One of Hokkaido's 179 towns
Tsukigata月形町
A prison colony that became a melon town
Sorachi region · Inland central Hokkaido: coal heritage, wineries and seasonal fields.
Tsukigata began as a Meiji-era prison colony that cleared this land; the museum tells that hard story, the melon fields tell the sweeter one.
Tsukigata lies on the west bank of the Ishikari River across from Bibai, at the foot of the Kabato hills. It began in 1881 as the Kabato Shujikan, a prison whose convicts cleared the land and built the roads north, and the old prison headquarters is now the town museum. The fields the prisoners opened now grow melons, and a lakeside park with a hot spring and campground sits by the river. It suits travelers who like hard history with soft fruit.
- Region
- Sorachi (空知)
- From New Chitose Airport
- ~89 km · 1.4 h summer / 1.6 h winter
- From Sapporo
- ~57 km · 54 min summer / 1 h winter
- Best season in Sorachi
- Canola usually in mid to late May, the coal museum from spring to autumn (closed in winter); winery visits depend on each winery.
Tsukigata 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 Tsukigata
Tsukigata Kabato Museum
月形樺戸博物館
The former headquarters of the Kabato prison, the oldest of Hokkaido's Meiji-era prisons, preserved with cells, shackles, records and the story of the convict labour that built central Hokkaido's roads.
Kairaku Park
皆楽公園
A park around a pond by the Ishikari River with a campground, boats and the town hot spring at its edge. In winter the pond becomes a smelt-fishing ground.
Tsukigata melon greenhouses
月形のメロン畑
Rows of greenhouses across the flat land toward the river, where the town's orange-fleshed melons ripen from July. Farm stands along Route 275 sell them by the box in season.
Kabato hills
樺戸山地
The wooded ridge behind the town, with Pinneshiri as its high point, gives Tsukigata its backdrop and its walking. Forest roads lead in from the valley to trailheads on the lower peaks.
Getting to Tsukigata
Tsukigata has no railway. The nearest stations are Hokkaido-Iryodaigaku on the JR Sassho Line, about 25 minutes south by car or bus, and Iwamizawa on the Hakodate Main Line across the river bridge, about 30 minutes. From Sapporo it is about an hour by car on Route 275; Asahikawa Airport is about 1.5 hours.
Sorachi region: Between Sapporo and Asahikawa by JR or car. Sights are spread out, so check the last leg from the station; anyone tasting wine should not drive.
When to visit Tsukigata
July and August for melons, when the stands are full and the campground is open. Late April to May for the cherry trees at the museum and the flooded paddies. The museum works in any season, and a winter visit gives the prison story its proper weight.
What to eat in Tsukigata
Tsukigata melon, orange-fleshed and grown in greenhouses, is the town's brand from July. Rice from the river plain and vegetables from the same farms fill out the roadside stands, and the town also grows flowers for market.
Tsukigata in context: the Sorachi region
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Coal mining shaped many Sorachi towns, and places such as Yubari and Mikasa still keep that history in museums, rail relics and quiet main streets.
Towns near Tsukigata
Read next
More towns in Sorachi
Other regions: Ishikari · Shiribeshi · Iburi · Hidaka · Oshima · Hiyama · Kamikawa · Rumoi · Soya · Okhotsk · Tokachi · Kushiro · Nemuro