National Parks · Hokkaido

Shiretoko National Park

知床国立公園しれとここくりつこうえんShiretoko Kokuritsu Kōen

Where the land ends and the drift ice begins

Shiretoko National Park covers the northern half of the Shiretoko Peninsula in eastern Hokkaido, where a volcanic mountain spine drops straight into a sea that freezes over with drift ice each winter. Designated in 1964 and inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2005, it protects one of the most intact land–sea ecosystems in Japan.

Elevation: 1,661 mArea: 389.54 km²National park · 1964UNESCO World Heritage · 2005

World Heritage: Shiretoko

Overview

Shiretoko is a narrow peninsula about 70 km long that points north-east from Hokkaido into the Sea of Okhotsk, with the Nemuro Strait and the island of Kunashiri on its eastern side. The national park covers its wild northern half: the volcanic Shiretoko range with Rausu-dake at 1,661 m, a coast of sheer cliffs and waterfalls that fall directly into the sea, and forest that runs uninterrupted from shoreline to alpine zone.

What makes Shiretoko exceptional is the connection between ocean and land. Each winter drift ice from the Amur estuary reaches the peninsula, the southernmost place in the northern hemisphere where seasonal sea ice regularly forms along the coast. When it melts, the ice releases a spring bloom of plankton that sustains fish, salmon, seabirds and marine mammals; salmon then carry marine nutrients up the rivers to bears, fish owls and eagles. UNESCO inscribed the peninsula and its coastal waters as a natural World Heritage Site in 2005.

The park is shared by two towns: Shari, with the resort of Utoro on the Okhotsk side, and Rausu on the Nemuro Strait. A single mountain road, the Shiretoko Pass, links them in the warmer months.

Landscape and formation

The peninsula is a chain of volcanoes built on a submarine ridge that continues north-east as the Kuril Islands. From south to north stand Rausu-dake, Iō-zan, Shiretoko-dake and a string of lower cones; Iō-zan is an active volcano that in 1936 poured out molten sulphur that flowed down to the sea in the Kamuiwakka valley.

Wave erosion has cut the Okhotsk coast into cliffs of 100 to 200 m, with waterfalls such as Furepe and Kamuiwakka spilling over the edge. Lava plateaus above Utoro hold the Shiretoko Five Lakes, small ponds in hollows of an old landslide terrain. On the Rausu side the land drops steeply into the deep Nemuro Strait, where seafloor depths of several hundred metres lie close to shore.

Highlights

Rausu-dake
羅臼岳Rausu-dake
Highest peak of the peninsula at 1,661 m and one of the 100 Famous Mountains of Japan, climbed from Iwaobetsu Onsen on the Utoro side.
Shiretoko Five Lakes
知床五湖Shiretoko Goko
Five forest ponds on a plateau above the sea, reflecting the Shiretoko range; reached by a raised, bear-proof boardwalk and by ground trails with seasonal access rules.
Kamuiwakka Hot Falls
カムイワッカ湯の滝Kamuiwakka Yu-no-taki
A stream warmed by volcanic springs below Iō-zan that cascades through pools; the Ainu name means 'water of the gods'.
Furepe Falls
フレペの滝Furepe-no-taki
Groundwater seeping out of a 100 m cliff straight into the sea, also called the Maiden's Tears; a short walk from the Shiretoko Nature Center.
Shiretoko Pass
知床峠Shiretoko-tōge
The 738 m pass on the only road across the peninsula, facing Rausu-dake and, on clear days, Kunashiri; closed through the winter.
Cape Shiretoko
知床岬Shiretoko-misaki
The roadless tip of the peninsula, a grassy headland with a lighthouse, seen from boats along the cliff coast.

Ecology

Shiretoko's ecosystem runs from the seabed to the summits. The drift-ice bloom supports walleye pollock and other fish, which feed Steller sea lions, seals, orcas and seabirds. Pink and chum salmon run up dozens of short rivers each autumn, and their carcasses fertilise the forest. On land the peninsula holds one of the highest densities of brown bears in the world, alongside sika deer whose numbers have grown so large that culling is used to protect the vegetation.

Because of the cold sea, the vegetation zones sit unusually low: Erman's birch and creeping dwarf pine appear at altitudes where they would be forest further south, and the alpine zone of Rausu-dake and Shiretoko-dake holds rare plants such as the endemic Shiretoko violet.

Flora

Shiretoko violet
シレトコスミレShiretoko-sumire
A white-flowered violet found only on the high ground of the Shiretoko range, flowering in early summer on volcanic gravel.
Mixed conifer-broadleaf forest
Sakhalin fir, Mongolian oak and Japanese elm form the lowland forest, a mix typical of eastern Hokkaido.
Erman's birch and dwarf pine
ダケカンバ・ハイマツdakekanba, haimatsu
Subalpine birch and creeping pine descend unusually low here, forming dense thickets above the treeline.
Komakusa
コマクサkomakusa
The pink alpine bleeding heart grows on the bare scree of the volcanic summits.

Fauna

Brown bear
ヒグマhiguma
The Hokkaido brown bear is common throughout the peninsula and is often seen fishing salmon at river mouths in late summer and autumn.
Blakiston's fish owl
シマフクロウshima-fukurō
One of the world's largest owls and endangered in Japan; Shiretoko is one of its main breeding areas.
Steller's sea eagle and white-tailed eagle
オオワシ・オジロワシōwashi, ojirowashi
Steller's sea eagles arrive from Russia with the drift ice and winter on the coast around Rausu; white-tailed eagles also breed here.
Steller sea lion and seals
トド・アザラシtodo, azarashi
Sea lions and spotted seals haul out on the drift ice and coastal rocks in winter and spring.
Orcas and sperm whales
シャチ・マッコウクジラshachi, makkō-kujira
The deep Nemuro Strait off Rausu is one of the best places in Japan to see orcas in early summer and sperm whales in summer.
Pink and chum salmon
カラフトマス・サケkarafuto-masu, sake
They spawn in the short, steep rivers from late summer; Dolly Varden char live in the headwaters.

