One of Hokkaido's 179 towns
Kunneppu訓子府町
Onions, summer melons and a soy-glazed katsudon
Okhotsk region · Abashiri, Monbetsu and Shiretoko in northeastern Hokkaido.
Kunneppu is onion-and-melon farm country with a local secret: soy-glazed katsudon that locals will argue is the region's best.
Kunneppu is a farming town in the Tokoro River valley just southwest of Kitami, flat and open, with onion fields to the horizon and melons under plastic in summer. It has no big sights and does not pretend to; the point is the produce, a public hot-spring bath and the local katsudon, a pork cutlet on rice with a soy-based sauce instead of egg that people from Kitami drive out for. Pass through on Route 242 and eat.
- Region
- Okhotsk (オホーツク)
- From New Chitose Airport
- ~263 km · 4 h summer / 4.8 h winter
- From Sapporo
- ~277 km · 4.3 h summer / 5 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.
Kunneppu 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 Kunneppu
Onion fields of the Tokoro valley
常呂川沿いのたまねぎ畑
Kunneppu and neighbouring Kitami form Japan's biggest onion district. From August the harvested onions dry in long rows across the fields, and the scent hangs over the roads at harvest.
Town hot-spring centre
町の温泉保養センター
A public bathhouse on the edge of town fed by the local spring, where farmers soak after the day's work. Plain, cheap in spirit and a good look at ordinary Okhotsk life.
Tokoro River parks
常呂川の河川公園
The river that runs on to Lake Saroma passes the town with green banks, a riverside park and a campsite. Quiet in summer, and a good place to break a drive between Kitami and the Tokachi side.
Getting to Kunneppu
Memanbetsu Airport is about 50 minutes by car and Kitami station on the JR Sekihoku Main Line about 20 minutes; the town has no railway of its own. Route 242 runs through from Kitami toward Oketo and Rikubetsu, and buses from Kitami serve the centre.
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 Kunneppu
July and August for melons, sold at farm stands and the town shops, and for the onion harvest that follows into September. The valley is green from June; winter is cold and dry with little for a visitor beyond the bath and the katsudon.
What to eat in Kunneppu
Onions and Kunneppu melons are the produce, with wheat, potatoes and beans behind them and beef cattle on the hills. The dish is katsudon: a breaded pork cutlet on rice with a sweet soy glaze and no egg, served in the town's restaurants and argued about across the region.
Kunneppu 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.