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Tottori Prefecture

Located in the Chugoku region of Japan, Tottori Prefecture is an area characterized by dynamic nature, such as Japan's largest sand dunes, the sacred Mt. Daisen, and the beautiful coastline of the Sea of Japan. On the other hand, it is the home of the creators of the world-famous anime "Detective Conan" and "GeGeGe no Kitaro," attracting fans from all over the world as a sacred place for pop culture. It is a place where you can experience the "simple and deep charm" of Japan through all five senses, including rich ingredients such as fresh crab and pears, historic hot...

Tottori
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Hokkaido

Kitahiroshima City

Kitahiroshima City lies about 30 minutes by car from New Chitose Airport, Hokkaido's main air gateway, and is also close to Sapporo, in the Minami-Sorachi area. The city is home to several parks known for cherry blossoms, drawing flower-viewing crowds each spring. Having grown as a comfortable commuter suburb, it offers a livable townscape in harmony with abundant nature, and interest in the city has grown further in recent years with the opening of Hokkaido Ballpark F Village. Community-driven events are also thriving, reflecting a town built through active citizen participation.

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Hokkaido

Shibecha Town

Shibecha Town, in the Kawakami district of eastern Hokkaido, is a gateway to the core areas of Kushiro Wetland National Park, Japan's largest wetland. Lake Toro, a serene lake floating within the wetland, is popular for canoeing and rowboat excursions where visitors can encounter wildlife up close, and in winter, ice fishing for smelt (wakasagi) on the frozen lake is a beloved local activity. Vast pastureland, including Oku-Harubetsu Ranch, adds a pastoral charm to the dairy farming landscape. Known as a stop on the scenic Kushiro Marshland Norokko sightseeing train, Shibecha is a well-connected base for exploring eastern Hokkaido's greatest...

Hokkaido
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Hokkaido

Kenbuchi Town

Kenbuchi Town, a small farming village south of Shibetsu in the northern Kamikawa region, is nationally celebrated as 'Ehon no Sato' — Picture Book Village. The whole community embraces its identity as a picture book village, and 'Ehon no Sato Family Resort Village' offers auto-camping and cottage stays amid lush nature overlooking a lake. Farm produce stands and local specialty shopping round out the experience, all under the town's catchphrase — 'Everyone grows to love this town' — reflecting its community-wide commitment to warm hospitality. A genuinely heartwarming stop for any Hokkaido road trip.

Hokkaido
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Hokkaido

Biratori Town

Biratori Town lies in Hokkaido's Hidaka region, home to Nibutani, a center of Ainu cultural heritage, and a farming community set against the foothills of the Hidaka Mountains. The town's signature products — Biratori Wagyu beef and Biratori tomatoes — are celebrated as some of Hokkaido's finest branded foods, and in early summer, the town's symbolic lily-of-the-valley fields burst into delicate bloom. Historic sites such as Yoshitsune Shrine dot the area, offering visitors a journey along the Hidaka road where Ainu culture, agriculture, and history harmonize.

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Hokkaido

Rausu Town

Rausu Town lies on the eastern side of the Shiretoko Peninsula, serving as the eastern gateway to Shiretoko, registered as a UNESCO World Natural Heritage site in 2005. The Nemuro Strait stretching before the town is a treasure trove of marine life — orcas, whales, and dolphins — making whale-watching tours popular from summer through autumn. The prized Rausu kelp harvested from Shiretoko's deep waters is renowned nationwide as one of Japan's finest dashi kelps, and freshly landed seafood is another major draw. Combining majestic nature with views of the Shiretoko mountain range and the lively energy of a fishing...

Hokkaido
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Hokkaido

Bibai City

Bibai City lies in the Sorachi region of central Hokkaido, a nature-rich city with a history rooted in coal mining and home to Lake Miyajima, a paradise for migratory birds. Visitors can enjoy a walk where art and history harmonize, from buildings preserving the legacy of the coal mining era to Arte Piazza Bibai, an open-air gallery dotted with sculptures by Kan Yasuda. The city's rich soil produces excellent Bibai rice, and local food culture includes torimeshi (chicken rice), a dish with roots in the pioneer era. Offering discoveries in every season, Bibai is a hidden travel hub in the...

Hokkaido
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Hokkaido

Toyotomi Town

Toyotomi Town lies in the Soya region at Hokkaido's northernmost reaches, a nature-rich town blessed with dairy farming and the Ramsar-listed Sarobetsu Wetland. Toyotomi Onsen, one of Japan's northernmost hot spring resorts, is known for its rare oil-bearing spring water and draws therapeutic bathers from across the country seeking relief from atopic dermatitis and other skin conditions. In early summer, the Sarobetsu plain bursts into bloom with alpine and wetland flowers against a sweeping panorama of Mt. Rishiri-Fuji. Dairy products made from the region's quality milk are another local specialty, making Toyotomi a base for exploring northern Hokkaido's grand nature...

