One of Hokkaido's 179 towns
Omu雄武町
Hairy crab, autumn salmon and sunrise over the ice
Okhotsk region · Abashiri, Monbetsu and Shiretoko in northeastern Hokkaido.
Omu lands hairy crab and autumn salmon on the northern Okhotsk, with a lighthouse cape famous for sunrise over the ice floes.
Omu is the northernmost town of the Okhotsk region, a fishing community at the mouth of the Omu River where Route 238 runs on toward Esashi and Cape Soya. The harbor lands hairy crab, salmon and scallops, and the coast is long and open, with a lighthouse cape south of town that has become the place to watch the sun come up over the drift ice in late winter. Inland the town is dairy and forest. It is a night's stop on the empty northern coast, best if you are up before dawn.
- Region
- Okhotsk (オホーツク)
- From New Chitose Airport
- ~292 km · 4.5 h summer / 5.3 h winter
- From Sapporo
- ~273 km · 4.2 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.
Omu 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 Omu
Cape Hinode
日の出岬
A low cape south of the centre with a lighthouse, a town-run lodge, a campsite and an observation deck built for sunrise. In February the sun rises over pack ice stretching to the horizon.
Michi-no-Eki Omu
道の駅おうむ
The roadside station (Michi-no-Eki) on Route 238 in the town centre, with an observation tower over the harbor and the coast and a shop for crab, salmon and dairy products. The natural break on the long drive north.
Omu River and the coast road
雄武川と海岸道路
The river comes out of the dairy hills to a wide shingle mouth where salmon return each autumn. North of town Route 238 runs for a long way with nothing between it and the sea, one of the emptiest coastal drives in Japan.
Getting to Omu
Monbetsu Airport is about an hour by car down the coast. There is no railway; Nayoro on the Soya Main Line is about two hours inland via Okoppe and Route 239. Route 238 is the only main road, south to Monbetsu and north to Esashi and Wakkanai. From Sapporo count on about five and a half hours.
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 Omu
February for sunrise over the drift ice from the cape, the reason the lodge fills. April and May for hairy crab season at the port, and September and October for salmon coming into the river. Summer is green and quiet, with the campsite open and the coast road at its easiest.
What to eat in Omu
Hairy crab in spring is the town's pride, followed by salmon and salmon roe in autumn and scallops through the year. The dairy farms inland supply milk and cheese, and the roadside station sells the crab and salmon processed for taking home. Sea urchin appears briefly in summer.
Omu 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.