Japan Guide
Hokkaidō
Shiretoko National Park
Clearly visible from Abashiri is the Shiretoko Peninsula, a seventy-kilometre-long finger of land thrusting out into the Sea of Okhotsk, 40km to the east. About half the peninsula (71,100 hectares) is part of the SHIRETOKO NATIONAL PARK. Shiretoko is an Ainu word meaning "the end of the earth" and this volcanic corner of Hokkaidō, covered with virgin forest, certainly lives up to its name. Giant black rocks scattered along the coast look as though they were newly spewed from a volcano, roads are few, tourist facilities even fewer, and wildlife is abundant – you're almost guaranteed to encounter wild deer, foxes and even brown bears.
In the winter, when freezing temperatures put off all but the hardiest of travellers, drift ice litters the shore, and the magnificent Steller's sea eagle can be observed near Rausu. Most people visit between June and September, which is the best period for hiking up the mountainous volcanic spine of the peninsula and for viewing the five small lakes at Shiretoko Go-ko. This is also a great time to soak in the natural rotemburo, including the hot waterfall of Kamuiwakka-no-taki.