One of Hokkaido's 179 towns
Samani様似町
Alpine flowers at sea level on a geopark mountain
Hidaka region · Thoroughbred country, cherry-tree roads and the windswept cape.
Samani's Mt. Apoi is a UNESCO Global Geopark — rare peridotite geology with alpine flowers blooming near sea level.
Samani is a small fishing town near the southern end of the Hidaka coast, and it is known for one mountain: Mt. Apoi. Made of peridotite, rock from deep in the earth's mantle, the mountain supports alpine flowers at unusually low altitude, some found nowhere else, and the whole area is a UNESCO Global Geopark. The coast is dramatic too, with sea-stacks off the harbour and cliffs running east toward Erimo. Come for a half-day climb with big views, and stay for kombu and a quiet port.
- Region
- Hidaka (日高)
- From New Chitose Airport
- ~177 km · 2.7 h summer / 3.2 h winter
- From Sapporo
- ~233 km · 3.6 h summer / 4.2 h winter
- Best season in Hidaka
- Early May for cherry blossoms, summer for green pastures and foals, any clear day for the cape.
Samani 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 Samani
Mt. Apoi
アポイ岳
A peridotite mountain of about 800 metres rising almost straight from the sea, climbable in a few hours on a well-kept trail. Alpine flowers, including the endemic Hidakaso, bloom from May, and the summit looks down on the Pacific.
Mt. Apoi Geopark Visitor Center
アポイ岳ジオパークビジターセンター
The public centre at the foot of the mountain explaining the geology and the plants it supports, with trail information and a campground next door. Check here before climbing.
Oyako-iwa and Cape Enrum
親子岩とエンルム岬
Three rocks of descending size standing in the sea just off the town, and a rocky cape beside the harbour with a short climb to a viewpoint over the coast. Both are minutes from the centre.
Hidaka Yabakei coast
日高耶馬渓
East of town, Route 336 squeezes between cliffs and the sea on the way toward Erimo, a stretch of rock walls, tunnels and pounding surf that earns its name.
Getting to Samani
Samani is about 3.5 hours from Sapporo by car: the Hidaka Expressway, then Route 235 to Urakawa and Route 336 beyond. New Chitose Airport is about three hours. Buses from Tomakomai and Urakawa reach the town, and continue toward Erimo. There are no trains here now; the road is the only way in.
Hidaka region: A car region: follow Route 235 down the coast from the Sapporo side. Cape Erimo is the far, rewarding end.
When to visit Samani
May and June for Mt. Apoi, when the alpine flowers are at their peak and the trail is snow-free. July to September for settled weather on the coast. Autumn colour on the mountain in October. Winter is windy and the trail is not recommended.
What to eat in Samani
Samani is one of the main producers of Hidaka kombu, and thick, dark kelp dried on the shore is the town's signature buy. Autumn salmon, whelks and flatfish come from the harbour, and the town's roadside stalls sell kombu in every form from dashi to snacks.
Samani in context: the Hidaka region
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Along the Hidaka coast, the pastures do something found almost nowhere else in Japan: they raise racehorses. The majority of Japan's thoroughbreds are born on these ranches between the mountains and the sea, and driving the coast road past grazing mares and foals is an experience in itself.