One of Hokkaido's 179 towns
Shinhidaka新ひだか町
Seven kilometres of cherry trees through stud-farm country
Hidaka region · Thoroughbred country, cherry-tree roads and the windswept cape.
Shinhidaka's Nijukken Road is a seven-kilometer corridor of cherry blossoms through horse country — one of Japan's grandest sakura drives.
Shinhidaka is the largest town on the Hidaka coast, formed from the old towns of Shizunai and Mitsuishi, and it holds the region's most famous single sight: the Nijukken Road, a dead-straight avenue of cherry trees running about seven kilometres through the pastures. Shizunai is the commercial centre of the region, with stud farms on every side, while Mitsuishi to the south is kombu and fishing country with a beach park and hot spring. Come in early May for the blossoms, or any time for horses and the coast.
- Region
- Hidaka (日高)
- From New Chitose Airport
- ~117 km · 1.8 h summer / 2.1 h winter
- From Sapporo
- ~171 km · 2.6 h summer / 3.1 h winter
- Best season in Hidaka
- Early May for cherry blossoms, summer for green pastures and foals, any clear day for the cape.
Shinhidaka 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 Shinhidaka
Nijukken Road cherry blossoms
二十間道路桜並木
About seven kilometres of cherry trees in a straight line, planted along a road laid out for an imperial stud farm. Early May is peak bloom and the town's cherry festival fills the road with stalls.
Ryuunkaku villa
龍雲閣
A wooden guesthouse built at the far end of Nijukken Road for imperial visits to the stud farm. Public opening is limited to a short period around the blossom season, so check before you go. A quiet, formal counterpoint to the crowds.
Mauta Park and the Shakushain memorial
真歌公園とシャクシャイン像
A hilltop park above Shizunai with views over the town and sea, and the statue of Shakushain, the Ainu leader who rose against Matsumae rule in 1669 from this valley. A memorial hall stands beside it.
Mitsuishi coast and Michi-no-Eki Mitsuishi
三石海岸と道の駅みついし
The southern district's beach park with a campground, a hot spring and the roadside station on Route 235, all together on the shore. Kombu dries on the stones here in summer.
Getting to Shinhidaka
From Sapporo it is about 2.5 hours by car: the Hidaka Expressway to Atsuga, then Route 235 down the coast to Shizunai. New Chitose Airport is about two hours. Express buses from Sapporo and local buses from Tomakomai stop in Shizunai. There is no rail service in the region.
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 Shinhidaka
Early May, and only early May, for Nijukken Road; the bloom lasts about a week and the whole region turns up. April to June for foals in the pastures. Summer for the Mitsuishi beach and kombu drying on the shore. Autumn for salmon and clear views of the Hidaka range.
What to eat in Shinhidaka
Mitsuishi kombu, a thick kelp from the southern district, is the town's best-known product and the base of the region's dashi. Autumn salmon and shellfish come from the same coast, and the pastures around Shizunai raise beef cattle alongside the horses. Farm stands sell the valley's vegetables in summer.
Shinhidaka 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.