Hokkaido
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Hokkaido

Samani Town

Samani Town lies along the Pacific coast of Hokkaido's Hidaka region, with the Hidaka Mountains at its back and the deep blue Pacific Ocean before it. The area centered on the town's symbol, Mt. Apoi, is recognized as the Apoi Geopark, a UNESCO Global Geopark that draws visitors for hiking and alpine plant viewing. Known as a home of famed Hidaka thoroughbreds, the town carries on a living culture built around horses. Fresh seafood drawn from both mountain and sea rounds out the appeal of a destination where visitors can enjoy Pacific Ocean scenery alongside the geological wonders of the...

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Hokkaido

Kamikawa Town

Kamikawa Town lies near the geographic center of Hokkaido, serving as the gateway to Daisetsuzan National Park amid majestic natural surroundings. At its heart is Sounkyo, one of Hokkaido's grandest gorges, home to spectacular waterfalls, the Kurodake Ropeway, and Sounkyo Onsen. Neighboring Asahikawa City, the town is also a convenient access point to Asahiyama Zoo. With a thriving forestry industry drawing on its rich woodlands and sake breweries using pristine water from Mt. Daisetsu, Kamikawa is one of Hokkaido's premier mountain resort towns, where grand nature meets traditional craftsmanship.

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Hokkaido

Teshikaga Town

Teshikaga Town lies at the heart of Akan-Mashu National Park in eastern Hokkaido, a gateway to eastern Hokkaido blessed with lakes and hot springs. The town is home to two celebrated lakes — the mystical Lake Mashu and Lake Kussharo, one of Hokkaido's largest caldera lakes — with distinctive hot spring towns such as Kawayu Onsen and Mashu Onsen dotting their shores. In winter, fantastical scenes unfold as steam rises from vents on the frozen surface of Lake Kussharo and whooper swans gather on its snowy shores. Combining rich nature, Ainu culture, and quality hot springs, Teshikaga is a stay-and-explore...

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Hokkaido

Shiraoi Town

Shiraoi Town lies along the Pacific coast of southern Hokkaido's Iburi region, a town shaped by Ainu culture and rich natural surroundings. It is home to Lake Kuttara, a caldera lake famed for its exceptional clarity, and Kojohama Onsen, a hot spring resort with a history of over 100 years, offering natural beauty and relaxation in every season. Local seafood specialties such as Kojohama cod roe (tarako) have also made Shiraoi a noted destination for food lovers. In 2020, Upopoy (National Ainu Museum and Park) opened here, establishing the town as a hub for Ainu culture that draws visitors from...

Hokkaido
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Hokkaido

Niki Town

Niki Town, in the Yoichi district of the Shiribeshi region adjacent to Otaru and Yoichi (01_0020), is celebrated as 'Hokkaido's Fruit Village'. As Hokkaido's largest cherry-growing area, the town's 16+ u-pick farms welcome visitors from late June to early July to harvest rich, sweet varieties including Sato Nishiki, Napoleon and Benisayaka cherries direct from the branch. The annual 'Niki Sakuranbo (Cherry) Festival' in July is a beloved regional event. Autumn brings successive grape picking (Niagara, Delaware, Pione, Gorby and Rosario Bianco), apple and prune picking — offering a near-continuous harvest experience from spring to autumn. 'Furusato Park Furu-Niki' is a...

Hokkaido
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Hokkaido

Koshimizu Town

Koshimizu Town, in the Shari district of the Okhotsk region, midway between the Shiretoko Peninsula and Abashiri, is home to Hokkaido's most celebrated wildflower coastline — 'Koshimizu Primeval Flower Park'. This extraordinary 8-kilometre strip of natural dunes between the Okhotsk Sea and Ramsar-listed 'Lake Tofutsu' bursts into bloom from late April through September, with around 200 species of wildflowers peaking mid-June to late July. The town's flower (Ezo Day Lily, deep orange), alongside Ezo Lily (yellow) and Rosa rugosa (pink), carpet the dune face in layers of colour against the backdrop of Mt. Sharidake and the deep-blue Okhotsk Sea. A...

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Hokkaido

Nakatombetsu Town

Nakatombetsu Town, in the Soya region of Hokkaido, is a quiet mountain town of around 1,600 residents famed for its extraordinary dark skies and stargazing. Marketed as 'Amanogawa-no-Sato' (Milky Way Village), the town's remote mountain setting keeps light pollution minimal, making the Milky Way visible to the naked eye on clear summer nights. Nakatombetsu is highly regarded among astrophotographers for its pre-dawn horizons where the Milky Way arcs over the pastoral Soya landscape. 'Lake Panke', a modest 4km-perimeter wetland park with walking trails, offers skunk cabbage bloom in June, autumn foliage and a winter visit from whooper swans. The town...

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Hokkaido

Toyoura Town

Toyoura Town, in the Abuta district of the Iburi region of Hokkaido, faces the shores of Funka Bay (Uchiura Bay) adjacent to Lake Toya (01_0040) and Sobetsu (01_0092). The town is famous across Hokkaido as the birthplace of 'Toyoura Strawberries' — a beloved local brand developed over more than 80 years of cultivation research, producing large, intensely sweet-tart field-grown berries that peak from late May to July. Strawberry picking at local farms is a popular family activity for Hokkaido road-trippers on the Toya-Muroran route. 'Toyoura Strawberry Sherbet', the signature product at the Michi-no-Eki Toyoura roadside station, captures the pure flavor...

