One of Hokkaido's 179 towns
Hamanaka浜中町
Kiritappu: a misty cape, a wetland, and sea otters
Kushiro region · Kushiro City, the Kushiro Marsh and the lakes of Akan and Teshikaga.
Hamanaka wraps around Kiritappu — misty cape and wetland where wild sea otters have returned — and milks cows for premium ice cream brands.
Hamanaka is a dairy and fishing town on the Pacific between Akkeshi and Nemuro, but everyone knows it as Kiritappu, the name of its cape, wetland and fishing harbour. The cape is where wild sea otters have settled again and can be watched from the cliff path; the wetland behind it is a Ramsar site laced with boardwalks. The cows on the plateau above produce milk sold to premium ice-cream makers. A place for slow walks in the fog, birds and seafood, well off the main tourist routes.
- Region
- Kushiro (釧路)
- From New Chitose Airport
- ~378 km · 5.8 h summer / 6.9 h winter
- From Sapporo
- ~410 km · 6.3 h summer / 7.5 h winter
- Best season in Kushiro
- Summer suits wetland walks, canoeing and the lakes; winter is a popular time for crane watching. Plan around the season and the day's weather.
Hamanaka at a glance
Drive estimates: straight-line × 1.35, at 65 km/h (summer) / 55 km/h (winter). How we calculate
What to see in Hamanaka
Cape Kiritappu
霧多布岬
A narrow grassy headland with a footpath to the tip and a lighthouse. Wild sea otters float in the kelp below the cliffs, and seabirds nest on the rock stacks. A campground sits just back from the cape.
Kiritappu Wetland and Wetland Center
霧多布湿原と霧多布湿原センター
A Ramsar-listed coastal marsh with boardwalks from the Biwase side and a town-run centre on the hill with exhibits and a view over the whole plain. Wildflowers peak in June and July.
Biwase Observatory
琵琶瀬展望台
A roadside lookout above the Biwase River where it snakes through the marsh to the sea, with the Pacific on one side and the wetland on the other. The best single view of what Hamanaka is made of.
Hot spring on the Kiritappu hill
霧多布の丘の温泉
The town runs a hot-spring facility on the high ground of Kiritappu, with the wetland and the coast spread out below the hill. The obvious end to a day of walking in fog and wind.
Getting to Hamanaka
Kushiro Airport is about two hours by car. Hamanaka and Chanai stations on the Nemuro Main Line's Hanasaki Line section are inland; the Kiritappu coast is a further 20 to 30 minutes by car or bus. Route 44 passes through the inland part of town. From Sapporo it is a full day's drive of seven hours or so.
Kushiro region: Kushiro Airport and JR Kushiro Station are the main gateways. Airport buses serve both the city centre and Lake Akan; check transport to wetland sites, the Teshikaga lakes and tour meeting points separately.
When to visit Hamanaka
June and July for wetland flowers and the greenest cape, though sea fog is thickest then. August and September are the clearest for otter-watching and the horizon. Winter brings eagles to the harbour and a frozen, empty marsh for those who don't mind the wind.
What to eat in Hamanaka
Kombu is the big fishery, dried on the beaches in summer, and sea urchin from the same kelp beds is the luxury item. Milk from the plateau dairies is the town's other pride, sold to top ice-cream brands and made into local cheese. Autumn saury and salmon round out the year.
Hamanaka in context: the Kushiro region
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The Kushiro region covers eight municipalities in eastern Hokkaido. Kushiro City is the main gateway, with the airport, Kushiro Station and a harbour known for seafood and robatayaki charcoal grills. The Kushiro Marsh, Japan's largest wetland, lies north of the city and spreads across several municipalities, so plan your visit around a specific observatory, boardwalk or canoe tour.