One of Hokkaido's 179 towns
Shiriuchi知内町
Where the Seikan Tunnel surfaces in Hokkaido
Oshima region · Hakodate's night view, castle towns and the shinkansen gateway.
Shiriuchi grows Hokkaido's famous thick garlic chives and farms oysters where the Tsugaru Strait current runs fast.
Shiriuchi lies on the Tsugaru Strait west of Kikonai, a farming and fishing town with a rocky cape at one end and the northern portal of the Seikan Tunnel in its hills. The tunnel put it on the map, but the town's daily life is thick garlic chives from the river plain, oysters grown in the fast strait current, and a hot spring with one of the longest histories in Hokkaido. It rewards a short detour off the Matsumae road rather than a whole day.
- Region
- Oshima (渡島)
- From New Chitose Airport
- ~231 km · 3.6 h summer / 4.2 h winter
- From Sapporo
- ~247 km · 3.8 h summer / 4.5 h winter
- Best season in Oshima
- Late April–early May for Matsumae and Goryokaku cherry blossoms; the night view and markets shine year-round.
Shiriuchi 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 Shiriuchi
Seikan Tunnel north portal
青函トンネル北の出口
In the hills of Yunosato the shinkansen bursts out of the undersea tunnel from Honshu. A viewing spot above the portal lets you watch trains appear from inside the mountain and vanish again.
Shiriuchi Onsen
知内温泉
A hot spring in the valley behind the town that has been recorded since the 13th century, which makes it one of the oldest known in Hokkaido. Simple, mineral-heavy water in a quiet setting.
Michi-no-Eki Shiriuchi
道の駅しりうち
The roadside station (Michi-no-Eki) on National Route 228 near the tunnel, selling the town's garlic chives, oysters in season and tunnel-themed goods, with a small tower for watching the shinkansen pass.
Cape Yakoshi coast
矢越岬の海岸
The rocky cape at the western end of the town's shore, where the strait coast becomes roadless cliff. Seen from the beach at the end of the coast road, it is the wildest view in town.
Getting to Shiriuchi
Shiriuchi is on National Route 228, about an hour from Hakodate by car and 15 minutes from Kikonai station, the nearest shinkansen stop; buses connect the two. Hakodate Airport is a little over an hour away. The shinkansen crosses the town but does not stop, and the local Isaribi railway also passes through without a station.
Oshima region: The Hokkaido Shinkansen arrives at Shin-Hakodate-Hokuto; Hakodate also has its own airport with Tokyo flights.
When to visit Shiriuchi
Spring for the plain turning green and the chive harvest, then summer for calm seas on the coast. The oysters are at their best from late autumn into winter, when the strait is cold. The hot spring is good in any month.
What to eat in Shiriuchi
The thick garlic chives sold under the Kita-no-Hana name are the town's best-known crop and go into gyoza, noodles and stir-fries. Oysters farmed in the strait are eaten raw or grilled in winter. Kelp, sea urchin and rice from the plain fill out the rest.
Shiriuchi in context: the Oshima region
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Oshima is Hokkaido's historic south — the first part of the island to open to the outside world. Hakodate wears that history beautifully: Motomachi's churches and slopes, red-brick warehouses on the bay, a morning market that justifies the trip alone, and the celebrated night view from Mt. Hakodate.