One of Hokkaido's 179 towns
Ozora大空町
The airport town with a hill of seven larches
Okhotsk region · Abashiri, Monbetsu and Shiretoko in northeastern Hokkaido.
Ozora holds Memanbetsu Airport, sunflower fields and the Merhen Hill — seven larches on a ridge that every camera in eastern Hokkaido knows.
Ozora is the town most visitors to the Okhotsk region arrive in without noticing, because Memanbetsu Airport sits in it, on the flat farmland south of Lake Abashiri. The town was formed by merging Memanbetsu and Higashimokoto, and each half has one famous slope: Memanbetsu has the Merhen Hill, a ridge with seven larch trees that appears on every calendar of eastern Hokkaido, and Higashimokoto has a moss-phlox park on the side of Mt. Mokoto. Between them are wheat, beet, sunflowers in late summer and the lake shore.
- Region
- Okhotsk (オホーツク)
- From New Chitose Airport
- ~322 km · 4.9 h summer / 5.8 h winter
- From Sapporo
- ~336 km · 5.2 h summer / 6.1 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.
Ozora 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 Ozora
Merhen Hill
メルヘンの丘
A gentle ridge beside Route 39 north of the airport where seven larches stand in a row against the sky, with rolling fields below. A parking area and a roadside station sit at its foot; sunset is the classic hour.
Higashimokoto Shibazakura Park
ひがしもこと芝桜公園
A hillside on the flank of Mt. Mokoto planted with moss phlox that blooms pink from early May into June, with a lift to the top and a campsite. The eastern counterpart to Takinoue's hill.
Lake Abashiri south shore
網走湖の南岸
The town's side of the lake at Memanbetsu, with a lakeside park, a campsite and reed beds, quieter than the Abashiri end. Smelt fishing on the ice draws people out in January and February.
Sunflower fields at Asahigaoka
朝日ヶ丘公園のひまわり畑
A hilltop park above Memanbetsu that plants a large sunflower field, in flower from late July and again in September, with a view over the lake and the airport approach. Free and open, and right by the airport.
Getting to Ozora
Memanbetsu Airport is in the town, with flights from Tokyo, Sapporo and Nagoya. Memanbetsu and Nishi-Memanbetsu stations are on the JR Sekihoku Main Line between Bihoro and Abashiri. Route 39 passes the airport toward Abashiri, and Route 334 crosses Higashimokoto toward Koshimizu and Shari.
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 Ozora
May for the moss phlox at Higashimokoto, late July and September for the sunflowers, and any clear evening from June to October for the Merhen Hill. Late July also turns the wheat gold around the airport. January and February bring ice fishing on the lake and the drift-ice crowds passing through.
What to eat in Ozora
The flat land grows wheat, sugar beet, potatoes and onions, and Higashimokoto on the mountain side is dairy country with local milk and cheese. Lake Abashiri gives smelt in winter and shijimi clams. The airport shops carry produce from across the region, but the roadside station under the hill is the local source.
Ozora in context: the Okhotsk region
Click a town to open its page
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.