One of Hokkaido's 179 towns
Teshio天塩町
Shijimi clams at the mouth of the Teshio River
Rumoi region · The sunset coast — and some of Japan's finest sea urchin.
Teshio sits at the mouth of Hokkaido's second-longest river, famous for shijimi clams and the start of the dead-straight Sarobetsu coast road.
Teshio sits where the Teshio River, Hokkaido's second-longest, finally reaches the Japan Sea after winding down from the Kamikawa mountains. The river mouth is the northernmost place in Japan where shijimi clams are harvested commercially, and they are the town's signature: big, dark-shelled and eaten in miso soup. From the river bridge the dead-straight coast road to Wakkanai begins, with the Sarobetsu wetland on one side, wind turbines on the other and Rishiri ahead. It is the last stop in Rumoi before Soya, and a good one for a bath, a bowl of clam soup and the sunset.
- Region
- Rumoi (留萌)
- From New Chitose Airport
- ~316 km · 4.9 h summer / 5.8 h winter
- From Sapporo
- ~277 km · 4.3 h summer / 5 h winter
- Best season in Rumoi
- June–August for uni and endless sunsets; the coast road is at its best in green season.
Teshio 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 Teshio
Teshio River mouth
天塩川河口
The broad, slow end of Hokkaido's second-longest river, with a long sandbar and the Japan Sea beyond. Shijimi clams are dug in the brackish water here, and a riverside park at the mouth is the place to watch the sun set across the water.
Kagaminuma Seaside Park
鏡沼海浜公園
A campground and park around a small lagoon by the sea, with the town hot spring facility beside it. Tents pitch on the grass with the sunset in front; it is the busiest spot in town on summer weekends.
Teshio Onsen
天塩温泉
The town's public hot spring beside the seaside park, with views over the Japan Sea and, on clear days, Rishiri. The water is strongly saline, a proper coastal onsen rather than a bathhouse.
Teshio River Historical Museum
天塩川歴史資料館
A public museum in a handsome red-brick former town hall, covering the river's history: Ainu life, the timber-rafting era, the herring fishery and the settlement of the river valley. A short visit that makes the landscape make sense.
Getting to Teshio
Teshio is about two and a half hours north of Rumoi on Route 232 and a bit over an hour south of Wakkanai; Sapporo is roughly five hours by car. Wakkanai Airport is about an hour and a quarter. The nearest station is Horonobe on the JR Soya Main Line, across the river inland, about fifteen minutes by car. Coastal buses stop in town.
Rumoi region: A driving region: the Ororon Line coast road from the Sapporo side is the whole point. Ferries to Teuri and Yagishiri leave from Haboro.
When to visit Teshio
July and August for camping at Kagaminuma, the summer clam festival, and the straight-road drive north under long sunsets. June and September are quieter with the same views. Rishiri shows best on clear autumn days. Winter is white and windblown, and the coast road north becomes a serious drive.
What to eat in Teshio
Shijimi clams from the river mouth are the reason to eat here: large, dark and full of flavour in miso soup or cooked with rice. The port brings in octopus and flatfish, and the dairy farms along the river valley supply milk and butter. Autumn salmon run up the river.
Teshio in context: the Rumoi region
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Rumoi is a coastline more than a destination — and what a coastline. The shore road north from Mashike runs for hours with the Japan Sea on one side and green hills on the other, and locals will tell you the sunsets here are the best on the island.