Viewing (Oct)
Bear Safety Awareness Month (May–July)
Birdwatching Weeks (Feb, Nov)
Seafood Festivals (seasonal)
Star Watching Tours (summer)

Explore on map

Open map view

Knowledge before you go

Five Lakes ground paths need a guide from May to July.
Kamuiwakka Falls stays closed from early November to early June because of heavy snow.
For bear watching from the water, smaller boats get closer to the shore than the large ones.
Salmon return to the rivers from September to November, the season for homemade ikura salmon roe.

How to travel to Shiretoko National Park

Most visitors fly to Memanbetsu Airport (MMB), about 60 mi from Utoro, with flights from Tokyo Haneda taking around 1.5 hours and several daily flights from Sapporo's New Chitose Airport. A direct bus from Memanbetsu to Utoro takes about two hours. It runs only in summer and in winter from mid-January to early March. Nakashibetsu Airport (SHB) has fewer flights and an Akan Bus service to Rausu taking about 1 hour 10 minutes. By rail the JR Senmo Line reaches Shiretoko-Shari Station. Infrequent year-round buses cover the roughly 60 minutes on to Utoro. An overnight highway bus also runs between Sapporo and Utoro. Driving is the most flexible option. Abashiri is about 50 mi from the park and Sapporo about 280 mi, a drive of 6 to 7 hours. Roads to the western sights are closed from late November to late April.

Access summary

From Memanbetsu Airport (MMB): Seasonal direct bus or car to Utoro, about 2–2.5 hours.
From Tokyo: Flight Haneda–Memanbetsu (~1.5–1.75 hours), then bus/car to Utoro (~2–2.5 hours).
From Sapporo: Overnight highway bus or long train–bus combo, typically 6–9 hours total.

Check your route from anywhere

Where to stay in Shiretoko National Park

Utoro is the main base on the west side of the peninsula. It has onsen hotels and ryokan with hot spring baths, some with private open-air baths, along with smaller inns and guesthouses. Staying here puts you close to the Five Lakes, Kamuiwakka Falls and the boat pier. Rausu on the east side is quieter and smaller, with inns and guesthouses geared toward fishing and wildlife trips. It works best if you plan whale watching, drift ice tours or the drive over the pass in summer. The two towns are linked by the pass. It closes in winter, so then you need to pick one side. If Utoro is full or you arrive by train, Shari town and Abashiri have more choice, though both are an hour or more from the sights. Rooms tend to fill up in summer and in the drift ice season, so book ahead then.

Hotel recommendations

*by rating and popularity. Commissions have no influence on the rankings.

KITAKOBUSHI SHIRETOKO Hotel & Resort

9.2

Kiki Shiretoko Natural Resort

9.1

Shiretoko-Daiichi-Hotel

8.6

Rembrandt Resort Shiretoko

8.2

LIVEMAX RESORT SHIRETOKO SEA FRONT

8.0

The SUNSET Shiretoko

8.7

Inn on World Natural Heritage Shiretoko Village

Explore more accommodations

How to get around Shiretoko National Park

Public transport around Shiretoko is limited, so most visitors rent a car or join a tour. Each coast has a road. Shiretoko Pass links Utoro with Rausu in summer. Without a car you can still reach the main sights from Utoro by bus, tour or boat.

Car:
Rental outlets are at Memanbetsu Airport, in Abashiri about 50 mi away and in Kushiro about 100 mi away. Many park roads close from about late November to late April, including the pass, the Five Lakes road and the road to the falls.

Buses:
Buses from Utoro reach the Five Lakes from late April to October. Some of them start at Shiretoko-Shari Station and pass the Shiretoko Nature Center. Buses to the east coast run infrequently and take 10 to 30 minutes from Utoro. A summer bus between Utoro and Rausu crosses the pass.

Road to Kamuiwakka:
The last 7 mi to Kamuiwakka Falls is a gravel road. In peak summer it's closed to private cars and shuttle buses take over.

