One of Hokkaido's 179 towns
Kuromatsunai黒松内町
Where Japan's beech forests end
Shiribeshi region · Otaru's canal, Yoichi whisky, Niseko snow and the Shakotan coast.
Kuromatsunai marks the northern limit of Japan's beech forests — walk the Utasai grove, then taste the town's celebrated cheese and ham.
Kuromatsunai sits inland at the narrow neck of southwestern Hokkaido, where the island is only a short drive wide. It is best known as the northern limit of Japan's beech forests: the Utasai beech grove on the edge of town is a national natural monument, and the whole town has made the tree its emblem. Add a hot-spring bath, a roadside station famous for its bakery and pizza, and locally made cheese and ham, and it becomes an easy, green stop on the road between Oshamambe and Niseko.
- Region
- Shiribeshi (後志)
- From New Chitose Airport
- ~147 km · 2.3 h summer / 2.7 h winter
- From Sapporo
- ~124 km · 1.9 h summer / 2.3 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.
Kuromatsunai 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 Kuromatsunai
Utasai Beech Forest
歌才ブナ林
The northernmost natural beech forest in Japan, a national natural monument with a loop trail through tall grey trunks. Fresh green in late May and gold in mid October are the two moments to aim for.
Beech Centre
ブナセンター
The town's small museum on the beech forest and the geology of the Kuromatsunai lowland, the trench that marks a real boundary in Hokkaido's plant life. Start here before walking the grove.
Michi-no-Eki Kuromatsunai
道の駅くろまつない
A roadside station on Route 5 known across the region for bread and pizza baked on site, alongside the town's cheese and cured meats. Drivers between Hakodate and Niseko plan lunch around it.
Kuromatsunai Onsen
黒松内温泉
A public hot-spring bath on the wooded edge of town, with a campground nearby. Simple, warm and the right end to a day in the beech woods.
Getting to Kuromatsunai
Route 5 runs through town, and the Kuromatsunai bypass links it to the Hokkaido Expressway at Oshamambe. JR Kuromatsunai station is on the Hakodate Main Line's mountain section (Oshamambe–Otaru), which still runs but is scheduled to close after the Shinkansen extension; Oshamambe station keeps the Sapporo–Hakodate expresses. Sapporo is about two and a half hours by car, New Chitose Airport a little less.
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 Kuromatsunai
Late May to June for fresh beech leaves and a forest floor of wildflowers, and October for the yellow-gold canopy. Summer is green and cool for camping. Winter closes the forest trails under deep snow, and Route 5 becomes the town's one working artery.
What to eat in Kuromatsunai
Dairy is the strength: cheese, milk and ice cream from the town's pastures, plus ham and sausages cured locally. Bread and pizza from the roadside station have become the town's calling card, and the surrounding farms add potatoes and asparagus in season.
Kuromatsunai in context: the Shiribeshi region
Click a town to open its page
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.