One of Hokkaido's 179 towns
Horonobe幌延町
Reindeer, wetland and the 45th parallel
Soya region · Hokkaido's northern tip: Wakkanai, Cape Soya and the islands of Rishiri and Rebun.
Horonobe keeps a reindeer farm on the edge of the Sarobetsu mire — the most Lapland-like corner of Japan.
Horonobe lies on the lower Teshio River between Toyotomi and Teshio, with the southern part of the Sarobetsu wetland on its western edge and the Sea of Japan coast beyond. It is a dairy town that keeps a herd of reindeer on a town-run farm, which gives it a Lapland air no other place in Japan has. The 45th parallel crosses Route 40 here, and the coast road west of the wetland has the classic view of Rishiri over the sea. A stop rather than a destination, but a good one.
- Region
- Soya (宗谷)
- From New Chitose Airport
- ~335 km · 5.2 h summer / 6.1 h winter
- From Sapporo
- ~297 km · 4.6 h summer / 5.4 h winter
- Best season in Soya
- Summer suits flowers and walks, but blooms and ferry conditions vary. Keep room in your plan to adjust.
Horonobe 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 Horonobe
Horonobe Reindeer Farm
ほろのべトナカイ観光牧場
A town-run farm just outside the centre where a herd of reindeer brought over from Finland grazes behind fences you can walk right up to. Sleigh rides in winter, and the antlers are at their best in late summer.
Lake Panke and the lower Sarobetsu
パンケ沼と下サロベツ
The southern half of the Sarobetsu mire, quieter than the Toyotomi side, with a boardwalk from a small visitor centre out to a broad shallow lake. Rishiri rises beyond the reeds.
45th Parallel Monument
北緯45度モニュメント
A marker on Route 40 where the line halfway between the Equator and the North Pole crosses the road. A quick photo stop that says more about where you are than any map.
Meizandai Lookout Park
名山台展望公園
A lookout on a hill above Route 40 north of the centre that takes in the Teshio plain, the wetland and, on clear days, Rishiri on the horizon. It is the wide-angle view of the whole town.
Getting to Horonobe
Horonobe station on the JR Soya Main Line is in the centre of town, a little over an hour from Wakkanai and roughly four hours from Sapporo by limited express. Route 40 runs through town; the coastal Prefectural Route 106 skirts the wetland to the west. Wakkanai Airport is about an hour by car, Sapporo around four and a half hours.
Soya region: Reach Wakkanai by air, JR or intercity bus. Ferries to Rishiri and Rebun leave from Wakkanai port; check the operator's timetable and service status.
When to visit Horonobe
June to August for the wetland boardwalks and the greenest pasture, with Rishiri clearest in the early mornings. Late August and September for the reindeer at their most impressive, antlers full. Winter is deep snow and white moor, with reindeer sleigh rides as the one reason to come.
What to eat in Horonobe
Dairy from the Teshio valley farms is the town's product, sold as milk, cheese and ice cream. The Sea of Japan coast supplies fish and shellfish, and the river mouth town downstream is famous for Teshio River shijimi clams. Plain farm food is the baseline here.
Horonobe in context: the Soya region
Click a town to open its page
Soya is the region at the northern tip of Hokkaido, made up of one city, eight towns and one village. Cape Soya, in Wakkanai city, is the northern end of Hokkaido's main island, marked by the Northernmost Point in Japan monument; on clear days Sakhalin can be visible across the strait. Wakkanai is also the port for ferries to the islands.