One of Hokkaido's 179 towns
Shiranuka白糠町
Shishamo and octopus on the Pacific west of Kushiro
Kushiro region · Cranes over the marsh, caldera lakes in the mist.
Shiranuka lands willow octopus and shishamo on the Pacific — a fishing town whose ikura made it a furusato-tax favorite.
Shiranuka is a fishing and forestry town on the Pacific coast just west of Kushiro, the first place the Nemuro Main Line and Route 38 meet the sea coming from Tokachi. Its boats land shishamo smelt, willow octopus, salmon and kombu, and its salmon roe made the town a national favourite. Behind the coast the Charo River valley climbs into forest where deer outnumber people. It is also where Hokkaido's coal mining began in the 1850s. A town to stop at for seafood and a beach walk rather than a destination in itself.
- Region
- Kushiro (釧路)
- From New Chitose Airport
- ~255 km · 3.9 h summer / 4.6 h winter
- From Sapporo
- ~287 km · 4.4 h summer / 5.2 h winter
- Best season in Kushiro
- Winter for dancing cranes, summer for cool canoe mornings while the rest of Japan swelters.
Shiranuka 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 Shiranuka
Michi-no-Eki Shiranuka Koitoi
道の駅 しらぬか恋問
A Michi-no-Eki (roadside station) directly on the Pacific beach along Route 38, with the town's seafood, a long sandy shore to walk and sunsets over the open sea. Most people driving between Tokachi and Kushiro stop here.
Pashikuru Marsh
馬主来沼
A coastal lagoon on the town's eastern edge, separated from the sea by a sandbar, where whooper swans and other waterfowl stop on migration in spring and autumn. Quiet, with a viewing spot beside the road.
Charo River valley
茶路川の谷
The river that runs through town from forested hills to the north. Salmon run up it in autumn, deer graze the pastures along it, and the road inland climbs to the dam and forest above.
Getting to Shiranuka
Kushiro Airport is about 30 minutes by car, the closest of any town in the region. Shiranuka station on the Nemuro Main Line is in the town centre, half an hour from Kushiro by train. Route 38 and the Doto Expressway both pass through, so from Sapporo it is about 4.5 hours, a little shorter than to Kushiro.
Kushiro region: Fly into Kushiro Airport or ride the scenic JR line from Sapporo. Winter crane spots and the lakes are easiest by car.
When to visit Shiranuka
October and November for the shishamo season, when the fish run up the rivers and the fresh catch is at its best. Summer is cool and misty for beach walks and the marsh. April and May bring migrating swans to Pashikuru, and winter offers clear skies and sea views from the roadside station.
What to eat in Shiranuka
Shishamo grilled whole, willow octopus sliced for sashimi and salmon roe are the trio. Kombu from the coast and shiso leaves from local fields, distilled into a well-known shochu, are the other exports. Venison and cheese from the inland farms have become local specialities too.
Shiranuka in context: the Kushiro region
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Kushiro is eastern Hokkaido's atmospheric heart. Japan's largest wetland, the Kushiro Marsh, spreads north of the city — canoe country, home of the red-crowned crane, the tancho, which dances here in the snow every winter. The port city itself is famous for robatayaki charcoal grills and fog-softened sunsets.