One of Hokkaido's 179 towns
Tomakomai苫小牧市
Port city of surf clams, ice hockey and Lake Utonai's birds
Iburi region · Noboribetsu, Lake Toya and Upopoy: plan a trip through Iburi.
Tomakomai lands more hokki surf clams than anywhere in Japan, skates serious ice hockey, and guards bird-filled Lake Utonai by the airport road.
Tomakomai is the big industrial port just south of New Chitose Airport, the place where Hokkaido's paper, oil and car-parts industries meet the Pacific and where ferries from Honshu tie up. It is not a pretty city, but it has three things worth stopping for: Lake Utonai, a Ramsar wetland full of migrating birds right beside the airport road; Mt. Tarumae, the flat-topped volcano above town; and hokki surf clams landed here in greater volume than anywhere in Japan. Good for a first or last night in Hokkaido, and for anyone arriving by ferry.
- Region
- Iburi (胆振)
- From New Chitose Airport
- ~19 km · 18 min summer / 18 min winter
- From Sapporo
- ~63 km · 1 h summer / 1.1 h winter
- Best season in Iburi
- Hot springs work across the seasons. Check current event dates for Lake Toya fireworks and allow more time for winter transfers; outdoor paths and transport can be affected by weather.
Tomakomai 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 Tomakomai
Lake Utonai
ウトナイ湖
A shallow lake and marsh registered under the Ramsar Convention, on the road between the airport and town. Swans and geese pass through in spring and autumn, and the lakeside sanctuary and roadside station have walking trails and viewing decks.
Mt. Tarumae
樽前山
An active volcano on the Shikotsu caldera rim with a lava dome sitting in its crater like a cork. From the seventh-station trailhead the crater rim is a climb of about an hour, with Lake Shikotsu on one side and the Pacific on the other.
Tomakomai port and the ferry terminals
苫小牧港とフェリーターミナル
Hokkaido's busiest commercial port, with long-distance ferries from Oarai, Sendai, Nagoya and Hachinohe. Watching a ship come in past the breakwaters is a Tomakomai pastime, and the market side of the port sells the morning's hokki.
Ice hockey town
アイスホッケーの街
Tomakomai has produced a large share of Japan's national-team players, and a local club plays in the top domestic league. Rinks around town host games through the winter and the sport is part of everyday life here.
Getting to Tomakomai
New Chitose Airport is about 20 minutes away by car or a short ride on the JR Chitose Line. Tomakomai station is a hub where the Chitose and Muroran main lines meet, with limited expresses to Sapporo in under an hour and the short Hidaka Line to Mukawa starting here. Ferries arrive from Honshu, and the Do-o Expressway and Route 36 run through town.
Iburi region: Plan rail journeys to Shiraoi, Noboribetsu or Toya, then check the final local connection. Noboribetsu Station is not in the hot-spring town, and Toya Station is not on the Toyako Onsen lakefront. Check bus or hotel pickup times before booking accommodation; a rail journey alone does not get you to the ryokan door.
When to visit Tomakomai
April to May and October to November for the birds at Utonai, when swans and geese stop over in numbers. July to September for climbing Tarumae, whose trailhead road closes in winter. The port festival in August is the city's big weekend.
What to eat in Tomakomai
Hokki surf clams are the city's food, landed here in the greatest volume in Japan and eaten raw, grilled, or folded into hokki curry, the dish every local will point you to. Scallops, squid and flounder come off the same boats, and the surf-clam season peaks in the colder months when the shells are fattest.
Tomakomai in context: the Iburi region
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Iburi is a region of southwestern Hokkaido, not a single town. It includes Noboribetsu, Lake Toya, Shiraoi, Muroran and Tomakomai. Use it as the part of your Hokkaido trip for hot springs, volcanic scenery and learning about Ainu culture at Upopoy in Shiraoi.