Culture

For the Ainu, the peninsula was a land of the kamuy, the gods of bear, owl and orca, and many place names on the map are Ainu: Rausu, Utoro, Kamuiwakka. Japanese fishing settlements grew along both coasts in the Meiji era, and farming settlers cleared land at Iwaobetsu in the 20th century before abandoning it to the harsh climate.

Shiretoko is also a pioneer of citizen conservation. The 1977 Shiretoko 100 m² Movement, launched by Shari town, invited people across Japan to buy symbolic plots of abandoned settler land so that it could be returned to forest. The song Shiretoko Ryojō, written by Morishige Hisaya in 1960 and a nationwide hit in 1970, made the peninsula famous as a place at the edge of the map.

Shiretoko Nature Center
知床自然センターShiretoko Shizen Sentā
The main visitor centre above Utoro, starting point for the Furepe Falls walk and the place to learn current bear and trail information.
Shiretoko 100 m² Movement lands
しれとこ100平方メートル運動Shiretoko hyaku heihō mētoru undō
Former settler farmland at Iwaobetsu being restored to forest through donations since 1977.
Rausu Visitor Center
羅臼ビジターセンターRausu Bijitā Sentā
Visitor centre on the Nemuro Strait side focusing on the marine life of the strait and the Rausu coast.

History

c. 5th–12th century
The Okhotsk culture, a seafaring people from the north, settles the coasts; later the Ainu live and hunt on the peninsula.
1936
An eruption of Iō-zan pours molten sulphur down the Kamuiwakka valley to the sea.
1964
Shiretoko is designated a national park on 1 June.
1977
Shari town launches the Shiretoko 100 m² Movement to buy and reforest abandoned settler land.
1980s
Logging of old-growth trees in the national forest prompts a nationwide protest, strengthening protection of the peninsula.
2005
UNESCO inscribes Shiretoko, including its coastal marine area, as a natural World Heritage Site.

Through the seasons

Spring

Snow lingers into May; the Shiretoko Pass road reopens in late spring and bears emerge to graze on fresh shoots along the coast.

Summer

The hiking season on Rausu-dake; alpine flowers bloom from June to August and sightseeing boats run along the cliffs. Orca and whale watching from Rausu.

Autumn

Salmon runs from late August to October draw bears to the river mouths. Leaves turn in the mountains from late September.

Winter

Drift ice usually arrives from late January. Steller's sea eagles gather off Rausu, and the Shiretoko Pass is closed until spring.

Routes and trails

Shiretoko Five Lakes elevated boardwalk
A level, barrier-free walkway of under a kilometre to a lookout over the First Lake, usable without a guide.
Shiretoko Five Lakes ground trail
A loop of about 3 km past all five lakes; access rules (lecture or guided tour) apply depending on the season's bear activity.
Rausu-dake from Iwaobetsu
A strenuous day climb of roughly 8 to 10 hours return through bear country to the rocky summit.
Cliff-coast cruise
Boats from Utoro run along the Okhotsk cliffs past waterfalls, some as far as Cape Shiretoko.
Nemuro Strait nature cruise
Boats from Rausu for orcas, whales and seabirds in summer, and for eagles on the drift ice in winter.

Practical notes

Nearest airports are Memanbetsu (about two hours by road to Utoro) and Nakashibetsu (about an hour to Rausu); JR Shiretoko-Shari station on the Senmō Line connects by bus to Utoro.
Bears are present everywhere: carry bear spray, make noise, never leave food or rubbish, and keep a distance from any bear seen from a car.
Access to parts of the park is regulated seasonally (Shiretoko Five Lakes ground trail, the Kamuiwakka road); check the Shiretoko Nature Center or the Ministry of the Environment before visiting.
Do not feed foxes or other wildlife; feeding has led to animals being put down.
Weather changes fast and sea fog is common in early summer; the Rausu-dake summit can be cold even in August.

Frequently asked questions

What does the name Shiretoko mean?

It comes from the Ainu sir etok, usually rendered as 'the end of the land' or 'where the land protrudes'. The peninsula is the north-eastern tip of Hokkaido and much of it has no road access.

Why is Shiretoko a World Heritage Site?

UNESCO inscribed it in 2005 for the tight link between sea and land: seasonal sea ice, formed here at the lowest latitude in the northern hemisphere, drives a plankton bloom that feeds fish, salmon, seabirds, marine mammals, bears and eagles. The property includes the coastal waters.

Are there many bears in Shiretoko?

Yes. Shiretoko has one of the densest brown bear populations anywhere. Bears are regularly seen from roads and boats; hikers should carry bear spray, make noise and follow the rules posted at the Shiretoko Nature Center.

Can you reach the tip of the peninsula?

Not by road. Cape Shiretoko is seen from sightseeing boats out of Utoro and Rausu; the only overland route is an unmarked, multi-day wilderness trek for experienced parties.

When can drift ice be seen?

Drift ice usually reaches the Utoro coast from late January and stays into March, varying from year to year. Guided drift-ice walks in drysuits are offered in Utoro in that season.

Sources

1.知床国立公園 (opens in a new tab) — 環境省
2.国立公園の概要 (opens in a new tab) — 環境省
3.Shiretoko National Park (opens in a new tab) — Ministry of the Environment, Japan
4.Shiretoko (opens in a new tab) — UNESCO World Heritage Centre