One of Hokkaido's 179 towns
Kimobetsu喜茂別町
The pass town where Sapporo drivers buy fried potatoes
Shiribeshi region · Otaru's canal, Yoichi whisky, Niseko snow and the Shakotan coast.
Kimobetsu farms asparagus and potatoes under Yotei's south face — and every driver knows it for the fried-potato stand at Nakayama Pass.
Kimobetsu is the farming town on Mt. Yotei's southern side where Route 230 comes down from Nakayama Pass, the mountain road every Sapporo driver takes to Lake Toya and Niseko. The pass itself, with its roadside station and famous fried-potato skewers, is inside the town. Down in the valley the Shiribetsu River begins, and asparagus, potatoes and sweetcorn fill the fields. It is a place people pass through, and worth slowing down for on the way to the lake or the mountain.
- Region
- Shiribeshi (後志)
- From New Chitose Airport
- ~76 km · 1.2 h summer / 1.4 h winter
- From Sapporo
- ~56 km · 54 min summer / 1 h winter
- Best season in Shiribeshi
- Winter for skiing around Niseko; summer for the Shakotan coast and Yoichi fruit, after checking current trail closures. Otaru works in any season.
Kimobetsu 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 Kimobetsu
Nakayama Pass and Michi-no-Eki Boyo Nakayama
中山峠と道の駅望羊中山
The 835-metre pass between Sapporo and the Yotei plateau, with a roadside station whose name means 'looking at Yotei'. The deep-fried potato skewers sold here are a road-trip ritual for the whole of Hokkaido.
Mt. Yotei from the south
南から見る羊蹄山
Kimobetsu's valley gives one of the cleanest views of the volcano, with nothing between the fields and the cone. The Kimobetsu trail up Yotei starts from the town's edge.
Headwaters of the Shiribetsu River
尻別川の源流域
The river that runs through Niseko and Rankoshi to the sea rises in Kimobetsu's mountains. Its upper valley is quiet fishing and camping country along Route 276.
Getting to Kimobetsu
Route 230 from Sapporo crosses Nakayama Pass into town in about an hour and a half; Route 276 continues to Kutchan and Kyogoku in one direction and towards Date and the airport side in the other. No railway. Toya station on the Muroran Main Line, with Sapporo–Hakodate expresses, is about 40 minutes by car.
Shiribeshi region: JR links New Chitose Airport and Sapporo with Otaru. For Niseko, choose your hotel first, then a seasonal airport bus or JR with a local transfer. For Cape Kamui, change at Bikuni to the town bus and check whether it serves your stop on your date.
When to visit Kimobetsu
May and June for asparagus, the town's first and proudest crop, and the greenest view of Yotei. August and September for sweetcorn and potatoes at the stands. The pass stays open in winter but expect snow and ice from November through April.
What to eat in Kimobetsu
Asparagus has deep roots here: Japan's first asparagus cannery opened in Kimobetsu in the 1920s, and the spring crop is still the pride of the town. Potatoes, sweetcorn and daikon follow, and the fried potato skewers at the pass are the snack everyone remembers.
Kimobetsu in context: the Shiribeshi region
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Shiribeshi is a region of western Hokkaido made up of 20 municipalities, from Otaru and Yoichi on the coast to Kutchan and Niseko inland. In winter, Niseko and Kutchan are bases for skiing within sight of Mt. Yotei. In any season, Otaru's canal, stone warehouses and sushi counters make a day trip from Sapporo.