KUSHIRO IS A PORT CITY IN EASTERN HOKKAIDO AND IS THE CAPITAL OF THE KUSHIRO SUBPREFECTURE.

THE KUSHIRO PORT IS LOCATED IN THE CENTER OF TOWN. THE FISHERMAN’S WHARF MOO, A SHORT BUS RIDE AWAY FROM THE PORT, SERVES AS A UNIQUE TOURISM COMPLEX WITH A MARKET, SOUVENIR SHOPS, AND RESTAURANTS. SINCE OPENING IN 1899, IMPROVEMENTS HAVE BEEN MADE TO IT AS CORE PORT FOR EASTERN HOKKAIDO.

THE CITY WAS WELL KNOWN FOR KUSHIRO SHITSUGEN, JAPAN’S LARGEST MARSHLAND. DEDICATED AS A NATIONAL PARK, THE MARSHLAND IS HOME TO RARE, WILD JAPANESE RED-CROWN CRANES (TANCHO). THEY CAN BE OBSERVED DURING THE WINTER MONTHS.

AS A MAJOR FISHING PORT, KUSHIRO IS NATURALLY RENOWNED FOR THE FRESH SEAFOOD THAT CAN BE ENJOYED AT ITS RESTAURANTS.

PORT FACILITIES AND LOCATION

ADDRESS : 3, Saiwai-cho, Kushiro City, Hokkaido, 085-0017

Port Location Map Below

PORT GUIDE

GETTING AROUND

There’s no terminal building, but they had a visitor information booth set up under a canvas tent near the gangway where passengers exit the ship.

Port Authorities provides free shuttle buses to and from the cruise port to the Fisherman’s Wharf MOO.

Kushiro Station and Tancho Kushiro Airport are Kushiro's two major transport hubs. The airport is located 20 kilometers west of the city center. Airport buses connect the airport with Kushiro Station and the Fisherman's Wharf MOO. The one way trip between the airport and Kushiro Station takes 45 minutes and costs 950 yen. Bus connections are timed to flight departures and arrivals.

Local buses provide transportation within the city center and from the city center to more outlying areas. The Kushiro Marshlands are difficult to explore by public transportation, and a rental car is the easiest way get around. Rental car outlets are available at Kushiro Airport and in the city center.

TOP SIGHTS AND ATTRACTIONS FOR CRUISES TO KUSHIRO

KUSHIRO FISHERMAN’S WHARF MOO - Markets make great tourist destinations around the world, and Japanese markets are no exception. The Kushiro Washo Market (Kushiro Washo Ichiba) opened in 1949 a short distance from Kushiro Station.

It is one of the three famous markets of Hokkaido alongside Sapporo's Nijo Market and Hakodate's Morning Market. There are about 60 stalls selling fresh seafood, dried products, meat and vegetables. A popular meal at the market is "Kattedon", a donburi dish where diners can personalize their rice bowl with seafood bought from the vendor. Seasonal seafood like crabs can also be cooked by some vendors and eaten in the market.

The 1st floor is a shopping zone with souvenirs ranging from fresh seafood to sweets. The 2nd and 3rd floors are gourmet zones with "Minato (Port)" food stalls and KIRI-NO-BEER-EN (beer garden) . Wi-Fi is available for free in the building. From mid-May to the end of October the "Ganpeki (Wharfside) Robata" (BBQ restaurant of seafood) is open, where you can enjoy all the tastes of food of Kushiro with magnificent view of the port and Nusamai Bridge.

OPENING HOURS -8:00 to 18:00 (until 17:00 from January to March; until 16:00 on Sundays)

CLOSED - Sundays from late October to late April; and also during the rest of the year many individual shops are closed on Sundays

KUSHIRO CITY MUSEUM - Natural history museum, designed to look like the famous local crane spreading its wings. It is well worth a visit.

KUSHIRO ART MUSEUM- Impressive museum in a modern building overlooking the river.

KUSHIRO CHILDREN’S MUSEUM - Beuatiful modern museum with educational exhibits.

GETTING THERE AND AROUND

From the Cruise Port there are free shuttle buses that will take you to the Fisherman’s Wharf MOO.

You can eat , shop and wander around the Fisherman’s Wharf. A complex facility along the Kushiro River. The impressive building was designed with a motif of the rich nature of eastern Hokkaido by Kiko Mozuna, an architect from Kushiro. In its spacious premises, there are restaurants, souvenir shops, and even a botanical garden. Both local people and tourists visit the attractions here.

Akan Bus, which connects Kushiro Airport and Kushiro City, also stops here. It is a landmark that can be the base of a trip through Kushiro. There are workshops available for tourists conducted by women volunteers. You can also wander to the Nusamai bridge. It has four bronze statues symbolizing the four seasons.

GET OUT OF TOWN

KUSHIRO SHITSUGEN NATIONAL PARK -the Kushiro Marshland (Kushiro Shitsugen) in Hokkaido was designated as a national park in 1987 in order to preserve the country's largest wetland and marsh habitat which supports the only known population of endangered Japanese Cranes in Japan.

The park is located between Kushiro and Akan National Park . The park does not receive much snowfall, even in winter, and offers bird watching, nature viewing, and walking trails amidst lush forest. The park is home to a a rare species of Japanese cranes. Japanese Cranes can be viewed there year round and attract hundreds of photographers . Japanese Cranes were thought to be extinct in Japan due to overhunting and habitat destruction. However, in 1926 a group of about 20 birds was discovered in the marshes around Kushiro. With conservation efforts they have since made a dramatic recovery and now number more than 1000 birds.

