One of Hokkaido's 179 towns
Kiyosato清里町
A cobalt pond, a famous mountain and potato shochu
Okhotsk region · Abashiri, Monbetsu and Shiretoko in northeastern Hokkaido.
Kiyosato (Okhotsk) distills potato shochu and guards Kaminoko Pond — a hidden pool of impossible cobalt fed by Mt. Shari's springs.
Kiyosato lies on the southern flank of Mt. Shari, the pyramid-shaped peak that dominates the skyline east of Abashiri, and it is the side most climbers start from. Off the forest roads below the mountain hides Kaminoko Pond, a tiny spring-fed pool of unreal blue, and a waterfall where cherry salmon leap in summer. The town itself is farmland along the Senmo Line, and it distils its own potatoes into shochu. A place for one long, good day between Abashiri and Shiretoko.
- Region
- Okhotsk (オホーツク)
- From New Chitose Airport
- ~349 km · 5.4 h summer / 6.3 h winter
- From Sapporo
- ~368 km · 5.7 h summer / 6.7 h winter
- Best season in Okhotsk
- Winter for a chance of drift ice (never guaranteed); the green season for lakes and Shiretoko. Check access for your dates.
Kiyosato 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 Kiyosato
Kaminoko Pond
神の子池
A small pond at the end of a forest road, fed by underground water and so clear that the fallen trees on the bottom look suspended in blue. Ringed by a boardwalk; the road is gravel and closes in winter.
Mt. Shari
斜里岳
One of Japan's hundred famous mountains, climbed from the Kiyosato side along a stream with a chain of small waterfalls. A full day out; the summit looks over the Okhotsk coast and the Shiretoko range.
Sakura Falls
さくらの滝
A waterfall on the Shari River system where, from June to August, cherry salmon hurl themselves at the drop again and again on their way upstream. Watch from the bank; a few minutes usually brings a jump.
Michi-no-Eki Papasland Sattsuru
道の駅パパスランドさっつる
The roadside station at Sattsuru on Route 391, with a hot-spring bath attached and local produce and the town shochu for sale. A practical stop between the pond and the coast.
Getting to Kiyosato
Memanbetsu Airport is about an hour by car. The JR Senmo Line stops at Kiyosato-cho, Sattsuru and Midori stations on its way from Abashiri toward Kushiro. Route 334 links the town to Shari and Route 391 runs south over the hills to Lake Mashu; a car is essential for the pond and the falls.
Okhotsk region: Memanbetsu Airport is the gateway for Abashiri and the Shari side; Okhotsk Monbetsu Airport serves Monbetsu. From either airport, the last leg to your pier, hotel or Utoro is a separate bus, taxi or car journey, so check it for your dates.
When to visit Kiyosato
June to August for the salmon jumping at the falls and for climbing Mt. Shari once the snow is off the upper stream. The pond is at its bluest in the low sun of late September and October, when the forest colours around it. Its access road closes with the snow.
What to eat in Kiyosato
Potatoes are the crop and the drink: the town-run distillery has made potato shochu here for decades, aged in oak or drunk clear. Wheat and sugar beet fill the rest of the fields, and there is dairy from the slopes of the mountain. Spring water from Mt. Shari is a point of pride.
Kiyosato in context: the Okhotsk region
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The Okhotsk region covers 18 municipalities in northeastern Hokkaido, including Abashiri, Kitami, Monbetsu and Shari. In winter, sightseeing boats leave Abashiri and Monbetsu. Drift ice can reach this coast, but when, where and how much varies from year to year, and weather and sea conditions decide each departure.