One of Hokkaido's 179 towns
Tsurui鶴居村
The crane village, and one of Japan's most beautiful
Kushiro region · Cranes over the marsh, caldera lakes in the mist.
Tsurui is named for the red-crowned cranes that winter here — Japan's greatest crane sanctuary village, and one of its 'most beautiful villages'.
Tsurui is a small dairy village on the western edge of Kushiro Marsh, named for the red-crowned cranes that gather here every winter. Feeding grounds inside the village draw the largest concentrations of wild tancho anywhere, and photographers from around the world line a bridge at dawn to catch them in the river mist. The village belongs to the association of Japan's most beautiful villages, and its cheese is well known. Quiet, spread out and close to Kushiro, it suits birders and anyone who wants the marsh without the crowds.
- Region
- Kushiro (釧路)
- From New Chitose Airport
- ~294 km · 4.5 h summer / 5.4 h winter
- From Sapporo
- ~324 km · 5 h summer / 5.9 h winter
- Best season in Kushiro
- Winter for dancing cranes, summer for cool canoe mornings while the rest of Japan swelters.
Tsurui 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 Tsurui
Tsurumidai crane feeding ground
鶴見台
A roadside feeding ground on the main road through the village where wild red-crowned cranes gather from November to March, often in dozens, close enough to watch their dances without a long lens.
Otowa Bridge
音羽橋
A bridge over the Setsuri River where cranes roost in the unfrozen water on winter nights. At dawn, in hard cold, they stand in the river steam with frost on the trees, the most photographed crane scene in Japan.
Onnenai boardwalk
温根内木道
A loop boardwalk from the Onnenai Visitor Center on the marsh's west side, running out through reed and sedge to open water. Flat, short and the best way to see the marsh's plants close up.
Tsurui-Ito Tancho Sanctuary
鶴居・伊藤タンチョウサンクチュアリ
A crane sanctuary run by the Wild Bird Society of Japan on the village outskirts, with a nature centre and a winter feeding area where staff answer questions and cranes arrive by the flock.
Getting to Tsurui
Kushiro Airport is about 40 minutes by car, and Kushiro city about an hour. The village has no railway; buses run from Kushiro, but a car is far more practical for the crane sites, which are spread along the valley. From Sapporo it is roughly five and a half hours by car.
Kushiro region: Fly into Kushiro Airport or ride the scenic JR line from Sapporo. Winter crane spots and the lakes are easiest by car.
When to visit Tsurui
December to February is the season, with January and early February the coldest and best for the Otowa Bridge dawn scene. Cranes are at the feeding grounds from November to March. Summer is green and quiet, with the marsh boardwalk and pastures, but the cranes are dispersed and hard to find.
What to eat in Tsurui
Dairy is everything here: the village's natural cheeses have won national awards, and milk, yoghurt and ice cream come straight from the farms along the road. Beef from the same pastures and venison from the marsh edge appear on local menus.
Tsurui in context: the Kushiro region
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Kushiro is eastern Hokkaido's atmospheric heart. Japan's largest wetland, the Kushiro Marsh, spreads north of the city — canoe country, home of the red-crowned crane, the tancho, which dances here in the snow every winter. The port city itself is famous for robatayaki charcoal grills and fog-softened sunsets.