basic information

How to get to Shiretoko National Park

Shiretoko National Park is located in the far east of Hokkaido. A visit can easily be combined with nearby Akan National Park. A rental car is the recommended means of getting around since public transportation is rather infrequent.

By air and bus

The closest domestic airport to Shiretoko National Park is Memanbetsu Airport with direct flights from/to Tokyo, Osaka, Nagoya, Hakodate and Sapporo. The airport is about 100 kilometers west of the national park.

Abashiri Bus operates three buses per day between the airport and Utoro from June through mid October (2800 Yen one way, 140 minutes), while Shari Bus operates one daily bus on the same route from June through September (2700 Yen one way, 120 minutes).

By train and bus

The closest railway station to the national park is "JR Shiretoko Shari Station" in the town of Shari, about 40 kilometers southwest of the national park. Shiretoko Shari Station can be reached in 40 minutes from Abashiri or in about 2.5 hours from Kushiro by infrequently operating trains.

The approach from Sapporo to Shiretoko Shari Station via either Abashiri or Kushiro takes about 6-7 hours and costs around 10,000 Yen via Abashiri and around 11,000 Yen via Kushiro.

From late April through October, Shari Bus operates about eight buses per day from Shiretoko Shari Station to Utoro, with some continuing to Shiretoko Nature Center and the Shiretoko Five Lakes. During the winter, there are about five buses per day to Utoro. The one way journey to Utoro costs 1670 Yen and takes about 50 minutes.

By car

Convenient rental car outlets in the proximity of Shiretoko National Park can be found at Memanbetsu Airport (about 100 kilometers west of the park), in Abashiri (about 80 kilometers west of the park) and in Kushiro (about 160 kilometers south of the park). From Sapporo, the national park is about 450 kilometers or a 6-7 hour drive via Asahikawa, Sounkyo, Kitami and Bihoro.

Orientation

Most of the easily accessible attractions of Shiretoko National Park are found along the western coast of the peninsula. Therefore, Utoro is the best base for exploring the national park. Because getting around by public transportation is rather inconvenient, a rental car is the recommended means of transportation.

If a rental car is not an option, and you do not want to rely on public transportation, a sightseeing bus tour may be an option worth considering. Several bus companies such as Shari Bus, Abashiri Bus and Akan Bus offer sightseeing tours through Shiretoko, however, most, if not all of them, are conducted in Japanese only.

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japanese links