The cranes are most spectacular to watch as they dance, often in pairs, with seemingly choreographed dips and jumps. The cranes are best seen in the winter as they gather at winter feeding sites. These sites are best accessed by car, but they can also be reached by public transportation. A couple of the other ways to enjoy the marshland from the inside are to go on a walk along the walking trails or join a canoe or kayak tour that goes down the distributaries of the Kushiro River in the marshland. These activities are typically available around the year and offer a different perspective of the national park.

AKAN INTERNATIONAL CRANE CENTER

Hours: daily 9:00 to 17:00
Closed: No closing days
Admission: 480 yen (includes Tancho Observation Center)

The Akan International Crane Center is a museum, breeding center, and sanctuary where cranes can be seen year round. It has a good exhibit about crane history and ecology with English explanations.

FEEDING STATIONS

These are open from November to March to offset food shortages of the colder winter months. Visitors can watch the feedings which are once or twice a day depending on the station. Feeding times are the best times to see groups of cranes together.

TANCHO OBSERVATION CENTER

Hours: 8:30 to 16:00 (until 16:30 from February to March)
Closed: April 1 to October 31
Admission: 480 yen (includes Akan International Crane Center)

The Tancho Observation Center is a winter feeding ground adjacent to the Akan International Crane Center. The facilities include an observation room, toilets, and a small restaurant.

TSURUI ITO TANCHO SANCTUARY

The Tsurui Ito Tancho Sanctuary feeding ground is on the same grounds as the Japan Wild Bird Association Nature Center. Although there are no facilities at the feeding ground itself, the Nature Center across the street has an observation room and a research center.Tsuruimidai

Tsurumidai is a feeding ground located directly beside Route 53. There are no facilities at the feeding ground except for a parking lot large enough to accommodate a few tour buses. There is also a restaurant across the street.

WINTER ROOSTING GROUNDS

OTAWA BRIDGE

In winter the cranes come here at night to roost in the relative safety and warmth that the river provides. They are best observed in the mornings as they are usually out feeding during the day. The bridge is only accessible by car.

VIEWPOINTS

The landscape of Kushiro Shitsugen National Park can be viewed from various viewpoints around the park.

KUSHIRO SHITSUGEN VIEWPOINT
This viewpoint can be reached in about 15 to 20 minutes by a (wheelchair accessible) boardwalk path from the Kushiro City Marsh Observatory. There are numerous paths in the area, some of which lead down to the edge of the marsh.

HOKUTO VIEWPOINT
This viewpoint is located right beside Route 53 and offers unobstructed views of the park. It is accessible by car or bus.

HOSOOKA VIEWPOINT
Located on the eastern edge of the park, this viewpoint is especially beautiful at sunset. It can be accessed by car or by a diesel train from Kushiro Station.

GETTING THERE AND AROUND

A rental car is the easiest way to get around the park as public transportation is limited and infrequent. Rental outlets are available at Kushiro Airport and in the city center. It is possible to reach most of Kushiro's sites by public transportation, although a few, such as the Otowa Bridge roosting area, can only be reached by car.

WHAT TO EAT

As a fishing port, Kushiro is one of the largest fishing bases in Japan, and accounts for13 % fish haul in the Japan. It is known for it’s high quality fresh fish, sea urchins, scallops, squid, octopus, abalone, mackerel, herring and salmon. Oysters and crabs are local specialty, harvested from just up the coast.

Sushi is a must-try item because Kushiro is famous for its marine products. The freshly caught marine products are made into sushi and even at conveyor belt sushi restaurants in the city, sushi are considered to be of the finest quality. Tourists can eat seafood rice bowl at the Shake Banya the Washo Fish Market. The visitors can choose a type of rice bowl and they can choose to grill the seafood. In case of grilling the seafood, the visitors choose the seafood that they s want to eat and hand seafood to a waitress on a tray which is then grilled.

It is also well-known as a birthplace of a local specialty dish "Hokkaido-style Deep-fried Chicken “ as well as for its many noodle shops.

Kushiro Ramen is called the 4th ramen in the Hokkaido, and features a light and tasty seafood soup and curled thin noodles. It is too good to miss the fresh ramen noodles without an additive and a preservative. The Kushiro Ramen are served at about 100 restaurants in the Kushiro.

Walk around the City and at the Fisherman’s Wharf and you will find a number of noodle shops.

Robotayaki (Japanese -style barbecue) started in Kushiro. Fresh seafood is cooked over charcoal. In Kushiro there are a number of establishments where patrons can cook their own food. You can enjoy fresh seafood grilled to perfection while sitting around a sunken hearth in traditional robata restaurants. Various seafood options are served at reasonable prices.

Kushiro’s Pacific Saury (fish) is one of the city’s most famous catches. When in season, the Pacific Saury are nice and fatty with tightly packed meat. Sammanma is made using the whole Pacific saury with all of its bones removed. It is then marinated in soy based sauce and wrapped in rice. It is then barbecued over charcoal. Each Sammanma is cooked individually by a master chef.

SHOPPING- WHAT TO BUY

Inside Washo market, you can find a wide collection of Kushiro souvenirs, including frozen foods, chilled foods, honey, seasonings, and retort-packed foods. The store clerks will carefully explain each and every product, so you’d probably find it difficult to decide what to buy!

LOCAL CURRENCY AND TIPPING CUSTOMS

The local currency in Jpan is the yen. It comes in denomination of 10,000 yen, 5,000 yen and 1000 notes, as well as 500 yen, 100 yen , 50 yen , 10 yen, 5 yen and 1 coins.

There are ATM machines available at the Fisherman’s wharf and an ATM CASH MACHINE where you can exchange your foreign currency to Japanese Yen. There’s no need to look for a money exchanger.

Major credit cards are accepted at majority of stores and restaurants.

Don’t tip, as it is considered rude!