Sarufutsu Village

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Sarufutsu Village, a small fishing community of around 2,600 residents on the Sea of Okhotsk coast in the Soya region of Hokkaido, is famously known as 'Japan's Richest Village'. The secret is its extraordinary scallop industry — since a pioneering juvenile scallop release program launched in the 1970s transformed the local waters, Sarufutsu has produced some of Japan's finest scallops and per-capita incomes among the highest in the country. The scale of the village's wealth is reflected in stories of luxury homes ('scallop mansions') built by fishing families and even children receiving mini-cars as gifts. Beyond its marine heritage, 'Esanuka Line' is one of Hokkaido's most celebrated driving roads — a perfectly straight agricultural road cutting through the vast, treeless Okhotsk grasslands of Japan's northernmost tip, offering an unmatched sense of freedom and openness. It lies about 40 minutes from Wakkanai Airport.