Food in Shiretoko National Park

Food here centers on seafood from the Nemuro Strait and the Sea of Okhotsk, with salmon as the signature ingredient. Autumn is the salmon season.

Salmon dishes:
Chan chan yaki is salmon grilled on a hot plate with cabbage and onion in a miso sauce. Ikura don is a rice bowl topped with salmon roe.

Kaisen-don:
Kaisen-don is a rice bowl with sashimi such as crab, scallops, sea urchin and salmon roe. Rausu is the main fishing hub on the peninsula and serves it, as do other local restaurants.

Dried fish and Rausu kombu, a rare kind of kelp, are common souvenirs. The roadside station in Rausu has seafood shops and a dining room. Choices are thinner away from Utoro and Rausu, so stock up on snacks before a day at the lakes or on the pass.

Budget snapshot

Costs compared to home

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-42 %

Daily expenses in the region are around 42% lower than the average across United States. That means you'll spend a lot less on meals and getting around.

Exchange rate trend

The exchange rate price factor shows how expensive or cheap a currency currently is compared to its historical average. It's a quick way to see if a country is currently more or less affordable due to exchange rate changes.

-17 %

Your exchange rate (USD to JPY) is 17% better than in recent years. That means traveling now is considerably cheaper compared to the past.

Travel costs (Data for Nakashibetsu, Japan - 39 miles away)

To help you plan your trip, we provide estimated daily costs per person (when traveling as a pair) for different travel styles. These numbers give you an idea of what you might spend each day at this destination, including accommodation, food, transport and activities.

Additionally, we also provide average hotel costs for different travel styles to give you an estimate for the accommodation only.

Please note that these are only estimates. The real costs depend on booking times, season and other factors.

Daily cost summary

Travel style categories explained:

Backpacker:
Staying in hostels or budget hotels, cooking your own meals or eating cheap and choosing low-cost activities.

Mid-range:
Staying in mid-range hotels, eating at a mix of restaurants and casual spots and enjoying a variety of activities.

Luxury:
Staying in luxury hotels, dining out at high-end restaurants and enjoying premium experiences without worrying about the price.

	Backpacker	Mid-range	Luxury
💵 Total costs per day, including accommodation	$55	$116	$312
🏨 Accommodation per night, per person	$25	$60	$120
🍝 Food per day	$23	$47	$156
🚕 Transportation per day	$7	$9	$36

Food & Drink

🍽️ Restaurant Dinner, per person	$19
🍛 Lunch Set, per person	$3.40
🍟 Fast food combo	$5.50
🍝 Preparing your own food, per day	$9
☕ Cappuccino	$3.40
🍺 Beer in a restaurant, 0.5 l / 16 oz	$4.30

Transportation

🚌 Public transport ticket	$1.60
🚕 Taxi Ride, 10 km / 6 mi	$22
⛽ Gas, 1 l / ¼ gal	$1.15

Other

🎞️ Movie ticket	$11.50
👩‍⚕️ Doctor's consult	$27
🤧 Cold medication	$8.50
💇 Basic haircut	$18

Safety information overview

General safety

The main safety issue is wildlife. Shiretoko has among the highest recorded densities of brown bears in the world, so follow ranger advice and keep to marked paths. Crime is low. Cold, fog and fast weather changes affect the coast and pass.

Health & Medical

Medical facilities near the park are limited to small clinics. Larger hospitals are in towns such as Abashiri and Kushiro, well over an hour away. Hokkaido foxes can carry a tapeworm, so don't drink stream water or touch wildlife. Carry travel insurance.

Accessibility

Wild terrain limits access. The elevated wooden path at the Five Lakes is barrier free but only reaches the first lake. Ground paths are uneven and Kamuiwakka Falls needs a short riverside climb. Public transport is sparse, so a car helps.

Tap water

Tap water in Utoro and Rausu is safe to drink, as elsewhere in Japan. Don't drink untreated water from streams or lakes, because wild foxes can carry parasites. Buy drinks and food before heading out, since services near the sights are limited.