One of Hokkaido's 179 towns
Shari斜里町
The gateway to Shiretoko, where the road runs out
Okhotsk region · Drift ice in winter, wilderness gateways all year.
Gateway to Shiretoko, the UNESCO World Heritage peninsula with one of Japan's densest brown bear populations. Drift ice walks in February, waterfall hikes in summer.
Shari sits at the base of the Shiretoko Peninsula on the Sea of Okhotsk, and for most travelers it is the last real town before the World Heritage wilderness begins. Utoro, the town's hot-spring port on the western coast, is the base for the Shiretoko Five Lakes, the boat cruises along the cliffs and the winter drift-ice walks. Come here for brown bears, waterfalls that drop straight into the sea, and a road that simply ends at Kamuiwakka.
- Region
- Okhotsk (オホーツク)
- From New Chitose Airport
- ~409 km · 6.3 h summer / 7.4 h winter
- From Sapporo
- ~424 km · 6.5 h summer / 7.7 h winter
- Best season in Okhotsk
- Late January–March for drift ice; May–October for Shiretoko's lakes, falls and wildlife.
Shari 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 Shari
Shiretoko Five Lakes
知床五湖
Five small lakes at the foot of the Shiretoko range, with an elevated boardwalk anyone can walk and a ground trail that runs under bear-country rules by season.
Oshinkoshin Falls
オシンコシンの滝
A twin waterfall right beside the coastal road into Utoro, wide enough to feel from the viewing deck and one of the easiest big waterfalls in Hokkaido to reach.
Shiretoko Pass
知床峠
The mountain pass between Utoro and Rausu, with Mt. Rausu overhead and, on clear days, Kunashiri Island across the strait. Closed by snow for much of the year.
Drift ice on the Utoro coast
ウトロの流氷
From late January the Sea of Okhotsk freezes over to the horizon. Guided drift-ice walks in dry suits leave from the Utoro shore through late winter.
Getting to Shari
Memanbetsu Airport is the closest, about 1.5 hours by car to Utoro. JR trains on the Senmo Line stop at Shiretoko-Shari station in the town centre; Utoro is another 40 minutes by bus. From Sapporo it is a long drive of six hours or more, which is why most itineraries split it over two days.
Okhotsk region: Fly into Memanbetsu Airport for Abashiri and Shiretoko's west side; drift-ice season adds special trains and buses.
When to visit Shari
June to September for the lakes, waterfalls and cruises, when the whole peninsula is open. Late January to March for drift ice, when the sea freezes and the boardwalks are snow-covered. Shoulder months can close roads and trails without much warning.
What to eat in Shari
Salmon is the town's signature, from autumn runs up the Shari River to smoked and salted fish sold year-round. Local sea urchin, scallops and kelp come from the Okhotsk coast, and the farmland behind town grows potatoes, wheat and sugar beet.
Shari in context: the Okhotsk region
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Every winter, the Sea of Okhotsk performs one of the natural world's great spectacles on this coast: drift ice, sailing down from the north until the horizon turns white. Icebreaker cruises push through it from Abashiri and Monbetsu — an only-here experience in all of Japan.
Towns near Shari
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