One of Hokkaido's 179 towns
Toyoura豊浦町
Strawberries and scallops on a quiet corner of Volcano Bay
Iburi region · Noboribetsu, Lake Toya and Upopoy: plan a trip through Iburi.
Toyoura grows sweet strawberries on Volcano Bay, where Japan's scallop farming was born — and hosts the world's oddest boxing-themed cape lodge? No: just great berries, scallops and quiet coves.
Toyoura is the small town where the Volcano Bay coast bends north towards Oshamambe, a string of coves, fishing hamlets and strawberry fields between the Muroran Main Line and the sea. It is where scallop farming in Japan got its start, and it grows some of Hokkaido's best-known strawberries in fields above the bay. Nothing here is built for tourists, which is the appeal: a beach, a roadside station, a seaside hot spring and roads that stay empty. Good for road-trippers between Toya and Hakodate who want a pause by the water.
- Region
- Iburi (胆振)
- From New Chitose Airport
- ~116 km · 1.8 h summer / 2.1 h winter
- From Sapporo
- ~100 km · 1.5 h summer / 1.8 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.
Toyoura 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 Toyoura
Michi-no-Eki Toyoura
道の駅とようら
The roadside station (Michi-no-Eki) on Route 37 is the town's shop window: strawberries in season, scallops from the bay and the town's pork, plus the usual maps and a place to stretch. Most through-traffic stops here.
Reibunge coast
礼文華の海岸
West of town the coast turns wild, with rocky headlands, sea caves and a small beach with a campground where the Reibunge River meets the bay. The railway and old road tunnel through the cliffs above.
Seaside hot spring
海辺の温泉
The town runs a public hot-spring facility on the shore facing Volcano Bay, with Mt. Komagatake on the far side on clear days. It is the kind of local onsen that fishermen use after work.
Kamuichashi historic park
カムイチャシ史跡公園
A grassy headland on the shore where an Ainu fortified site once stood, now a park with a lookout over the bay and the fishing harbor below. A good place to see how the coast folds.
Getting to Toyoura
Toyoura station on the JR Muroran Main Line is served by local trains; change at Toya or Oshamambe for limited expresses. By road, Route 37 follows the coast and the Do-o Expressway has a Toyoura exit; New Chitose Airport is about two hours and Sapporo about 2.5 hours by car.
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 Toyoura
June for strawberries, when the town holds its strawberry-and-pork festival, and July to August for the beach and campground. Scallops are landed year-round but are fattest in the colder months. Snow is light on this coast, so the road stays easy in winter.
What to eat in Toyoura
Strawberries, scallops and pork are the town's three: berries from fields above the bay, scallops from the water where Japanese aquaculture began, and pigs raised in the hills behind. The June festival brings strawberries and pork together. Squid and flounder come from the small harbors along the coast.
Toyoura in context: the Iburi region
Click a town to open its page
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.