Nayoro City

• Hokkaido
• Area Info
• Sightseeing
• Accommodation
• Food
• Activities
• Nature
• Festivals & Events
• Spring
• Summer
• Autumn
• Winter

Nayoro City, in the northern Kamikawa region of Hokkaido, is known as 'Japan's coldest city' — winter temperatures sometimes plunge below minus 30°C, and heavy snowfall defines the long winter months. Each February, the city hosts the 'Shibare Festival' (Shibare = the Hokkaido word for extreme cold), a unique celebration that turns the freezing temperatures into entertainment with ice sculptures, fireworks over snow, and a variety of winter events drawing visitors from across Japan. In summer, stunning sunflower fields at 'Seiry' and other locations bloom beautifully throughout the city. Nayoro's Kitasubaru Astronomical Observatory, with Hokkaido's largest sliding-roof dome, offers spectacular stargazing in skies so clear this area is called 'the village where stars fall.' The city also hosts the Teshio River Canoe Road Race — Japan's northernmost international canoe event. Nayoro is a city where extreme cold and abundant nature combine to create a genuinely one-of-a-kind destination in northern Hokkaido.