Hokkaido
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Hokkaido

Hamatombetsu Town

Hamatombetsu Town, a quiet harbor town of around 3,600 residents on the Okhotsk coast of the Soya region, is home to Hokkaido's most internationally celebrated birdwatching destination — 'Lake Kutcharo', a 13km² brackish Ramsar Convention wetland (registered 1931) that serves as one of Japan's most important staging posts for the whooper swan migration. Every spring (April–May) and autumn (October–November), thousands of whooper swans rest at Lake Kutcharo during their annual migration between Siberia and Japan. The pre-dawn spectacle of swans rising from the mist-draped lake in golden light is one of Hokkaido's most celebrated natural photography moments. The 'Hamatombetsu Kutcharo-ko...

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Hokkaido

Akaigawa Village

Akaigawa Village, in the Yoichi district of the Shiribeshi region of Hokkaido, is a small community of around 1,100 residents formed over 1,100 years ago when a volcanic caldera collapsed, creating an extraordinarily rare bowl-shaped farming landscape enclosed on all sides by mountains. A member of the 'Most Beautiful Villages in Japan' association, Akaigawa's caldera basin floor supports potato, pumpkin and rice farming, with the Akaigawa River, pasturelands and mountain ridges combining in a landscape often called 'Hokkaido's original scenery'. The internationally celebrated 'Kiroro Snow World' ski resort, nestled in the mountains above the caldera, draws skiers and snowboarders from...

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Hokkaido

Kamifurano Town

Kamifurano Town, in the central Sorachi region of Hokkaido, stands alongside Furano (01_0027), Nakafurano (01_0028) and Biei (01_0029) as one of Hokkaido's great flower destinations. Kamifurano holds the distinction of being the 'Birthplace of Hokkaido Lavender' — local farmers first cultivated lavender for fragrance oil here in the 1940s, long before it became Hokkaido's iconic flower. The free-admission 'Hinode Park Lavender Garden' offers sweeping views of lavender fields set against the Mt. Tokachi range backdrop. The annual 'Lavender Festa Kamifurano' in July illuminates the park at night in one of the region's most photogenic summer events. The 'Tokachidake Lavender Road'...

Hokkaido
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Hokkaido

Esashi Town

Esashi Town (えさしちょう), on the eastern Okhotsk coast of the Soya region of Hokkaido, is nationally famous as the town with Japan's highest hairy crab (kegani) catch. The town's celebrated 'post-drift-ice hairy crabs' (esashi kegani), caught from March to May when the winter sea ice retreats, are prized for their extraordinarily dense, rich flesh — the result of crabs feeding abundantly on plankton that blooms beneath the winter ice. Known as 'the king of crabs' in Japan, these crabs are a signature delicacy of the Okhotsk region. The annual 'Esashi Kani Matsuri / Okhotsk Esashi Umaimo Festival' in July is...

Hokkaido
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Hokkaido

Sobetsu Town

Sobetsu Town, on the southeastern shore of Lake Toya (entry 01_0040) in the Iburi region of Hokkaido, is home to one of the world's most remarkable geological phenomena — 'Showa-Shinzan', a 398-metre volcano that rose from a wheat field in just two years (1943–1945) during World War II. Designated as a National Special Natural Monument, its dramatic birth was documented in extraordinary detail by a local postmaster, Masao Mimatsu, whose hand-drawn 'Mimatsu Diagram' remains a landmark of world volcanology. Immediately adjacent, the active volcano 'Mt. Usu' (Usuzan) offers a ropeway to its 737-metre summit, where panoramic views sweep across Lake...

Hokkaido
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Hokkaido

Kuromatsunai Town

Kuromatsunai Town, in the southern part of the Shiribeshi region of Hokkaido, is known as the 'Home of the Northernmost Beech Forest' — a small, nature-rich community of around 2,700 residents. The 'Utasai Beech Forest', designated a National Natural Monument in 1927, is one of the world's northernmost natural beech forests, internationally recognized for its exceptional botanical significance. The forest presents dramatically different faces through the seasons — vivid spring greens, deep summer canopy, golden autumn foliage, and serene snow-laden winter silence — with guided walks available year-round. 'Yukino-Oka' (Michi-no-Eki Kuromatsunai) serves the town's celebrated soft-serve ice cream made from...

Hokkaido
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Hokkaido

Kiyosato Town

Kiyosato Town, in the Shari district of the Okhotsk region of Hokkaido, is an agricultural and nature town nestled at the foot of Mt. Sharidake at the base of the Shiretoko Peninsula. The most celebrated attraction is 'Sakura Falls' — a modest 2.5-metre waterfall on the upper Shari River where, every year from June to August, cherry salmon (sakuramasu) perform their extraordinary spawning migration leaps. Visitors watch in genuine awe as fish attempt the waterfall again and again, exhausted but relentless — a deeply moving display of natural instinct. Free to visit and celebrated nationally on TV news, Sakura Falls...

Hokkaido
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Hokkaido

Sarufutsu Village

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...

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