Shiretoko National Park

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Shiretoko National Park (?????? Shiretoko-kokuritsuk?en) covers the entirety of the Shiretoko Peninsula (???? Shiretoko-hant?), a remote northeastern corner of the Japanese island of Hokkaido. In 2005, the park was designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

	shiretoko national park Travel Guide : 1 Understand 2 Get in 3 Get around 4 See 5 Do 6 Buy 7 Eat 8 Drink 9 Sleep 9.1 Budget 9.2 Mid-range 10 Stay safe

Understand

Shiretoko is one of the most remote areas of all Japan. The national park has no sizable settlements, and the northern portion of the peninsula does not even have any roads. Peak visiting season is during the short summer season; the park is open all year round, but the conditions in winter can be very harsh.

Get in

Public transport to Shiretoko is extremely limited. The nearest train station is at Shari, from where you can catch infrequent buses (3 per day in peak season) through Utoro to the western coast of the peninsula. On the eastern side is the small town of Rausu, reachable by bus from Kushiro (3.5 hours) and (in summer only) two daily buses from Utoro as well.

Get around

Getting around for all practical purposes requires your own set of wheels, as buses services are limited and infrequent, especially outside the peak summer season. Note that the northern side of the peninsula is off-limits to cars of any sort.

Aside from buses, you can also take a sightseeing cruise from Utoro across to Rausu (4 hours), looping around the entire peninsula on the way.

See

• The Shiretoko Five Lakes (???? Shiretoko-goko) are Shiretoko's best-known and most easily accessible attraction, at the end of the main road on the western coast. The five lakes are located within walking distance of each other and well-maintained trails connect them, a quick circuit won't take more than an hour.

• The Kamuiwakka Falls (????????? Kamuiwakka-yunotaki) are one of Japan's more amazing natural wonders, and indeed the Ainu name means "river of the gods". The road to the falls has now been closed to private traffic, so you have to take the shuttle bus (¥1180) from the Shiretoko Shizen Center. The Bus will go 11 km up a bumpy dirt road, it takes about 40 minutes. At the end of the track, slip on a pair of sturdy sandals; if you didn't bring your own, Japanese wareji bamboo-straw sandals can be rented for a few hundred yen at the Shizen Center. Socks or running shoes are OK too, but will get wet. Then commence a thirty minute clamber up the river, in water that gets gradually warmer as you ascend... and the rocks more slippery as algae celebrate a field day, so tread carefully and leave the cameras behind. The payoff awaits at the end, where waterfalls cascade into a free natural hot spring pool large enough for half a dozen people.

• The Oshinkoshin Waterfalls (???????? Oshinkoshin-no-taki), are a more ordinary but still impressive set of waterfalls, more conveniently located by the roadside on the way to the hostel.

• The Shiretoko Pass (??? Shiretoko-t?ge) at the highest point of the road connecting the western and eastern coasts is a popular stop on the tour bus circuit, offering views of Mt. Rausu and, on a good day, the disputed Kunashiri Island controlled by Russia but claimed by Japan.

Do

• A climb to the summit of Mt. Rausu (??? Rausu-dake, 1665m) is a popular but fairly tough day trip. The hike up from the usual starting point takes 4-6 hours.

• There are a number of other popular hikes, but most will require spending a night or two on the trail. The volcanically active Mt. I? (1563m) is generally off limits due to the sulphuric fumes it spews out (it last erupted in 1936), but Mt. Shiretoko (1245m) at the northern tip is a possibility.

• After a hard day's climbing, reward yourself with a dip in the basic but pleasant Iwaobetsu Onsen (?????) open-air hot springs. Free and mixed, so ladies might want to bring along a bathing suit.

Buy

• The gift shop at the Five Lakes is the usual place for stocking up on bear bells and souvenir T-shirts for the folks back home.

Eat

There are few places to eat in Shiretoko. The youth hostel has affordable meals and will pack a lunch on request. Some food stalls can also be found at the Shiretoko pass.

Drink

Shiretoko's sole alcoholic entertainment option is the tongue-in-cheek Izakaya Iwaobetsu at the youth hostel, consisting of a beer vending machine.

Sleep

Budget

• Shiretoko-Iwaobetsu Youth Hostel (????????????), tel. 01522-4-2311, 1 (http://www.youthhostel.or.jp/English/e_iwaobetsu.htm). An excellent HI-affiliated hostel run by knowledgeable staff. This is the place to meet with fellow hikers and gather information about hiking in the nightly briefing sessions. HI members pay ¥2900 a night for a bed, plus ¥1500 for breakfast and dinner (recommended). To get there, take a bus from Shari to Shiretoko and get off at the Iwaobetsu stop next to the hostel.

Mid-range

There are a few simple minshuku and ryokan in both Iwaobetsu and Rausu.

Stay safe

Shiretoko claims Japan's largest bear population, a fact stressed to no end in local tourist literature. In practice, the Hokkaido brown bear (ezo-higuma) is no match for the North American grizzly, and you are exceedingly unlikely to be attacked if you observe a modicum of common sense. That said, most hikers wear tinkling bells known as kumasuzu to alert bears (which shy away from human contact), and you should not leave any food in or near your tent if camping.